Isaiah 11:11 · Bible study
Isaiah 11:11 Commentary: Second Exodus and Remnant Recovery
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Isaiah 11:11 foretells a second recovery of God's remnant from across the earth.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God promises a second, worldwide ingathering of his people in the Messianic age, recovering a remnant from every nation.
- Key words: “Second time” (שֵׁנִית), “hand” (יָד) signifying power; “recover/acquire” (קָנָה) as redemption; “remnant” (שְׁאָר) emphasizing divine preservation.
- Main debate: Does this predict a literal future restoration of Israel to the land of Canaan, or the spiritual gathering of all believers into Christ’s kingdom?
- Theological theme: God’s sovereign, covenant faithfulness ensures that his people, though scattered and reduced to a remnant, will be fully redeemed.
- Best use: As a text of hope that God is not finished with his people; he will reach across all boundaries to gather those he has chosen.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
On that day the Lord will extend His hand a second time to recover the remnant of His people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
WEB World English Bible 2000
It will happen in that day that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
KJV King James Version 1769
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, that shall remain, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And it hath come to pass, in that day, The Lord addeth a second time his power, To get the remnant of His people that is left, From Asshur, and from Egypt, And from Pathros, and from Cush, And from Elam, and from Shinar, And from Hamath, and from isles of the sea,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to acquire the remnant of his people which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand the second time to possess the remnant of his people, which shall be left from the Assyrians, and from Egypt, and from Phetros, and from Ethiopia, and from Elam, and from Sennaar, and from Emath, and from the islands of the sea.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Asimismo acontecerá en aquel tiempo, que Jehová tornará á poner otra vez su mano para poseer las reliquias de su pueblo que fueron dejadas de Assur, y de Egipto, y de Parthia, y de Etiopía, y de Persia, y de Caldea, y de Amath, y de las Islas de la mar.
E acontecerá naquele dia, que o Senhor voltará a pôr sua mão para adquirir de novo aos restantes de seus povo, que restarem da Assíria, do Egito, Patros, Cuxe, Elão, Sinear, Hamate, e das ilhas do mar.
Dans ce même temps, le Seigneur étendra une seconde fois sa main,
Und der Herr wird zu der Zeit zum andernmal seine Hand ausstrecken, daß er das übrige Volk erwerbe, so übriggeblieben von Assur, Ägypten, Pathros, Mohrenland, Elam, Sinear, Hamath und von den Inseln des Meeres,
Want het zal geschieden te dien dage, dat de Heere ten anderen male Zijn hand aanleggen zal om weder te verwerven het overblijfsel Zijns volks, hetwelk overgebleven zal zijn van Assyrie, en van Egypte, en van Pathros, en van Morenland, en van Elam, en van Sinear, en van Hamath, en van de eilanden der zee.
In quel giorno, il Signore stenderà una seconda volta la mano per riscattare il residuo del suo popolo rimasto in Assiria e in Egitto, a Pathros e in Etiopia, ad Elam, a Scinear ed a Hamath, e nelle isole del mare.
Stanie się też dnia onego, iż Pan powtóre rękę swą przyłoży, aby posiadł ostatek ludu swego, który pozostanie od Assyryjczyków i od Egiptu, i od Patros, i od Chus, i od Elam, i od Senaar, i od Emat, i od wysep morskich.
И будет в тот день: Господь снова прострет руку Свою, чтобы возвратить Себе остаток народа Своего, какой останется у Ассура, и в Египте, и в Патросе, и у Хуса, и у Елама, и в Сеннааре, и в Емафе, и на островах моря.
