And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
All Commentaries on Isaiah 11:1 Go To Isaiah 11
Ambrose of Milan
AD 397
Scripture also expresses the Son’s incarnation beautifully: “from a bud you have gone up,” for like a plant of the earth he was to be conceived in the womb of a virgin. And like a fragrant flower sent forth from the maternal bosom in the splendor of the dawn, he was to go up for the redemption of the whole world, as Isaiah says: “There will come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower will blossom from his root.” The root is the family of the Jews, the rod is Mary, and the flower is her Christ. It is right, therefore, that the rod which is of royal lineage from the house of David, whose flower is Christ, who vanquished the foul odor of worldly filth, poured forth the fragrance of eternal life.
