Isaiah 11:8

Easy-to-Read Version

Even snakes will not hurt people. Babies will be able to play near a cobra's hole and put their hands into the nest of a poisonous snake.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
An infant will play beside the cobra’s pit,and a toddler will put his hand into a snake’s den.

Hebrew Names Version
The sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.

King James Version
And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.

English Standard Version
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.

New American Standard Bible
The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper's den.

New Century Version
A baby will be able to play near a cobra's hole, and a child will be able to put his hand into the nest of a poisonous snake.

Amplified Bible
And the nursing child will [safely] play over the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper's den [and not be hurt].

World English Bible
The sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And the sucking childe shall play vpon the hole of the aspe, and the wained childe shall put his hand vpon the cockatrice hole.

Legacy Standard Bible
And the nursing baby will play by the hole of the cobra,And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper's den.

Berean Standard Bible
The infant will play by the cobra's den, and the toddler will reach into the viper's nest.

Contemporary English Version
Little children will play near snake holes. They will stick their hands into dens of poisonous snakes and never be hurt.

Complete Jewish Bible
An infant will play on a cobra's hole, a toddler put his hand in a viper's nest.

Darby Translation
And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the adder, and the weaned child shall put forth its hand to the viper's den.

George Lamsa Translation
And the suckling child shall play with the serpent, and the weaned child shall put his hand into the hole of the asp.

Good News Translation
Even a baby will not be harmed if it plays near a poisonous snake.

Lexham English Bible
And an infant shall play over a serpent's hole, and a toddler shall put his hand on a viper's hole.

Literal Translation
And the infant shall play on the hole of the asp; yea, the weaned child shall put his hand on the viper's den.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The childe whyle he sucketh, shal haue a desyre to the serpentes nest, and whe he is weened, he shal put his hande in to the Cockatryce denne.

American Standard Version
And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.

Bible in Basic English
And the child at the breast will be playing by the hole of the snake, and the older child will put his hand on the bright eye of the poison-snake.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the basilisk's den.

King James Version (1611)
And the sucking childe shall play on the hole of the aspe, and the weaned childe shall put his hand on the cockatrice denne.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
The chylde whyle he sucketh shall haue a desire to the serpentes nest, and when he is weaned, he shall put his hande into the Cockatrice denne.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And an infant shall put his hand on the holes of asps, and on the nest of young asps.

English Revised Version
And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the basilisk's den.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And a yonge soukyng child fro the tete schal delite on the hole of a snake, and he that is wenyd schal putte his hond in the caue of a cocatrice.

Update Bible Version
And the nursing child shall play on the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the den of the basilisk.

New English Translation
A baby will play over the hole of a snake; over the nest of a serpent an infant will put his hand.

New King James Version
The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's den.

New Living Translation
The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm.

New Life Bible
The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra. And another child will put his hand in the hole of a snake whose bite is poison.

New Revised Standard
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the sucking child shall caress over the hole of the asp, Yea over the vipers den, hath the weaned child stretched out his hand:

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the sucking child shall play on other hole of the asp: and the weaned child shall thrust his hand into the den of the basilisk.

Revised Standard Version
The sucking child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.

Young's Literal Translation
And played hath a suckling by the hole of an asp, And on the den of a cockatrice Hath the weaned one put his hand.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper's den.

Contextual Overview

¹ A small tree will begin to grow from the stump of Jesse. That branch will grow from Jesse's roots. ² The Lord 's Spirit will always be with that new king to give him wisdom, understanding, guidance, and power. The Spirit will help him know and respect the Lord . ³ He will find joy in obeying the Lord . This king will not judge people by the way things look. He will not judge by listening to rumors. ⁴He will judge the poor fairly and honestly. He will be fair when he decides what to do for the poor of the land. If he decides people should be beaten, he will give the command, and they will be beaten. If he decides people must die, he will give the command, and those evil people will be killed. Goodness and fairness will be like a belt he wears around his waist. ⁶ Then wolves will live at peace with lambs, and leopards will lie down in peace with young goats. Calves, lions, and bulls will all live together in peace. A little child will lead them. ⁷ Bears and cattle will eat together in peace, and all their young will lie down together and will not hurt each other. Lions will eat hay like cattle. ⁸ Even snakes will not hurt people. Babies will be able to play near a cobra's hole and put their hands into the nest of a poisonous snake. ⁹ People will stop hurting each other. People on my holy mountain will not want to destroy things because they will know the Lord . The world will be full of knowledge about him, like the sea is full of water.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

cockatrice': or, adder's, Isaiah 59:5, Psalms 140:3

Reciprocal: Psalms 58:4 - the deaf Isaiah 14:29 - cockatrice Luke 10:19 - I give

Cross-References

Genesis 10:25
Eber was the father of two sons. One son was named Peleg. He was given this name because the earth was divided during his life. The other son was named Joktan.

