Isaiah 2
2
1#This editorial heading probably introduced the collection of chaps. 2–12, to which chap. 1 with its introduction was added later (see note on 1:2–31). This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
Zion, the Royal City of God
2#These verses contain two very important oracles, one on the pilgrimage of nations to Mount Zion (vv. 2–4—completed with an invitation to the “house of Jacob,” v. 5), the other on the day of the Lord (see note on Am 5:18), which was probably composed from at least two earlier pieces. Whereas vv. 6–8 indict Judah for trust in superstitious practices and human resources rather than in the Lord, the following verses are directed against humankind in general and emphasize the effect of the “day of the Lord,” the humbling of human pride. This may be taken as a precondition for the glorious vision of vv. 2–4. This vision of Zion’s glorious future, which is also found in a slightly variant form in Mi 4:1–4, is rooted in the early Zion tradition, cultivated in the royal cult in Jerusalem. It celebrated God’s choice of Jerusalem as the divine dwelling place, along with God’s choice of the Davidic dynasty (Ps 68:16–17; 78:67–72; 132:13–18). Highest mountain: the Zion tradition followed earlier mythological conceptions that associate the abode of deities with very high mountains (Ps 48:2–3). The lifting of Mount Zion is a metaphor for universal recognition of the Lord’s authority. In days to come,
The mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest mountain
and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it.#Mi 4:1–4.
3Many peoples shall come and say:
“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
That he may instruct us in his ways,
and we may walk in his paths.”#Is 56:7; 2 Kgs 17:26–28; Jer 31:6–14; Zec 8:20–23.
For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4#Once the nations acknowledge God as sovereign, they go up to Jerusalem to settle their disputes, rather than having recourse to war. He shall judge between the nations,
and set terms for many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;#Jl 4:10.
One nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again.#Is 9:7; 11:4; Ps 46:10; Zec 9:10.
5#This verse is added as a conclusion to vv. 2–4; cf. Mi 4:4–5, where a quite different conclusion is provided for the parallel version of this oracle. House of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the Lord!
The Lord’s Day of Judgment on Pride
6You have abandoned your people,
the house of Jacob!
Because they are filled with diviners,
and soothsayers, like the Philistines;
with foreigners they clasp hands.#Is 10:32.
7Their land is full of silver and gold,
there is no end to their treasures;
Their land is full of horses,
there is no end to their chariots.
8Their land is full of idols;
they bow down to the works of their hands,
what their fingers have made.#Is 17:7–8; 31:1–3.
9So all shall be abased,
each one brought low.#Bowing down to idols will not bring deliverance to Israel, but rather total abasement. Do not pardon them: this line is so abrupt that it is almost certainly an intrusion in the text.
Do not pardon them!
10Get behind the rocks,
hide in the dust,
From the terror of the Lord
and the splendor of his majesty!
11The eyes of human pride shall be lowered,
the arrogance of mortals shall be abased,
and the Lord alone will be exalted, on that day.#That day: i.e., the day of the Lord; cf. note on Am 5:18.
12For the Lord of hosts will have his day
against all that is proud and arrogant,
against all that is high, and it will be brought low;
13Yes, against all the cedars of Lebanon#Lebanon: Mount Lebanon in Syria, famed for its cedars. Bashan: the fertile uplands east of the Sea of Galilee.
and against all the oaks of Bashan,
14Against all the lofty mountains
and all the high hills,
15Against every lofty tower
and every fortified wall,
16Against all the ships of Tarshish
and all stately vessels.
17Then human pride shall be abased,
the arrogance of mortals brought low,
And the Lord alone will be exalted on that day.
18The idols will vanish completely.
19People will go into caves in the rocks
and into holes in the earth,
At the terror of the Lord
and the splendor of his majesty,
as he rises to overawe the earth.
20On that day people shall throw to moles and bats
their idols of silver and their idols of gold
which they made for themselves to worship.
21And they shall go into caverns in the rocks
and into crevices in the cliffs,
At the terror of the Lord
and the splendor of his majesty,
as he rises to overawe the earth.
22#The meaning of this verse, certainly a later addition, is not clear. It is not addressed to God but to a plural subject. As for you, stop worrying about mortals,
in whose nostrils is but a breath;
for of what worth are they?
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
Isaiah 2
2
The Mountain of the House of the Lord
(Micah 4:1–5)
1This is the message that was revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem:
2In the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord
will be established as the chief of the mountains;
it will be raised above the hills,
and all nations will stream to it.
3And many peoples will come and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us His ways
so that we may walk in His paths.”
For the law will go forth from Zion,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4Then He will judge between the nations
and arbitrate for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will no longer take up the sword against nation,
nor train anymore for war.
The Day of Reckoning
5Come, O house of Jacob,
let us walk in the light of the Lord.
6For You have abandoned Your people,
the house of Jacob,
because they are filled
with influences from the east;
they are soothsayers like the Philistines;
they strike hands with the children of foreigners.
7Their land is full of silver and gold,
with no limit to their treasures;
their land is full of horses,
with no limit to their chariots.
8Their land is full of idols;
they bow down to the work of their hands,
to what their fingers have made.
9So mankind is brought low,
and man is humbled—
do not forgive them!
10Go into the rocks
and hide in the dust
from the terror of the Lord
and the splendor of His majesty.
11The proud look of man will be humbled,
and the loftiness of men brought low;
the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
12For the Day of the Lord of Hosts
will come against all the proud and lofty,
against all that is exalted—
it will be humbled—
13against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up,
against all the oaks of Bashan,
14against all the tall mountains,
against all the high hills,
15against every high tower,
against every fortified wall,
16against every ship of Tarshish,#2:16 Or every ship of trade
and against every stately vessel.
17So the pride of man will be brought low,
and the loftiness of men will be humbled;
the Lord alone will be exalted in that day,
18and the idols will vanish completely.
19Men will flee to caves in the rocks
and holes in the ground,
away from the terror of the Lord
and from the splendor of His majesty,
when He rises to shake the earth.
20In that day men will cast away
to the moles and bats
their idols of silver and gold—
the idols they made to worship.
21They will flee to caverns in the rocks
and crevices in the cliffs,
away from the terror of the Lord
and from the splendor of His majesty,
when He rises to shake the earth.
22Put no more trust in man,
who has only the breath in his nostrils.
Of what account is he?
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The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. This text of God's Word has been dedicated to the public domain.