Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 11:5
And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
5. “Righteousness” and “faithfulness” are the strength of the Messiah’s government (ch. Isa 9:7). The girdle is the symbol of resolute and vigorous action. Comp. the “girdle of truth” in Eph 6:14.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And righteousness shall be the gridle of his loins – The sense of this verse is plain. He will always exhibit himself as a just and faithful king. The girdle of the loins refers to the cincture, or band, with which the ancients girded themselves. A part of their dress consisted of an outward, loose, flowing robe. This robe it was necessary to gird up, or to confine close to the body in active labor, or in running; and the meaning of the figure used here is, probably, that the virtues of righteousness and justice would adhere to him as closely and inseparably as the garment does to the body to which it was bound. The figure of representing the virtues as clothing, or describing them as parts of dress with which we are invested, is common in the Scriptures:
I put on righteousness, and it clothes me;
My judgment was as a robe and a diadem.
Job 29:14.
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation,
He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments,
And as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
Isa 61:10.
Compare Rev 19:8, and Pauls beautiful description in Eph 6:13-17. In like manner, vice and wickedness are sometimes represented as so closely adhering to a man as to be a part of his very clothing; Psa 109:18-19 :
He clothed himself with cursing, like as with a garment.
Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him,
And for a girdle, wherewith he is girded continually.
The Chaldee renders this, And the just shall be round about him on every side – sehor sehor – and the servants of truth shall come near to him. The idea is, that he shall be distinguished for justice and truth, and that a zeal for these shall make him strong and active in executing the purposes of his reign. This closes the description of the personal qualities of the Messiah. The account of the effects of his reign follows in the subsequent verses.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 11:5
And righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins and faithfulness the girdle of His reins
The right girdle
I.
We have the Saviour here represented in His RIGHTEOUSNESS. The Saviour was abstractedly, in and of and from Himself, righteous. But the righteousness here means the actual accomplishment of His mission. He saith of Himself. Ought not Christ to suffer these things? But He was not only righteous in His work, He was righteous on all sides. Righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins; go all round Him. That cannot be said of us except by faith. By faith we put on the girdle of righteousness. But personally we are compassed with infirmity. Not so the Saviour. He was tempted or tried, but never showed a weak part anywhere. Not only was He righteous, He was also strong.
II. We have the Saviour here represented in His FAITHFULNESS. By the reins, as Cruden well observes, the vital affections of the soul are meant. Did Christs vital affections ever give way? No! How faithful He was in love! (James Wells.)
Girdles
Girdles of various kinds, made of valuable materials, were anciently worn by persons of high rank, which distinguished them from those of inferior station, by whom girdles of some sort were likewise worn. The girdles which the priests put on were made of gold, of blue, of purple, scarlet, and fine-twined linen. The military girdle was sometimes of considerable excellence and value, as is plainly intimated in what Joab said to the young man who informed him he had seen Absalom hanging in a tree (2Sa 18:11). (R. Macculloch.)
Righteousness and faithfulness
Righteousness and faithfulness, agreeably blended together, compose the girdle of the Messiah. These two amiable qualities cannot be separated, and serve mutually to illustrate each other; faithfulness is necessary to fulfil the promises of God, and righteousness is no less requisite to discern the characters of those to whom they ought to be fulfilled, in what measure, and in what time they should be accomplished. (R. Macculloch.)
Christ’s girdle
1. As a girdle surrounds a mans whole body, and is seen to advantage whithersoever he turn himself, so, in like manner, these two Divine excellences should every way appear most conspicuous in the Messiahs administration of the affairs of His kingdom.
2. As the girdles which were anciently worn, served to fasten the loose and flowing garments that were then used and to strengthen the loins of those who were girt with them, so these glorious perfections complete the character of the King of Israel and give vigour to the honourable and successful exercise of regal authority.
3. As girdles served in ancient times for ornaments to the illustrious persons who put them on, so righteousness and faithfulness were eminently to adorn the personal conduct and public character of the Prince of Peace, the King of kings, and Lord of lords (Rev 19:11). (R. Macculloch.)
The trilogy of the prophetic figures of the Messiah
The trilogy of the prophetic figures of the Messiah as about to be born, as born, and as ruling–is now complete. (F. Delitzsch, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 5. The girdle – “The cincture”] All the ancient Versions, except that of Symmachus, have two different words for girdle in the two hemistichs. It is not probable that Isaiah would have repeated azer, when a synonymous word so obvious as chagor occurred. The tautology seems to have arisen from the mistake of some transcriber. The meaning of this verse is, that a zeal for justice and truth shall make him active and strong in executing the great work which he shall undertake. See note on Isa 5:27.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Shall be the girdle of his loins; it shall adorn him, and be the glory of his government, as a girdle was used for ornament, Isa 3:24, and as an ensign of power, Job 12:18; and it shall constantly cleave to him, in all his administrations, as a girdle cleaveth to a mans loins, which is the prophets similitude, Jer 13:11.
The girdle of his reins; the same thing in other words.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. righteousness . . . girdle(Rev 1:13; Rev 19:11).The antitypical High Priest (Ex28:4). The girdle secures firmly the rest of the garments(1Pe 1:13). So “truth”gives firm consistency to the whole character (Eph5:14). In Isa 59:17,”righteousness” is His breastplate.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins,…. He shall be adorned with it, strengthened by it, and ready at all times to perform it; he loved righteousness, and did acts of righteousness throughout the whole course of his life; and, by his active and passive obedience, wrought out an everlasting righteousness for his people; he is a King that reigns in righteousness, righteousness is the sceptre of his kingdom; all his administrations of government are righteous; just and true are all his ways:
and faithfulness the girdle of his reins; he was faithful to God, that appointed him as King and Head of the church; faithful as a Prophet, in declaring his mind and will; and is a faithful High Priest, as well as a merciful one. The Targum, interprets this of righteous and faithful men, thus,
“and the righteous shall be round about him, and they that work (the work) of faith shall draw nigh unto him;”
but it is said of a single person, of the Messiah only, to whom it properly belongs.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
5. And righteousness shall be the belt. (185) Some translate it girdle; but as the Prophet represents Christ to us wearing, as it were, the emblems of royalty, I have rather translated it belt, which is also a royal emblem, in the same manner as the scepter, which he had assigned to him a little before. When Job speaks of taking away the authority of kings, he says that the Lord will ungird their belt. (Job 12:18.) To be girded with a belt, therefore, is nothing else than to be exalted to royal authority, as we shall afterwards see in another passage. (Isa 14:5.)
The Prophet describes two ornaments belonging to the belt. These are righteousness and truth; unless it be thought that there is a change in the order of construction, as if he had said that Christ will be girded with true righteousness; for truth is not added as if it were different from righteousness, but in order to point out the nature of that righteousness with which Christ is girded. Some think that righteousness here denotes that which Christ imparts to us, that it may dwell, not only in himself, but in his members. Faith or truth they understand to be that by which we embrace the salvation which he offers to us.
The Chaldee paraphrast explains it thus; “and the righteous shall be round about him, believing worshippers shall approach to him.” (186) But I adopt a more simple interpretation, as if he had said, “He shall not appear like kings, clothed with purple and a crown, or girded with a belt; but righteousness and truth shall shine forth in him.” I acknowledge, indeed, that righteousness is not confined to Christ, but belongs to his members; but we must attend to the mode of expression, that Christ comes forth to govern his people girded with righteousness, which he afterwards imparts to them by the secret influence of the Spirit. If we distinguish between the word אמונה ( emunah) and righteousness, I consider it to mean faithfulness or steadfastness; as if he had said that Christ never disappoints his followers, for he continues always to be like himself.
(185) The girdle. — Eng. Ver.
(186) “The Targum of Jonathan renders it, and the righteous shall be round about him; that is, ‘they shall cleave to him like a girdle.’” — Jarchi.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(5) Righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins . . .The image of clothing as the symbol of habit or character was already familiar (Psa. 109:18-19). The repetition of girdle has needlessly offended some fastidious critics, but the emphasis of iteration is quite after Isaiahs manner (Isa. 15:8; Isa. 16:7; Isa. 17:12-13). It perhaps implies an upper and a lower girdle as the symbol of complete equipment. In the loins girt about with truth of Eph. 6:14, we may probably trace an allusive reference. The armour of the followers of Christ was to be like that of Christ Himself.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. Righteousness girdle of his loins That which is spotlessly just in his dealings with men is, by figure, the cincture or band which shall engirdle him.
