Isaiah 65:25

65:25 A wolf and a lamb will graze together; ¹ 

a lion, like an ox, will eat straw, ² 

and a snake’s food will be dirt. ³ 

They will no longer injure or destroy

on my entire royal mountain,” ⁴  says the Lord.

Job 26:13

26:13 By his breath ⁵  the skies became fair;

his hand pierced the fleeing serpent. ⁶ 

[65:25]  ¹ sn A similar statement appears in 11:6.

[65:25]  ² sn These words also appear in 11:7.

[65:25]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Heb “in all my holy mountain.” These same words appear in 11:9. See the note there.

[26:13]  ⁵ tn Or “wind”; or perhaps “Spirit.” The same Hebrew word, רוּחַ (ruakh), may be translated as “wind,” “breath,” or “spirit/Spirit” depending on the context.

[26:13]  ⁶ sn Here too is a reference to pagan views indirectly. The fleeing serpent was a designation for Leviathan, whom the book will simply describe as an animal, but the pagans thought to be a monster of the deep. God’s power over nature is associated with defeat of pagan gods (see further W. F. Albright, Yahweh and the Gods of Canaan; idem, BASOR 53 [1941]: 39).