Isaiah 35:9

35:9 No lions will be there,

no ferocious wild animals will be on it ¹  –

they will not be found there.

Those delivered from bondage will travel on it,

Isaiah 65:25

65:25 A wolf and a lamb will graze together; ² 

a lion, like an ox, will eat straw, ³ 

and a snake’s food will be dirt. ⁴ 

They will no longer injure or destroy

on my entire royal mountain,” ⁵  says the Lord.

Ezekiel 34:25

34:25 “‘I will make a covenant of peace with them and will rid the land of wild beasts, so that they can live securely ⁶  in the wilderness and even sleep in the woods. ⁷ 

[35:9]  ¹ tn Heb “will go up on it”; TEV “will pass that way.”

[65:25]  ² sn A similar statement appears in 11:6.

[65:25]  ³ sn These words also appear in 11:7.

[65:25]  ⁴ sn Some see an allusion to Gen 3:14 (note “you will eat dirt”). The point would be that even in this new era the snake (often taken as a symbol of Satan) remains under God’s curse. However, it is unlikely that such an allusion exists. Even if there is an echo of Gen 3:14, the primary allusion is to 11:8, where snakes are pictured as no longer dangerous. They will no longer attack other living creatures, but will be content to crawl along the ground. (The statement “you will eat dirt” in Gen 3:14 means “you will crawl on the ground.” In the same way the statement “dirt will be its food” in Isa 65:25 means “it will crawl on the ground.”)

[65:25]  ⁵ tn Heb “in all my holy mountain.” These same words appear in 11:9. See the note there.

[34:25]  ⁶ tn The phrase “live securely” occurs in Ezek 28:26; 38:8, 11, 14; 39:26 as an expression of freedom from fear. It is a promised blessing resulting from obedience (see Lev 26:5-6).

[34:25]  ⁷ sn The woods were typically considered to be places of danger (Ps 104:20-21; Jer 5:6).