a. Peaceful Co-Existence in the Animal and Human Realm. Isa. 11:6-7

• "And the wolf will dwell with the lamb" (Isa. 11:6) – "wolf" is ze'êb (2061), always translated as "wolf" in the NASB. "Lamb" is kebeś (3532), a lamb, or young ram. "Will dwell" is the Qal Perfect of the verb gûr (1481) to sojourn or reside as a foreigner. The idea seems to be that, though wolves living peacefully with lambs is not normal in this era, it will, indeed, occur routinely in the era of the Kingdom. In another essay on the glories of the Messianic Kingdom, Isaiah predicted that "the wolf and lamb will graze together" (Isa. 65:25). He concluded, "'They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain,' says the LORD" (Isa. 65:25).

• "And the leopard will lie down with the young goat," (Isa. 11:6) – "leopard" is nâmêr (5246), occurring but six times in the OT, universally translated "leopard" in the NASB; "panther" is another alternative to "leopard" in the "Simple Hebrew-English Dictionary" found in Bibloi 8.0. "Will lie down" is the Qal Imperfect of râbats (7257), to "stretch oneself out, lie down, lie stretched out" (BDB). A notable use is found in Psalm 23:2. Isaiah uses this verb more than any other book, Isa. 11:6, 7; 13:20, 21; 14:30; 17:2; 27:10; 54:11. (The last instance is a Hiphil Participle, and thus is translated "I will set" or, literally, "I will lay down your stones.") "Young goat" is gêdiy (1423), a kid (BDB) or young goat (Strong's, NASB). The sense is that, though in this present era, a leopard will devour a baby goat, in the Kingdom, it will lie down peacefully with the kid, and the kid will be utterly unafraid of the leopard! This will come about because the Messiah, the Creator of the Universe (John 1:3, 10; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2), will reign on earth, and will alter certain aspects of nature to the way it was in the pre-Flood era, when man and all animals were vegetarian (Gen. 1:29-30; 9:1-5).

• "And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together" (Isa. 11:6) – "calf" is ‛êgel (5695), always "calf" (NASB). "Young lion" is kephîyr (3715), usually "young lion," sometimes, simply "lion" (NASB). In Nahum 2:11 "young lion" kephîyr (3715) is distinguished from a fully adult lion 'aryêh (738) and a lioness lebîyâ' (3833). "Fatling" merîy' (4806), refers to "fattened cattle" (from the "Simple Hebrew-English Dictionary" found in Bibloi 8.0). A fatling, merîy' (4806), is distinguished from an ox (or bull), shôr (7794) in 2 Sam. 6:13; from sheep tsô'n (6629) and from cattle, herd, ox (BDB) bâqâr (1241) in 1 Kings 1:19; from rams 'ayil (352), bulls pâr (6499), lambs kebeś (3532), and from goats ‛attûd (6260) in Isa. 1:11. A calf and a young lion are younger species. The fatling is normally a fattened cow or steer or bull, meaning it is large enough for slaughter. In this context, it may mean a juvenile member of the cattle family that is being fattened. The point here is that baby calves and young lions and fattened cattle do not cohabit peacefully. But borrowing the verb from the previous line, these disparate creatures will lie down peacefully together. Obviously, the very dispositions of these animals have been altered by the resident King to pre-Flood and perhaps even nearly to Edenic conditions. This will happen during the reign of the Great King!

• "And a little boy will lead them" (Isa. 11:6) – "little" is the adjective qâtôn (6996), "small, insignificant;" "boy" is the noun na‛ar (5288), "boy, lad, youth;" "will lead" is the Qal Participle of nahâg (5090), "to lead or drive" (flocks). Literally, the text reads, "and a small boy leading them." The amazing thing is that, not only will these normally carnivorous predators peacefully co-exist with their easy prey, but they will even all cooperate peacefully with a small boy who is pretending to be a shepherd and is herding all of them along, much as sheep will allow a sheep dog to herd them. What amazing equanimity and cooperation! The Great King, the Creator, will be present on earth, and nature itself will respond to the Creator! But Isaiah has not finished! He continues,

• "Also the cow and the bear will graze," (Isa. 11:7) – "cow" is pârâh (6510), distinguished from bulls (Gen. 32:15); common to Egypt (Gen. 41:2, 3, 4); designated as "milk" cows, literally, "nursing" (‛ûl, 5763) cows (1 Sam. 6:10). "Bear" is dôb (1677). "Will graze" is the Qal Imperfect of the verb râ‛âh (7462), meaning to "graze" or "feed" or "pasture." Bears today are omnivorous. They will eat berries, and they will eat salmon, where available. But in that day bears will be strictly vegetarian. They will graze along with cattle. The King will change nature!
  

