2 Nephi 21:6-9

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Reference Search: 2 Nephi 21:6-9

6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’s den.

9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

Quotes for Discussion

A New Eden

Wolfleopard/lion/lamb/kid/calf. Six animals are listed (not counting the fatling, see below); three are wild carnivores (wolf, leopard, lion) that feed on the three tame animals (lamb, kid, calf). The wild animals, which are ferocious, aggressive, and vicious, are a threat to mankind; the tame animals are docile, submissive, and useful to man. This passage may be taken literally; or the wolf, leopard, and lion may represent those who foment war and murder; the lamb, kid, and calf may symbolize meek and peaceful people.

Fatling. The King James Version translation of fatling is probably incorrect. The Jerusalem Bible suggests “calf and lion cub feed together,” replacing fatling with the verb feed.

Little child shall lead them. Small children will not only feel safe among the ferocious beasts but will have control over them and lead them.

Cow/bear/lion/ox. Isaiah continues to compare wild, carnivorous animals (bear and lion) with tame animals (cow and ox). His prophecy that the lion will pasture like the ox suggests that there will be no shedding of blood during the Millennium by man or beast. During the Millennium, “the enmity of man, and the enmity of beasts, yea, the enmity of all flesh, shall cease from before my face” (D&C 101:26).

Their young ones. This refers to the offspring of the cow and the bear and indicates that the subsequent generations of beasts will have no hostilities toward one another. This peaceful state of affairs, wherein no blood is shed, will endure….

Both the nursing infant and the weaned toddler are completely helpless in the face of danger, but during the Millennium, both will be able to play at the asp (possibly the cobra) and the cockatrice’s (possibly the viper’s) dens, for poisonous snakes that once harmed and destroyed will be harmless. The curse between the seed of the woman (the child) and the serpent (Gen. 3:15) will be gone. The serpents here call to mind “that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan” (Rev. 12:9), whose intent it is to harm and destroy the souls of mankind. Satan, however, will be bound during the Millennium, with all of his angels, so that peaceful conditions can hold sway.

They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain. Enmity will be removed from the earth, and peace, love, and kindness will be the rule. Holy mountain may refer to the entire earth in its temple-like condition.

Donald W. Parry, Jay A. Parry, and Tina M. Peterson, Understanding Isaiah [salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1998], 119-20

One of the instructions given by the Prophet during this journey was that his brethren should not kill an animal of any kind, unless it became absolutely necessary to save themselves from starvation. On one occasion…the men saw three rattlesnakes and were about to kill them, but Joseph Forbade the act. He asked the elders how would the serpent ever lose its venom while the servants of God made war upon it with desire to kill. He said: “Men themselves must first become harmless before they can expect the brute creation to be so. When man shall lose his own vicious disposition and cease to destroy the inferior animals, the lion and lamb may dwell together and the suckling child play with the serpent in safety.” It was a deep philosophy and contrary to the preconceived notions and early lessons of his brethren; but they obeyed. And soon they experienced the truth of his words. One of the members of the camp by the name of Solomon Humphrey lay down on the prairie one day to rest. He fell asleep with his hat in hand. While he slumbered a large rattlesnake crawled up and coiled between him and his hat, and when Elder Humphrey awoke he found the serpent’s head not a foot from his own. He did not harm it, and when some of his brethren would have killed it, he stayed their hands, saying: “No, I will protect him, for he and I have had a good nap together.” Although the rattlesnake was roused it made no effort to strike.

George Q. Cannon, Life of Joseph Smith the Prophet, [salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1972], 174-75

I opened the Old Testament randomly and…came upon a prophecy of Zechariah regarding the city of Jerusalem in the millennial day: “And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof” (Zech. 8:5). That verse for me has ever since personified the joy and peace of the earth’s Sabbath Day—a time to come in which children will grow up free from fear, from neglect and abuse, from darkness and ignorance; a time in which the little ones of the world will live under the seal of a higher law and a loving Lord. I yearn for the day when in every village and city of the world, boys and girls will play in innocence, and every child know the peace of a happy home. For me, that is the Millennium.

Bruce D. Porter, The King of Kings [salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 2000], 181

On the paradisiacal earth “the enmity of all flesh shall cease” (D&C 101:26). All animals shall mingle together in peace, and the appetites of the carnivorous beast shall be changed so that the grass of the field becomes the common diet of the animal world (Isa. 11:6-9; 65:25).

Man and all forms of life will be vegetarians in the coming day; the eating of meat will cease, because, for one thing, death as we know it ceases. There will be no shedding of blood, because man and animals are changed (quickened) and blood no longer flows in their veins.

Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 496, 658

Inspired children often show the way through the wilderness….Children often have the “thoughts and [the] intents of [their] hearts” focused on the Master. Though not full of years, such children are full of faith!...

It has been a privilege to seal several adopted children to Nan and Dan Barker, now of Arizona. Some time ago Nate, then just over three, said: “Mommy, there is another little girl who is supposed to come to our family. She has dark hair and dark eyes and lives a long way from here.”