Girdle This essential article in the dress of the East, both among men and women worn about the waist, or, if loose, the loins was of leather or linen, cheap or costly, and was used to hold in place or gird up, as might be needed, the outside flowing garment which it enclosed. It was common to represent the better habits under the figure of clothing; the meaning of which was, that they adhere to character as inseparably and closely as the garment did to the body to which it was bound. Job 29:14; Psa 109:18; Isa 61:10.
Nothing is more clear than that the new succession out of Jesse is the Messiah, with features in the description here much like those belonging to the humble and holy Jesus of Nazareth. “The root of Jesse” is a figure which answers to the lowly remnant-reduction of Israel, who become, instead of a worldly Davidic house, a lowly body of true adherents to Jehovah despite of all vicissitudes and tribulations; and become, also, the genuine stock out of which the incarnate and true David is to arise. As a ruler and administrator he is, in the last five verses, set before us as making earth as peaceful a realm as is heaven, the ideal realm divinely intended for king David to build up, but in respect to which himself, but more particularly his successors on the throne, had made a shocking failure.
The verses following (6-9) present in a strain of allegory the results of Messiah’s righteous and peaceful government.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Coming Paradise ( Isa 11:5-10 ).
And now, having depicted a situation where good will triumph and evil perish, where all will be just and right, where everything will be in accord with the holiness and justice of God, Isaiah goes on to finalise the perfect picture. The King will rule in righteousness (Isa 11:5), and even throughout the animal kingdom peace and harmony will reign. For He is the Prince of Peace (Isa 11:6-9), while the nations and peoples will seek to the root of Jesse, and find a glorious resting place, in the same way as the animals will, a resting place provided by Him.
Many seek to depict these scenes as though they applied to a kingdom on earth, but a few moments thought will reveal the impossibility of such a situation. Such justice and righteousness can only be applicable where men are totally good. Otherwise men could not live with such righteousness and life would not be liveable. This is not describing a kingdom age where right conflicts with wrong, but a golden age in the new heavens and the new earth when all is harmony (Isa 66:22 and see Isa 65:17-25). A time when death is no more. It is an idealistic picture, not one of which the details should be pressed. Both nature and man will have come to their consummation. (And to suggest that while all this peace and harmony within creation is going on, man is busy offering sacrificial memorial offerings in the Temple would be to contradict the whole picture).
Analysis of Isa 11:5-10 .
a
b And the wolf will make himself at home with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the kid, and the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling together, and a little child will lead them (Isa 11:6).
c And the cow and the bear will feed, their young ones will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox (Isa 11:7).
c And the suckling child will play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child will put his hand on the adder’s den (Isa 11:8).
b They will not hurt nor destroy, in all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of Yahweh, as the waters cover the sea (Isa 11:9).
a And it will come about in that day that the root of Jesse, which stands for an ensign of the peoples, to Him will the nations seek, and His resting place will be glory (Isa 11:10).
In ‘a’ we have the picture of the ideal king clothed for His ideal reign, and in the parallel He will be sought to by the people and His resting place for them (as for the animals and children) will be glorious. They too will enjoy His rest, as will nature. In ‘b’ all the fiercest predators will be at peace with their former prey, for in the parallel they will not hurt or destroy in all His holy mountain because all will have the knowledge of Yahweh. In ‘c’ all nature is at one, and in the parallel man is at one with nature.
Isa 11:5
‘And righteousness will be the girdle of his loins,
And faithfulness the girdle of his reins.’
The King will clothe Himself in righteousness and faithfulness. Righteousness will determine all His activities, and He will reveal His faithfulness by how He conducts His affairs. (‘The reins’ determine control and direction). For all things will be ruled in righteousness in His righteous kingdom, so that all nature will be in harmony and men will seek to Him and enjoy His glorious resting place.
Isa 11:6-8
‘And the wolf will make himself at home with the lamb,
And the leopard will lie down with the kid,
And the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling together,
And a little child will lead them.
And the cow and the bear will feed,
Their young ones will lie down together,
And the lion will eat straw like the ox,
And the suckling child will play on the hole of the asp,
And the weaned child will put his hand on the adder’s den.’