Genesis 10:32
This is the list of the families from Noah's sons. They are arranged according to their nations. From these families came all the people who spread across the earth after the flood.

Genesis 11:4
Then the people said, "Let's build ourselves a city and a tower that will reach to the sky. Then we will be famous. This will keep us together so that we will not be scattered all over the earth."

Genesis 11:9
That is the place where the Lord confused the language of the whole world. That is why it is called Babel. And it was from there that the Lord caused the people to spread out to all the other places on earth.

Genesis 49:7
Their anger is so strong that it is a curse. They are too cruel when they are angry. They will not get their own land in the land of Jacob. They will be spread throughout Israel.

Deuteronomy 32:8
God Most High separated the people on earth and gave each nation its land. He set up borders for all people. He made as many nations as there are angels.

Luke 1:51
He reached out his arm and showed his power. He scattered those who are proud and think great things about themselves.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp,.... Without fear or danger:

and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice's den; and suffer no damage: the meaning is explained in the next words, and to be understood of regenerate persons, both of new born babes, or just born, and all such who are weaned from their own righteousness, and live by faith on Christ, who shall not be hurt by the poison of false teachers, nor by the force of violent persecutors, now no more,

See Gill (Editor's note) on "Isa 11:6".

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And the sucking child - An emblem here of harmlessness and innocence. The change in the world, under the Messiah, shall be as great as if a sucking infant should be able to play unharmed with a venomous serpent.

Shall play - Shall delight himself (שׁעשׁע shı̂‛ăsha‛) as children usually engage in their sports; compare Proverbs 8:30-31; Psalms 119:24.

On the hole of the asp - Over, or around the cavern, hole, or place of retreat of the asp. He shall play over that place as safely as if the nature of the asp was changed, and it had become innocuous. The Hebrew word rendered here “asp” (פתן pethen) denotes the serpent usually called the asp, whose poison is of such rapid operation that it kills almost instantly: see Job 20:14, Job 20:16; Psalms 58:4; Psalms 91:13; Deuteronomy 32:33. The word occurs in no other places in the Old Testament. This serpent is small. It is found particularly in Egypt, though also in other places; see the note at Job 20:14. It is used here as the emblem of the more sudden, malignant, and violent passions; and the idea is, that under the Messiah a change would be performed in people of malignant and deadly passions as signal “as if” the asp or adder were to lose his venom, and become innocuous to a child.

And the weaned child - But still, a young and helpless child. The image is varied, but the same idea is retained.

Shall put his hand - That is, he shall do it safely, or uninjured.

On the cockatrice’ den - Margin, ‘Adder’s.’ The word rendered here “cockatrice” (צפעוני tsı̂p‛ônı̂y) occurs only in the fellowing places: Isaiah 14:29; Isaiah 11:8; Isaiah 59:5; Proverbs 23:32; Jeremiah 8:17. In all these places, it is rendered cockatrice, except in Proverbs 23:32. The “cockatrice” was a fabulous kind of serpent, supposed to be hatched from the egg of a cock. The serpent here designated is, doubtless, a species of the “adder,” more venomous, perhaps, than the פתן pethen, but still belonging to the same species. Bochart (“Hieroz.” P. ii. lib. iii. ch. ix.) supposes that the “basilisk” is intended - a species of serpent that, he says, was supposed to poison even with its breath. The general idea is the same here as above. It is in vain to attempt to spiritualize these expressions, and to show that they refer to certain individuals, or that the animals here designated refer to particular classes of the enemies of the gospel. It is a mere poetic description, denoting great peace and security; and all the changes in the mad, malignant, and envenomed passions of people, that may be necessary to produce and perpetuate that peace. Pope has versified this description in the following beautiful manner:

The lambs with wolves shall graze the verdant mead,

And boys, in flowery bands, the tigers lead.

The steer and lion at one crib shall meet,

And harmless serpents lick the pilgrim’s feet.

The smiling infant in his hand shall take

The crested basilisk, and speckled snake;

Pleased, the green luster of the scales survey,

And, with their forked tongue, shall innocently play.

Messiah.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 11:8. The cockatrice' den. — This is supposed, both by the Targum and by Kimchi, to mean the pupil of this serpent's eye. "When," says Kimchi, "he is in the mouth of his den, in an obscure place, then his eyes sparkle exceedingly: the child, seeing this, and supposing it to be a piece of crystal, or precious stone, puts forth his hand to take it. What would be very dangerous at another time, shall be safe in the days of the Messiah; for the serpent will not hurt the child."