Bible Strands
Isaiah 11:9
They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the sea is full of water.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet Isaiah speaks to Judah and the surrounding nations regarding the future Messianic reign from Jesse’s line. The declaration marks the culmination of a restored creation where natural hostility ceases under divine sovereignty.
The words — The Hebrew verbs יָרֵ֥עוּ (ya.Re.'u) and יַשְׁחִ֖יתוּ (yash.Chi.tu) literally translate to "they will do harm" and "they will destroy." These terms establish the absolute absence of violence on the holy mountain.
The thread — The promise of universal divine knowledge reappears in Habakkuk 2:14 and aligns with the global revelation of salvation in Psalms 98:2 and Isaiah 52:10. This thematic thread traces a consistent biblical movement from localized covenant promise to worldwide recognition.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to accept that divine knowledge, not human force, will ultimately govern creation. It demands a shift from maintaining hostile boundaries to acknowledging the saturation of the earth with the LORD’s presence.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
Cross-references
- Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
- Isaiah 52:10 The LORD has bared His holy arm in the sight of all the nations; all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.
- Psalms 98:2 The LORD has proclaimed His salvation and revealed His righteousness to the nations.
- Micah 4:2 And many nations will come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
- Job 5:23 For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you.
- Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
- Psalms 72:19 And blessed be His glorious name forever; may all the earth be filled with His glory. Amen and amen.
- Isaiah 59:19 So shall they fear the name of the LORD where the sun sets, and His glory where it rises. For He will come like a raging flood, driven by the breath of the LORD.
- Revelation 21:27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices an abomination or a lie, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
- Psalms 22:27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him.