Such will be His righteous rule that all nature will be in harmony. The picture is idyllic, the hunters and the hunted sharing their food and lifestyle together and at peace, and their young all in harmony together, and all will be in harmony with man whose young will have control over all. Gen 1:28 is finally fulfilled. No one will seek to benefit by the death of another. All predatory instincts will have ceased. So much so that the snake will no longer be man’s enemy, but totally trustworthy and safe to dally with. It is the reversal of the fall in Eden. The Enemy will no longer be able to exercise his guile. There will be no killing, no bloodlust, no devouring of another, no fear, no bite of death, no fear or deceit of the snake. It will be Paradise, with evil fully defeated.
(Note: This sits ill with the suggestion made by some of a world where the cow and the lamb and the kid and the fatling have one thing to fear, being offered as an offering in an earthly Temple. That is the exact opposite of what is depicted here. There are no sacrifices here. This cannot reasonably be thought of as including such an idea. In this world no sacrifices are necessary. End of note).
Note how in Isa 65:25 this glorious scene is linked with the new heaven and the new earth (Isa 65:17).
Isa 11:9
‘They will not hurt nor destroy,
In all my holy mountain,
For the earth will be full of the knowledge of Yahweh,
As the waters cover the sea.’
Thus there will be no more death, no more hurt, no more enmity, no more tears (compare Rev 21:3-4), for all nature will have full knowledge of Yahweh and be obedient to His will. This is a picture of the everlasting kingdom. All will be made perfect just as it was intended to be in the beginning of creation. God’s holy mountain here has filled the whole earth, which is in turn filled with the knowledge of Yahweh. Knowledge here implies full understanding and harmony and response. It is a further reminder that God’s holy mountain is not the same as Jerusalem (see on Isa 2:2-4). In Isa 2:3 all nations came to the mountain of Yahweh, but here the mountain of Yahweh has embraced all that remains once the wicked have been slain with the breath of His mouth. The mountain of Yahweh is greater and more spiritually widespread than Jerusalem, that is, until finally ‘Jerusalem’ itself is also spoken of in universal terms (Isa 66:12-14; Isa 66:20-23; compare Gal 4:26; Heb 12:22).
Thus does Isaiah present his picture of the time when God will have brought in perfection, presented in terms that the people of that time could appreciate, and yet having that added extra that warns us against taking it too literally.
Isa 11:10
‘And it will come about in that day that the root of Jesse,
Which stands for an ensign of the peoples,
To him will the nations seek,
And his resting place will be glory.’
And men too must have their part in this perfect kingdom (up to now all concentration has been on animals and little children, demonstrating its perfect innocence). The new King, the root of Jesse, will set up His banner, and all nations and people will seek to Him and enjoy His glorious resting place along with the animals and children.
So having expanded his thought to the restoring of Paradise Isaiah again brings attention back to the King. But now He is not just Jesse’s seed. He is a greater than Jesse. He is the root from which Jesse springs. He is the world King. It is He, the very root of Jesse, to whom the nations will seek. He will have raised Himself as a banner, and they will flock to Him and find rest within His glory, in His glorious resting place. This is a banner of peace as is appropriate for the Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6). Contrast Isa 5:26; Isa 13:2. It found a glorious fulfilment when His banner was raised at Pentecost and after, and the nations flocked to His banner. Jesus may well have had this verse in mind when He promised His own that in His Father’s house were many resting places (Joh 14:1-2).
The description of the coming One as ‘the root of Jesse’ contrasts with Isa 11:1 and emphasises that His glory does not come from Jesse. He is the root, Jesse is the stock. So in the end He Himself is the root, the stock, the branch and everything. All eyes must be on Him.
‘In that day.’ That is, in the future ‘day’, whenever it is, when God brings His purposes to fruition. How long that day would be was unknown to Isaiah. It was simply the future restoration, and he did not know how long it would take. It would be a long day in our terms. It began with the restoring of the people to the land, continued when Jesus Christ first came and through the ages, and awaits its final completion at His second coming in glory when His people find rest within His glory. With God a day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day (2Pe 3:8).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Isa 11:5. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins We have here the basis and foundation of this oeconomy, namely, the justice and fidelity of the king. Girdles were worn by the easterns both for ornament and use.
