This verse continues the imagery of trees in the last two verses of the previous chapter. Here Isaiah speaks of a descendant of the Davidic family as a shoot coming out of a tree stump, and as a branch growing out of its roots. The text has a strong Messianic flavor.

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse: The shoot here refers to new growth coming from a tree stump. The stump is the part of a tree left in the ground after the tree has been cut down. In 6.13 stump is used twice; the meaning is the same here, though the Hebrew word is different. Its use here is figurative. The stump refers to the house of David, that is, to David and his descendants who were kings in Jerusalem. The actual date of this section is uncertain but it does assume that there will be a new future for the family of David and that they will rule again in Jerusalem. So the prophet says that the family will rise to prominence again. A new king will appear, that is, a shoot will grow from the stump. The Davidic family is referred to by the term Jesse, the name of David’s father.

And a branch shall grow out of his roots is literally “and a branch from his roots will bear fruit” (similarly New International Version), but most versions choose a better parallel with the previous line. Branches normally do not grow out of roots, but since this is poetry, this idea should be kept.

The Hebrew text of this verse opens and closes with a verb. It is literally “Will come forth a shoot … from his roots will bear fruit.” This unusual, chiastic structure draws attention to the verbs.

Good News Translation clarifies the sense of the Hebrew in this verse with a lengthy explanation. However, by doing this the focus has moved from the shoot (“a new king”), to the stump (“The royal line of David”). A better model is “A new king will arise from the family of David. He will be like a [new] shoot coming out of a tree stump, or like a [new] branch growing out of its roots.” Contemporary English Version provides another possible model: “Like a branch that sprouts from a stump, someone from David’s family will someday be king.” Contemporary English Version also includes a footnote explaining that “David’s family” is “Jesse’s family” in the Hebrew, and noting that Jesse was David’s father.

Other translation examples for this verse are:

• A shoot will come from the stump of Jesse; a branch will grow from its roots.

Translators may also add a footnote to “Jesse,” saying “Jesse, the father of King David, refers here to the Davidic family.”

• A new king will come from what remains of David’s family; a new branch will grow from its roots.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .