***w91 9/15 Questions From Readers***
Why does Isaiah 11:6 say that "the wolf will actually reside for a while with the male lamb"? Will such peace not be permanent?
The refreshing peace in the animal creation prophesied at Isaiah 11:6-9 will be permanent. But a careful rendering of Isaiah 11:6 makes it clear that such animals will not be together constantly.
In the NewWorldTranslationoftheHolyScriptures, Isaiah 11:6 reads: "The wolf will actually reside for a while with the male lamb, and with the kid the leopard itself will lie down, and the calf and the maned young lion and the well-fed animal all together; and a mere little boy will be leader over them."
The reading in many Bible versions is something like: "The wolf also shall dwell [or, "live"] with the lamb." Such renderings might convey an image of a wolf and a lamb being continual companions, as if in a new family or living arrangement.
However, the Hebrew word translated "dwell" or "live" is gur. According to lexicographer William Gesenius, it means "to sojourn, to dwell for a time, to live as not at home, i.e. as a stranger, foreigner, guest." (AHebrewandEnglishLexiconoftheOldTestament, translated by Edward Robinson) The lexicon by F. Brown, S. Driver, and C. Briggs gives the meaning "sojourn, dwell for a (definite or indef[inite]) time, dwell as a new-comer . . . without original rights."
God used gur in telling Abraham to "reside as an alien" in Canaan. The patriarch would not own the land, but he could be a protected resident there. (Genesis 26:3; Exodus 6:2-4; Hebrews 11:9, 13) Likewise, Jacob said that he was ‘residing as an alien’ in the area of Haran, for he would return to Canaan.—Genesis 29:4; 32:4.
In the Paradise that God will soon establish, animals and humans will be at peace. The lamb will be at no risk to be with a wolf or a calf with a leopard. As if to show the contrast with the present, the language even allows for the idea that the wolf would be a resident protected by the lamb.—Isaiah 35:9; 65:25.
Yet, such animals might still have distinct habitats. Some animals are suited to the forests, others to the plains, still others to the coastal regions or mountains. Even at the time of the original Paradise, God spoke of ‘domestic animals and wild beasts.’ (Genesis 1:24) Domestic animals evidently were those that might commonly be near humans and their dwellings. The wild beast, though not ferocious, apparently preferred to live away from mankind. So, as Isaiah’s prophecy foretells, the wolf will "reside for a while with the male lamb," but it will not continuously be around such domestic animals.
[Footnotes]
The
BibleinLivingEnglish words Isaiah 11:6 this way: "And wolf will be sheep’s tenant."
They do say there is a literal fulfillment as shown above, but they never try to explain it beyond that. They primarily focus on the spiritual fulfillment as the following example shows:
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w00 9/1 p. 18 "The Times of Restoration" Are at Hand!***An extensive campaign was undertaken to teach people of all nations to observe the things Christ had commanded his followers to do. (Matthew 28:20) How refreshing it was to see some who had formerly displayed animallike characteristics change their outlook! They stripped off the old personality, which produces such traits as "anger," "abusive speech," and "obscene talk," and put on the new personality, "which through accurate knowledge is being made new according to the image of [God] who created it." In a spiritual sense, the words of the prophet Isaiah are being fulfilled even now: "The wolf [a person who formerly displayed wolflike characteristics] will actually reside for a while with the male lamb [a person manifesting a meek disposition], and with the kid the leopard itself will lie down, and the calf and the maned young lion and the well-fed animal all together."—Colossians 3:8-10; Isaiah 11:6, 9.
Most references to the scripture show either spiritual fulfillment or just other people's hope to pet a lion or a wolf.