The wise mother asked, “How do you know this?”

“Jesus told me, upstairs.”

The mother noted, “We don’t have an upstairs,” but quickly sensed the significance of what had been communicated. After much travail and many prayers, the Barker family were in a sealing room in the Salt Lake Temple in the fall of 1995—where a little girl with dark hair and dark eyes, from Kazakhstan, was sealed to them for time and eternity. Inspired children still tell parents “great and marvelous things” (3 Ne. 26:14).

Benjamin Ballam is the special, spina bifida child of Michael and Laurie Ballam. He has been such a blessing to them and many others. Also spiritually precocious, Benjamin is a constant source of love and reassurance. Having had 17 surgeries, resilient Benjamin knows all about hospitals and doctors. Once, when an overwhelmed attendant became vocally upset—not at Benjamin, but over stressful circumstances—little three-year-old Benjamin exemplified the words of another Benjamin about our need to be childlike and “full of love” (Mosiah 3:19). Little Benjamin reached out, tenderly patted the irritated attendant, and said, “I love you anyway.”…No wonder…in certain moments we feel children are our spiritual superiors….

Elder Craig Zwick and I shared a precious moment in Fortaleza, Brazil, where we were privileged to bless a special seven-year-old boy who was dying of leukemia. His names—Jared Ammon—tell you much about his parents and family….Jared Ammon’s faithful 14-year-old sister held him in her arms. His stomach was so severely swollen. When the stake president lifted the oxygen mask to ask if he would like a blessing, Jared said, “Yes, please.” It was a privilege to bless him and to call him to serve beyond the veil. Tears flowed, for the Spirit was strong. The oxygen mask was then lifted again, and Jared Ammon was asked if there was anything else we could do for him. Jared meekly requested that we sing for him “I Am a Child of God” (Hymns, no. 301). Weepingly, we responded to a submissive Jared Ammon’s last request, and two hours later he was released from this life.

Before emplaning the next day, we went to the viewing at the chapel. His wonderful parents were full of faith, composed, and reverently “willing to submit” (Mosiah 3:19). The sister who held Jared plans to serve a mission later on this side of the veil while Jared serves on the other.

Brothers and sisters, no wonder the divine direction is for each of us to “becometh as a child” (Mosiah 3:19)…Only “after the trial of [our] faith” does the full witness come; meanwhile, often “a little child shall lead [us]” (Ether 12:6; Isa. 11:6).

Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign, May 1996, 69-70

We ourselves can learn from our children and grandchildren….Our grandson, six-year-old Jeffrey Monson Dibb,…along with his girlfriend, went for a walk one day. They marched up the front steps of a home, not knowing who lived there or what affiliation they might have with the Church. They knocked on the front door, and a woman answered. Without the slightest hesitation, Jeff Dib said to her, “We are the visiting home teachers. May we come in?” They were ushered into the living room and were asked to be seated. With total faith the children addressed the woman, “Do you have a treat for us?” What could she do? She produced a treat, and they had a nice conversation. The impromptu teachers departed uttering a sincere “Thank you.”

“Come back again,” they heard the woman say, with a smile on her face.

“We will,” came the reply.

The parents of the two youngsters heard of the incident. I am certain they were restrained in counseling the little ones. Perhaps they remembered the words from the scriptures: “And a little child shall lead them.”

Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, Nov. 1997, 19

Last summer I received a letter from a woman who has emerged from a long period of Church inactivity. She is ever so anxious for her husband, who as yet is not a member of the Church, to share the joy she now feels.

She wrote of a trip which she, her husband, and their three sons made from the family home to Grandmother’s home in Idaho. While driving through Salt Lake City, they were attracted by the message which appeared on a billboard. The message invited them to visit Temple Square. Bob, the nonmember husband, made the suggestion that a visit would be pleasant. The family entered the visitors’ center, and Father took two sons up a ramp that one called “the ramp to heaven.” Mother and three-year-old Tyler were a bit behind the others, they having paused to appreciate the beautiful paintings which adorned the walls. As they walked toward the magnificent sculpture of Thorvaldsen’s Christus, tiny Tyler bolted from his mother and ran to the base of the Christus, while exclaiming, “It’s Jesus! It’s Jesus!” As Mother attempted to restrain her son, Tyler looked back toward her and his father and said, “Don’t worry. He likes children.”

After departing the center and again making their way along the freeway toward Grandmother’s, Tyler moved to the front seat next to his father. Dad asked him what he liked best about their adventure on Temple Square. Tyler smiled up at him and said, “Jesus.”

“How do you know that Jesus likes you, Tyler?”

Tyler, with a most serious expression on his face, looked up at his father’s eyes and answered, “Dad, didn’t you see his face?” Nothing else needed to be said.

As I read this account, I thought of the statement from the book of Isaiah: “And a little child shall lead them.” (Isa. 11:6).

Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, May 1990, 53