Isaiah 2:16-22

16 and on all ships of Tarshish, and on all thing which is fair in sight. (and on all ships of Tarshish, and on everything which is beautiful to see.)
17 And all the highness of men shall be bowed down, and the highness of men shall be made low; and the Lord alone shall be raised [up] in that day (and the Lord alone shall be raised up on that day),
18 and idols shall be broken together utterly. (and the idols shall be altogether and utterly broken.)
19 And they shall enter into the dens of stones, and into the swallows of [the] earth, from the face of the inward dread of the Lord, and from the glory of his majesty, when he shall rise to smite the land. (And they shall enter into caves of stone, and into hollows of the earth, from the fear of the Lord, and the glory of his majesty, when he shall rise to strike the land.)
20 In that day a man shall cast away the idols of his silver, and the simulacra of his gold, which he had made to himself, for to worship mouldwarps and bats. (On that day a man shall throw away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which he had made for himself to worship, and he shall leave them for the moles and the bats.)
21 And he shall enter into [the] chinks, either crazings, of stones, and into the caves of hard rocks, from the face of the inward dread of the Lord, and from the glory of his majesty, when he shall rise to smite the land. (And he shall enter into the crevices of stone, and into the caves of hard rock, from the fear of the Lord, and the glory of his majesty, when he shall rise to strike the land.)
22 Therefore cease ye from a man, whose spirit is in his nostrils, for he is (but) areckoned (as) high. (And so have ye no more to do with man, who is not worth anything more, than the breath from his own nostrils.)

Isaiah 2:16-22 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 2

This chapter contains a vision or prophecy of the enlargement of Christ's kingdom and interest, and of the glory of his church in the latter day, by the calling of the Gentiles, and the numerous conversions of them to it, and of the abolition of idolatry, and the destruction of the antichristian party. The inscription to it is in Isa 2:1 the prophecy itself follows; the date of it is the last days; the subject matter of it, the kingdom, interest, and church of Christ, signified by the mountain of the Lord's house; its glorious estate is expressed by its establishment on the mountains; by its exaltation above the hills; and by the great numbers that should flock to it, and should encourage one another to go up to it, in order to learn the ways of God, and walk in them; the means of which is the Gospel preached, that should go out of Jerusalem; the effect of that is peace among the nations: hence the house of Jacob is exhorted to walk in the light held forth by it, Isa 2:2-5 and then the reasons are given of God's rejecting and forsaking some that bear the Christian name, called the house of Jacob; namely, their Heathenish superstition, idolatry, covetousness, and confidence in their riches; who are sarcastically called upon to hide themselves in the rocks for fear of the Lord, Isa 2:6-10 when the judgments of God are denounced on the proud and lofty, comparable to cedars, oaks, mountains, hills, high towers, fenced walls, and ships of the ocean, at which time, Christ, and he alone, will be exalted, and idolatry utterly abolished; the consequence of which will be the utmost dread and terror to all idolaters, Isa 2:11-21 and the chapter is concluded with an exhortation to such to cease from the man of sin, and have him in no account, Isa 2:22.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.