• "Their young will lie down together," (Isa. 11:7) – "their young" is the plural of the masculine noun yeled (3206), which is usually translated as "child" or "children" when referring to humans, and occasionally "boy" (Gen. 4:23) or "young men" (1 Kings 12:8, 10), when the context indicates. When referring to animals it is usually translated "young" (Job 38:41; 39:3). Here (Isa. 11:7), the text is very specific. Though the noun yeled is masculine, its suffix "their" is feminine plural referring back to the mother cow and she bear in the previous line. While the mother cow and she bear graze in the pasture, their offspring lie down peacefully together nearby. "Lie down" is the Qal Imperfect of the verb râbats (7257), used previously of the leopard and young goat in Isa. 11:6. This is a pastoral scene replete with peace and contentment in the entire animal kingdom. This peaceful coexistence is utterly unthinkable in today's world. But its fulfillment is inevitable when the King returns to reign!
  

• "And the lion will eat straw like the ox." (Isa. 11:7) – "lion" (there is no article in the Hebrew text) is 'aryêh (738), sometimes spelled 'ariy (738); "eat straw" – "straw" is teben (8401) usually used for bedding for livestock (Gen. 24:25, 32), but when still out in a field that has been harvested, as here, apparently, suitable for forage; "like the ox"– "ox" is the singular of bâqâr (1241), which, in the plural is often translated "oxen" or "cattle" or "herds" in the NASB. Straw is a normal diet for oxen, but not for lions! The transformation of the King of the Beasts to herbivorous status will be consistent with the world-wide peace that will prevail (Isa. 2:1-4). This prediction is repeated in Isa. 65:25.
  

b. Peaceful Co-Existence between Animals and Man. Isa. 11:8-9a

• "The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra," (Isa. 11:8). Isaiah has already involved a human being in his prediction of peaceful co-existence between animals when he said that "a little boy will lead them" (Isa. 11:6). But in the first section the emphasis was upon tranquility within the animal kingdom. In this section the emphasis is upon equanimity between man and animals, especially animals that are ordinarily deadly to humans. In particular, Isaiah references a small child who doesn't have sense enough to know of potential danger.

• "nursing child" – the Qal Participle of the verb yânaq (3243), "to suck." This is a child old enough to be able to play outside, but still young enough to be nursing. One must understand that mothers nursed their babies far longer in that culture than we do in Western cultures today.

• "will play" – the Pilpel Perfect of the verb shâ‛a‛ (8173), meaning, in the Pilpel stem, to "sport, take delight in, delight" (BDB). So this small child is having fun playing outside right near the hole of a deadly poisonous snake. But he is clueless of the danger and his mother is totally unconcerned.

• "cobra" – pethen (6620), a venomous serpent, perhaps a cobra, adder, or viper. Again, there is no concern upon the part of the child, who wouldn't be capable of knowing, or upon the part of his parents of what would today be considered a frighteningly dangerous situation. The reason is given in Isa. 11:9, "They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain." The animal kingdom will be changed so that the creatures will not harm one another, and they will not harm even unsuspecting, small children! What an incredible change in nature!

• "And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper's den" (Isa. 11:8). Literally, the text reads, "And upon the den of the viper the weaned child his hand will stretch out." This line repeats, with slight variation, the future reality of the preceding line.

• "weaned child" – the Qal Passive Participle of the verb gâmal (1580), literally, "having been weaned" (cf. Gen. 21:8; Isa. 28:9). This child is a little older than the nursing child, but he would not know enough to avoid danger.
  

• "viper" – the noun tsepha‛ (6848), viper, adder, or poisonous serpent. The weaned child will stretch out his hand over the den of the viper, because the viper will not harm him. The child is not old enough to know that the animal (normally) is harmful, and his parents are unconcerned because they do know the situation. In His Kingdom, the Messiah, the Creator, will do away with the harmful, predatory nature of animals, and will make them docile, cooperative with other animals and with man, appointed to be their ruler (Gen. 1:28).

• "They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain," (Isa. 11:9).
  

• "They will not hurt or destroy" – Isaiah speaks here of all the animals that are, in this era, predatory, and harmful to both other animals and to man. God created man and animals to exist peacefully with one another. That is the way it was in the Garden of Eden. When man sinned, that relationship was degraded, at least to a degree. Presumably, God killed animals to make "garments of skin" for Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:21). But the largest degradation occurred after the Flood. Because of the enormously altered global biosphere following the devastation of the Flood, animals and man became carnivorous (Gen. 9:1-5). It has been the same ever since. But in the Kingdom, it appears that, to an amazing degree, there will be peace between the animal and human kingdoms.
  

• "in all My holy mountain" – Isaiah references Mount Zion, the place where the Millennial Temple will be built, and where Messiah's government will reside. But these tranquil conditions will not only pervade the area around Mount Zion in Jerusalem. Since the King's government will be global (Zech. 14:9), these irenic conditions will exist throughout the earth. Constable contends that, because of the following two lines, peace between humans is also included in these irenic predictions concerning man and the animal kingdom (Isa. 2:1-4).

• Though the first referent of Isaiah's prediction is the still future Millennial Kingdom, there is a more distant and even greater fulfillment that will take place in the Eternal State. In New Jerusalem and upon New Earth, there will be eternal and complete harmony between all men and God, in the animal kingdom, and between man and animals. There will be no death in the Eternal State, (Rev. 20:14; 21:4) so all animals and man will be completely vegetarian. But the fruit and water will be out of this world (Rev. 22:1,2)!