當 那 日，主 必 二次 伸手 救回 自己百姓 中所 餘剩的，就是在亞述、埃及、巴忒羅、古實、以攔、示拿、哈馬，並眾海 島 所剩下的。
And in that day the hand of the Lord will be stretched out the second time to get back the rest of his people, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the sea-lands.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 11:11
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this verse announces a future deliverance of God’s people, distinct from any previous restoration. The phrase “the second time” implies a prior act, most see the exodus from Egypt as the first (Calvin, Gill), though some suggest the return from Babylon (Wesley). The list of nations (Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the islands of the sea) describes a dispersion far wider than the exile of Isaiah’s own day, pointing to a worldwide ingathering. Barnes notes that the Hebrew word for “day” (יּ֣וֹם) in “in that day” can encompass the entire Messianic age, not a single 24-hour period. The “remnant” (שְׁאָ֣ר) echoes Isaiah’s earlier theme (Isa 1:9, 10:22) that only a small, preserved portion of Israel will experience salvation. Whether this recovery is a literal return of the Jewish people to their land or a spiritual gathering of the elect into Christ’s kingdom remains a major point of disagreement. Yet all recognize that God himself takes the initiative, he “sets his hand” to accomplish what no human power can achieve.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal future restoration: The specific geographical names, the phrase 'second time' paralleling the exodus, and the promise of return from all nations (vv. 12, 16) imply a physical regathering of the Jewish people to their land.
- Spiritual gathering in Messiah: The context of the Messianic kingdom (v.10), New Testament applications of similar passages to the church (e.g., Rom 15:12), and the universal language 'islands of the sea' suggest a worldwide spiritual ingathering of believers.
- Both literal and spiritual fulfillment: Some see a pattern: a literal return of ethnic Jews in the last days (Rom 11:26) combined with a spiritual gathering of Gentiles into the same body, with the remnant concept embracing both.
What is clear: God promises to act decisively in the Messianic age to recover a remnant of his scattered people from every corner of the earth, making them his own possession.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Literal vs. Spiritual Interpretation | The verse promises a future gathering of God's people from worldwide dispersion, initiated by God's own power. | Some (e.g., Gill, many Reformed interpreters) read it as the spiritual ingathering of the elect, Jew and Gentile, into the church under the Messiah. Others (e.g., Keil & Delitzsch, modern dispensationalists) see a literal return of the Jewish people to the land of Israel in the last days. |
| Timing of the 'Second Time' | The 'second time' refers to a deliverance after a previous one, generally the exodus from Egypt is the first, the return from Babylon is not seen as the full second by most. | Wesley identifies the first as the Babylonian return; Calvin and Gill see the exodus as the first and this as a greater, final deliverance in the Messianic era. The difference affects whether the prophecy was partially fulfilled in the post-exilic period or awaits complete fulfillment. |
| Meaning of 'Remnant' | God preserves a small, faithful portion of his people through judgment and scattering. | In a literal view, the remnant is the ethnic Jewish survivors of tribulation. In a spiritual view, the remnant is the elect from both Israel and the nations (cf. Rom 9:27, 11:5). Both groups see it as a gift of grace, not human merit. |
| Scope of the Nations Listed | The list covers the known world, east (Elam, Shinar), south (Egypt, Cush, Pathros), north (Hamath), and west (islands of the sea), showing a universal dispersion. | Some argue the names are geographically precise and point to a literal homeland recovery. Others see them as representative of the entire Gentile world, so the gathering is primarily spiritual and not tied to a specific land. |
| Connection to the Messiah's Kingdom (v.10) | This recovery is directly linked to the 'root of Jesse' who stands as a banner for the nations. | Is the banner (v.10) a literal signal to gather dispersed Jews? Or does it represent the preaching of the gospel to all peoples? The surrounding context (peace in creation, knowledge of the Lord) suggests a transformed world, which both views affirm, but they differ on how the Jewish people relate to that transformation. