“No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:”
My Notes
What Does Isaiah 35:9 Mean?
Isaiah's vision of the restored highway includes a remarkable safety guarantee: no lion or dangerous animal will be found on this path. The redeemed can walk it without fear. The road that God builds for his people is comprehensively safe.
The absence of predators on the highway isn't just about physical safety — it's about the removal of every threat that could interrupt the journey home. In the ancient world, travelers on remote roads were genuinely vulnerable to animal attack. Isaiah's promise eliminates that vulnerability entirely for those on God's road.
The final phrase — "but the redeemed shall walk there" — establishes the exclusive audience: this road is for the redeemed. Not for travelers in general, not for anyone who stumbles upon it, but specifically for those God has purchased back from captivity. The road's safety and its exclusivity are connected: it's safe because it's God's road, and it's for those who are God's people.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What 'lions' on your spiritual path has God already removed that you're still worried about?
- 2.How does knowing you're on a road built specifically for the redeemed change your sense of safety?
- 3.What does it mean that this road's safety comes from its builder, not from the traveler's strength?
- 4.Where are you walking in fear on a road that God has already declared safe?
Devotional
No lion. No dangerous beast. The road is safe. And only the redeemed walk it.
Isaiah's vision of the highway of holiness (verse 8) includes a detail that every ancient traveler would have noticed immediately: no predators. In a world where wild animals genuinely threatened people on remote roads, a guaranteed predator-free highway was almost too good to imagine.
But the promise isn't just about lions. It's about every threat along the journey. The road God builds for the redeemed is comprehensively protected. Not just from the obvious dangers but from anything that could interrupt, derail, or destroy the traveler. The highway is as safe as the God who built it.
"The redeemed shall walk there" gives you the access credential: you have to be redeemed. Purchased. Bought back. The road isn't for everyone — it's for those God has specifically reclaimed from captivity. Your right to walk this lion-free highway isn't based on your strength or your courage. It's based on your redemption.
If you're on God's road — if you've been redeemed, purchased, brought back from exile — the lions have been cleared. Not because the journey isn't real, but because the one who built the road went ahead and removed every threat. The redeemed walk there. And only the redeemed need to.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
No lion shall be there,.... That is, in the way before described; no wicked persons, comparable to lions for their…
No lion shall be there - Lions abounded in all the countries adjacent to Palestine. They are, therefore, often referred…
"Then, when your God shall come, even Christ, to set up his kingdom in the world, to which all the prophets bore…
the redeemed cf. ch. Isa 51:10; Isa 62:12; Isa 63:4.
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture