Stump of Jesse—This could sound either pretty gross or a little bit naughty, depending on how you take it. But it’s actually a reference to a lineage of people from which the Messiah is to come. The most beautiful thing about the image of this lineage being like a tree is even as part—or even much—of it is killed off or dies, life will still persist and emerge from it. Put another way, the coming of the Anointed one (Jesus) can’t be stopped, no matter how people may try.
Holy Mountain—The reference God makes (through Isaiah) to “my holy mountain” could be understood as referring to the “city on a hill,” which is how the holy city of Jerusalem was described. Considered more broadly, it could be taken as a reference to all the earth, which is also God’s.
Gentiles—A term used among the Jewish people to describe anyone who was a non-Jew.
Pharisees and Sadducees—These were two sects within Judaism at the time of Jesus. They differed in some of their beliefs, like on whether there was life after death (Pharisees believed in it; Sadducees didn’t) and how strictly the Torah was to be interpreted (Sadducees were literalists, while Pharisees were open to debate about the meaning, or meanings, of texts).
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