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Isaiah delivered this prophecy during the Assyrian crisis of the 8th century BC. The northern kingdom of Israel had already been scattered by Assyria (722 BC), and Judah faced extinction. In this context, the promise of a “second” restoration gave hope that God’s plan for his people was not finished. The geographical list is both realistic and symbolic. “Assyria” and “Egypt” represent the two great world powers that oppressed Israel. “Pathros” (Upper Egypt) and “Cush” (Ethiopia/Nubia) are regions south of Egypt; “Elam” (Persia/Susiana) and “Shinar” (Babylonia) lie east of the Tigris; “Hamath” is a Syrian city on the Orontes; and “the islands of the sea” refer to the coasts and isles of the Mediterranean (Keil & Delitzsch, Cambridge Bible). At the time of Isaiah, no such diaspora existed, the ten tribes were only recently deported, and Judah was still intact. So the catalog is prophetic, anticipating a far greater dispersion that later history confirmed (Keil & Delitzsch). The verb translated “to recover” is לִ/קְנ֖וֹת (liknot), meaning “to acquire, purchase, or redeem.” This term, used of God’s ownership of Israel (Exod 15:16), implies a costly act of deliverance. The phrase “set his hand again” (יוֹסִ֨יף יָד֔/וֹ) carries the idea of repeatedly stretching out the hand to act (Exod 7:4; Lange, Drechsler). Thus the prophecy looks beyond the immediate historical horizon to a final, decisive redemption that matches, and surpasses, the exodus itself.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentary notes a significant textual variant in the divine name. Adam Clarke reports that thirty-three manuscripts of Kennicott’s collection, many of De Rossi’s, and two editions read Yahweh (יהוה) instead of Adonai (אֲדֹנָי) at the start of the verse. The Masoretic Text has Adonai, but the widespread variant suggests that some traditions read the sacred name directly. No other variants are mentioned by the consulted sources, and the overall sense of the verse is unaffected.
Reception History
Jewish interpreters such as Kimchi and Aben Ezra (cited by Gill) understood this verse as a literal prophecy of the future gathering of the exiles, with the “second time” surpassing the first exodus. Christian interpreters have differed: Calvin applied it to the spiritual restoration of the church, while Matthew Henry saw a double fulfillment, partly under Hezekiah’s deliverance, partly in the Messianic age. The Cambridge Bible notes that if the prophecy were written after the exile, the “first time” would likely be the return from Babylon, but that view struggles with the global scope. In modern times, dispensationalists take it as a literal, future gathering of the Jewish people to their land, while covenant theologians see the church as the true Israel inheriting the promise. The verse remains a touchstone in debates about the relationship between Israel and the church, yet all traditions agree that God himself will accomplish this recovery, and that the outcome is a people fully his.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- The Second Time: God’s pattern of redemption, past, present, and future. The exodus was the first; this is a greater deliverance in the Messianic age.
- The Remnant Remains: God preserves a faithful people through judgment. The remnant is not a random group but those God calls and redeems.
- From Every Place: The list of nations shows God’s reach across all borders. No location is too remote for his restoring power.
Five-Point Outline
- The Timing: “In that day” links this event to the reign of the Messiah (v.10). It is eschatological, not merely historical.
- The Agent: The Lord himself sets his hand, human effort is not enough; God acts decisively.
- The Scope: From Assyria to the islands of the sea, every place where his people are scattered becomes the stage for gathering.
- The Method: “Recover” (liknot) means to acquire as one’s own possession, like a redemption price paid.
- The Outcome: A united people under the banner of the root of Jesse (v.12), free from division and oppression.
Illustration Hooks
- The worldwide diaspora and modern Jewish migration to Israel, both literal and symbolic of God’s drawing his people home.
- A family separated across continents, reunited by a single, costly act of love.
- A shipwreck survivor on a remote island: the search is thorough, the rescue is personal, the cost is great.
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- Does this prophecy require a literal return of all Jewish people to the land of Israel today, or is it fulfilled in the church?
- How does the “remnant” idea affect our understanding of salvation, is it only for a few?
- If God is gathering his people from everywhere, what does that mean for how we view global missions and the Jewish people?
Leading a Discussion
This passage lifts our eyes from present troubles to God’s certain, worldwide redemption. It calls us to trust that he who delivered his people once will do so again, and that no corner of the earth is beyond his reach. As you discuss, consider both the literal and spiritual dimensions of “the second time.”
