Lexical Summary yoneq: Nursing child, infant Original Word: יוֹנֵק Strong's Exhaustive Concordance tender plant Active participle of yanaq; a sucker; hence, a twig (of a tree felled and sprouting) -- tender plant. see HEBREW yanaq NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originactive participle of yanaq Definition a young plant, sapling NASB Translation tender shoot (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs יוֺנֵק noun masculine young plant, sapling (sucker) — Isaiah 53:2 ("" שׂרֶשׁ) in simile of the suffering servant of ׳י. Topical Lexicon Occurrence and Context The singular appearance of יוֹנֵק (yōneq) in Isaiah 53:2 presents the Servant of the Lord “like a tender shoot”. The term belongs to Isaiah’s fourth Servant Song (Isaiah 52:13–53:12), a passage that prophetically sketches the life, rejection, suffering, and exaltation of the Messiah. Its horticultural metaphor positions the Servant as fragile yet living, emerging in an environment described as “dry ground,” a figurative wilderness of spiritual barrenness and covenantal decay. Prophetic Imagery of Vulnerability A “tender shoot” suggests extreme dependence—much as a sapling relies on moisture and protection. Within the Song, the Servant’s vulnerability magnifies both His genuine humanity and His voluntary humiliation (Philippians 2:7). Isaiah thus counters prevailing expectations of regal splendor with a portrait of humble obscurity, prefiguring the seemingly inconsequential origins of Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 13:55; John 1:46). Messianic Fulfillment in Jesus Christ New Testament writers repeatedly invoke Isaiah 53 to explain the redemptive mission of Jesus (Matthew 8:17; Acts 8:32–35; 1 Peter 2:24–25). The “tender shoot” aligns with Christ’s birth to a peasant family, His refusal to deploy worldly power, and His rejection by the religious elite. Through resurrection, however, the fragile shoot becomes an imperishable source of life (Revelation 22:16), vindicating the Servant’s path and unveiling God’s paradoxical strength in weakness (2 Corinthians 13:4). Intertextual Links within Isaiah Isaiah 11:1 foresees “a shoot from the stump of Jesse,” while Isaiah 53:2 advances the picture by stressing arid surroundings. Together the texts trace a trajectory: the Davidic dynasty is reduced to a stump, yet out of apparent hopelessness a new sprout rises. The word choice in Isaiah 53:2 sharpens the contrast—the Servant is not merely a branch but a sapling in drought, underscoring the miracle of His emergence. Theology of New Life from Barrenness Scripture frequently employs botanical renewal to symbolize divine restoration (Job 14:7–9; Hosea 14:5–7). יוֹנֵק encapsulates this motif, portraying life where death seems final. The image anticipates the gospel message: the Messiah, planted in humanity’s desert, absorbs wrath and thirst in order to become “the root and the offspring of David” who offers “the water of life without cost” (Revelation 22:16–17). Historical Reception Early Christian apologists, including Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, cited Isaiah 53:2 to defend the lowly appearance of Christ against objections that a true Messiah should arrive in obvious majesty. Medieval commentators connected the “tender shoot” to the manger birth and the hidden years in Nazareth, while Reformation expositors emphasized the passage’s soteriological weight—Christ endured weakness to carry our sins (Isaiah 53:4–6). Pastoral and Homiletical Implications • Encouragement in obscurity: Believers laboring in unnoticed settings find solidarity with the Servant whose significance was veiled to the world. Missionary Application The imagery of a fragile shoot strengthens missional confidence: gospel seeds sown in arid contexts may appear futile yet harbor resurrection potency. Faith trusts God, who made the Servant flourish against all odds, to raise spiritual harvests where human assessment predicts none. Devotional Reflection Meditating on יוֹנֵק guides believers to adore Christ’s condescension and to anticipate His ultimate flourishing kingdom. The term invites worshipers to embrace weakness as the sphere of divine power, echoing Isaiah’s assurance that the One who sprang from sterile soil now reigns as the life-giving Lord of all. Forms and Transliterations כַּיּוֹנֵ֜ק כיונק kaiyoNek kay·yō·w·nêq kayyōwnêqLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Isaiah 53:2 HEB: וַיַּ֨עַל כַּיּוֹנֵ֜ק לְפָנָ֗יו וְכַשֹּׁ֙רֶשׁ֙ NAS: up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root KJV: before him as a tender plant, and as a root INT: grew A tender before A root 1 Occurrence |
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