Isaiah 2:20

20 In that day 1mankind will cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, to the moles and to the 2bats,

Isaiah 2:20 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 2:20

In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his
idols o[ gold
Being frightened at the terrible shaking of the earth, and at the glory and majesty of Christ, which will be seen in his witnesses and people, at the time of his spiritual coming, and the destruction of antichrist; insomuch that they shall cast away their idols, and relinquish their idolatrous practices, and give glory to the God of heaven, ( Revelation 11:11-13 ) : which they made [each one] for himself to worship;
everyone having their peculiar idol, the work of their own hands; which shows their gross ignorance and wretched stupidity: to the moles, and to the bats;
that is, either they shall leave them to persons as blind and ignorant as moles and bats; or rather they shall cast them into the holes which moles make, and bats have recourse unto. The Targum makes these the objects of worship, rendering the words,

``that they may worship the idols and images;''
and the Jewish writers interpret them of images worshipped in the form of moles and bats; though we never read of those creatures being worshipped, Moles were sacrificed to Neptune F23. Kimchi refers this text to the times of the Messiah; and some of their ancient writers F24 apply it to the Messiah, and to his arising and appearing in the land of Galilee.
FOOTNOTES:

F23 Phurnutus de Natura Deorum, p. 59.
F24 Zohar in Exod. fol. 3. 3. &. in Numb. fol. 99. 3.

Isaiah 2:20 In-Context

18 And the idols shall utterly pass away.
19 And people shall enter the caves of the rocks and the holes of the ground, from before the terror of the LORD, and from the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth.
20 In that day mankind will cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, to the moles and to the bats,
21 to enter the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs, from before the terror of the LORD, and from the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth.
22 Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?

Cross References 2

  • 1. Isaiah 30:22; Isaiah 31:7
  • 2. Leviticus 11:19; Deuteronomy 14:18
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.