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.
Parallel translations
- WEB The nursing child will play near a cobra’s hole, and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.
- KJV And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.
- BSB The infant will play by the cobra’s den, and the toddler will reach into the viper’s nest.
- NKJV The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.
- NASB The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Even an infant will play safely by a snake's den. The curse's dangers are undone in the Messiah's peace.
Overview
The serpent — long a symbol of the curse and the tempter — poses no threat to the smallest child in the coming kingdom. The image evokes a reversal of Eden's fall, where the serpent brought ruin. In Christ the ancient enemy is finally crushed (Gen. 3:15; Rom. 16:20), and safety replaces fear.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
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Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 11:8 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.