Isaiah 2:20

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.)

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 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.)