And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations
afar off
That are in the most distant parts of the world; not only the isles afar off, but the remotest parts of the continent, the American nations found out since. In ( Isaiah 2:4 ) , it is, "and he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people"; that is, the King Messiah, as Aben Ezra, Kimchi, and Ben Melech. Some render it, "it shall judge" and interpret it either of the Church, the mountain of the Lord's house; or of the word and doctrine of the Lord; or of the Lord in the church, by the ministry of the word, The phrase, "afar off", is not in ( Isaiah 2:4 ) ; which the Targum interprets "for ever", and the "strong nations" of strong kings; signifying that the kingdom of Christ should not only be to the ends or the earth, but should endure for ever, unto distant time, even till it shall be no more; as well as shall reach to distant lands, as to situation, and to the Gentiles afar off, as to state and condition; see ( Ephesians 2:14 ) ; and they shall beat their swords into plough shares, and their spears
into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up a sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more;
which as yet has never been fulfilled; but will be the case when Christ's kingdom appears in its glory, and the kingdoms of this world become his, and all the enemies of the church are destroyed; (See Gill on Isaiah 2:4). These words are by the Jews F15 applied to the days of the Messiah.