Isaiah 11:3,4 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

And shall make him of quick understanding— We have here the oeconomy of the Messiah's kingdom, with respect to his true subjects, and with respect to his adversaries: with respect to the former, we have, first, the offices of this great teacher set forth, which are, 1 to found a kingdom, or to collect a people, over whom he should preside by the preaching of the Gospel; and 2nd, to rule that kingdom with righteousness and equity. The former part of the verse is rendered by Lowth, And he shall be of quick discernment in the fear of Jehovah. The meaning is, that the Messiah, in collecting the people who should compose his kingdom, shall principally regard in them this quality of fear or reverence for the Lord; and, with the greatest sagacity and perspicuity of judgment, shall discern and separate those subjects in whom he finds this quality; not suffering that judgment to be deluded by the external appearance of truth or honesty, or by any prejudice of public report; by penetrating into the interior recesses of the mind by his prophetic spirit, he shall discriminate all error, the good from the bad, the pious and sincere from the impious and hypocritical: for an example of this in the Messiah, see John 1:48-49. With respect to his adversaries it is added, that he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth; by which is meant, that by his sacred doctrine he shall convince the earthly and carnal of the iniquity of their ways, and of that future and dreadful punishment reserved for those who despise his instructions, and continue in the practice of sin: or, according to others, these words denote the judgments which the Messiah, the great prophet, should not only denounce, but also inflict on the obstinate and professed enemies of his kingdom. See Revelation 11:5-6. Luke 19:14; Luke 19:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:8 and Vitringa.