Discussion Questions
- Read Isaiah 11:10, 16 as a whole. How do verses 10 and 11 connect the Messiah’s reign to the gathering of a scattered people?
- Why does the prophet list specific nations? What does this say about God’s knowledge of where his people are?
- The Hebrew word for “recover” (liknot) means “to acquire or purchase.” How does this deepen your understanding of God’s action here?
- Some see this as a literal return of the Jewish people to Israel; others as the spiritual gathering of the church. What evidence in the text supports each view?
- In what ways do you see God “setting his hand” to gather people today, in your life, your church, or the world?
- The concept of a “remnant” can feel exclusive. How does it also offer hope, especially for those who feel small or forgotten?
- If this promise is about recovery and possession, how does that shape the way you pray for God’s people, whether Jewish or Gentile?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 10:5 | Of these were the islands of the nations divided in their lands, everyone after his language, after their families, in their nations. |
| Genesis 10:6 | The sons of Ham were: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. |
| Genesis 10:7 | The sons of Cush were: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah were: Sheba and Dedan. |
| Genesis 10:10 | The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. |
| Genesis 10:22 | The sons of Shem were: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. |
| Genesis 11:2 | As they traveled east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they lived there. |
| Genesis 14:1 | In the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar; Arioch, king of Ellasar; Chedorlaomer, king of Elam; and Tidal, king of Goiim, |
| Leviticus 26:40 | “‘If they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, in their trespass which they trespassed against me; and also that because they walked contrary to me, |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
11 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke treats this prophecy as still awaiting fulfillment. He notes a textual variant in which many manuscripts read Jehovah instead of Adonai, and he cites Kimchi's interpretation that the islands of the sea refer to the Roman and Turkish empires.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes argues that the "second time" God recovers His people does not require a literal return to the land of Canaan. The Hebrew word for "recover" means to take possession of or redeem, not necessarily to regather geographically. This prophecy points to scattered Jews being converted to the Messiah wherever they are, becoming God's true people spiritually.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin emphasizes the word "again" to show God will repeat a deliverance as remarkable as the exodus from Egypt. He argues the remnant proves God will never abandon his inheritance, however scattered his people may be. The specific nations listed confirm the salvation extends to Jews dispersed everywhere.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator points out that the list of nations in this prophecy matches the large-scale Jewish dispersion known from the post-exilic period, not Isaiah's own day. "The second time" most naturally refers to the return from Babylon under Cyrus, rather than the exodus from Egypt. The word "remnant" appears but is used in a non-Isaianic sense.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Bible notes see this "second time" as a distinct future act, separate from the first great gathering out of Egypt. They read the list of far‑flung nations as a prophecy that God will call his remnant from every corner of the earth, not just one region.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill argues that the phrase "the second time" does not refer to the return from Babylonian captivity, which was incomplete. Instead it points to the times of the Messiah, when God calls and converts a spiritual remnant from many nations, not just Israel's physical restoration.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown argue that the coming restoration of the Jews is distinct from the return after Babylon yet resembles it. Because the first restoration was literal, the second will also be literal, but far more universal, gathering Jews from a much wider dispersion.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch emphasize that this prophecy describes a second redemption, the counterpart of the Exodus, from which there will be no third. The specific list of nations is not historical but prophetic, pointing to a worldwide diaspora. They note that the conversion of the heathen becomes the means by which God gathers Israel home.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange stresses that the heathen will turn to the Messiah before Israel does. Only after the Gentiles have sought Him will the promised second gathering of Israel's remnant take place, a literal return from every land patterned after the Exodus but far greater.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry reads the prophecy of the Messiah's kingdom as foreshadowed by Hezekiah's victory over Sennacherib. The great things God did for Judah became an ensign that drew neighboring nations, like the Babylonian ambassadors, to come and inquire.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley reads "the second" as a specific prophecy of two deliverances: the first from Babylon, and the second from an even wider scattering, which he places in the days of the Messiah. He emphasizes that this future gathering will recover exiles from every region, including Pathros in Egypt.