The metaphor here implies that these virtues of righteousness and fidelity, or truth, are the proper and true virtues of Christ the king; most closely adhering to him, as a girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, Jer 13:11 that these virtues should be conspicuous in the whole administration of his kingdom; and at once be the ornament and the support of it. The sum is, that the kingdom of Christ should be a kingdom of the highest equity, and the king of it most perfect; who, though judging his true subjects by the law of grace, by faithfully performing all the promises of the Gospel, and every condition of the covenant to them, will yet not omit to punish the enemies of his church according to their deserts, and thus to satisfy the law of justice: so that he shall not be less venerable and awful for his justice in judgment, than amiable and desirable for his truth, fidelity, and constancy in performing his promises; which, being things naturally united, are not by any means to be separated.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
I beg the Reader to say, if it be not so, whether these divine perfections of our Lord were not introduced here in order that his people might behold in them their perfect security? And as a man’s girdle goeth round the whole loins, and may be laid hold of behind or before; so the figure is beautifully chosen, to teach a poor trembling believer, who fears to come before the face of the Lord by reason of any renewed transgression; or if, in return to his prayer, the Lord seemeth to turn the back and not the face; in either case, and in every case, he is commanded by faith to lay hold of the girdle of Christ’s loins, encircled as it is with righteousness and faithfulness. Isa 51:8 ; Psa 89:27-35 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 11:5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
Ver. 5. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins. ] Symbolum Regis hoc est, saith Scultetus. Kings and princes have their scita in scutis, their mottoes on their shields; so hath our king here, viz., “Righteousness and faithfulness”; and this is so manifest as if written on his girdle, a or belt, see Rev 19:16 ; where, for like cause, Christ’s high titles are written “on his vesture, and on his thigh.” Others by this expression understand Christ’s alacrity and promptitude to vindicate his elect, and to punish the wicked, according to his promise, Vaticinatur de Christi solertia in obeundis regni Dei negotiis, ac tribuit illi cincturam, seu industriam spiritualem pro qualilate obeundae dispensationis. b Let us also, Christ-like, “gird up the loins of our minds; be sober, and hope perfectly.” 1Pe 1:13 Gird ourselves, and serve him, Luk 17:8 readily, nimbly, handsomely, and hardily. A loose, discinct, and diffluent (fluid) mind is unfit for God’s service.
a The belt is put for a kingly ensign. Calvin. Job 12:18
b Zeged.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
righteousness: Isa 59:17, Psa 93:1, 2Co 6:7, Eph 6:14, 1Pe 4:1, Rev 1:13
and faithfulness: Isa 25:1, Hos 2:20, Heb 2:17, 1Jo 1:9, Rev 3:14
Reciprocal: Exo 28:4 – a girdle Exo 28:8 – curious Exo 39:5 – curious 2Sa 23:3 – must be just 1Ki 10:9 – to do Job 12:21 – weakeneth the strength of the mighty Psa 9:8 – General Isa 5:27 – neither Jer 33:6 – and will Dan 10:5 – loins Luk 12:35 – your loins 1Co 1:9 – God 1Co 10:13 – but Gal 5:15 – General 1Pe 1:13 – gird
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 11:5. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins It shall adorn him, and be the glory of his government, as a girdle was used for an ornament, Isa 3:24; and as an ensign of power, Job 12:18; and it shall constantly cleave to him in all his administrations, as a girdle cleaveth to a mans loins. And faithfulness the girdle of his reins The same thing in other words. Here then we have the basis and foundation of this kingdom, namely, the justice and fidelity of the king. These virtues shall be conspicuous in the whole administration of his government, and, at once, be the ornament and the support of it. The sum is, that the kingdom of Christ should be a kingdom of the highest equity, and the king of it perfect: who, though judging his true subjects by the law of grace, by faithfully performing all the promises of the gospel, and every condition of the covenant to them, will yet not omit to punish the enemies of his church according to their deserts, and thus to satisfy the law of justice: so that he shall not be less venerable and awful for his justice in judgment, than amiable and desirable for his truth, fidelity, and constancy in performing his promises; which being things naturally united, are not, by any means, to be separated. Dodd.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Righteousness and faithfulness (to God) would be His outstanding and determining characteristics. These were the marks of the Israelites’ God (cf. Isa 5:16; Isa 65:16; Psa 40:10; Psa 119:75; Psa 119:142; Zec 8:8). A belt in Isaiah’s culture held together everything else that the person wore. So the figure here pictures everything about the king as thoroughly righteous and pleasing to God.