The loftiness of man . This verse interrupts the sequence of the thoughts somewhat awkwardly. It is a sort of refrain (see Isaiah 2:11 ; and for the use of refrains in Hebrew poetry, see Exodus 15:1 , Exodus 15:21 ; Psalm evil. 8, 15, 21, 31), and perhaps comes in for rhythmical reasons, to the detriment of the sense. read more
And the idols he shall utterly abolish ; rather, and the idols shall utterly pass away . While the visitation shall fall only partially on the other objects precious to Israel—the cedars, the oaks, the terraced mountains and hills, the strongholds, the ships, and the works of art—the idols shall be wholly swept away by it. It is impossible to say what visitation exactly was in the prophet's mind; but if we may suppose that the Babylonian captivity came within the range of the prophetic... read more
They shall go into the holes of the rooks , etc.. On the abundant caves of Palestine, see note on the former passage. To shake terribly the earth ; literally, to affright the earth . It is not said in what way he will affright it. The cognate Arabic verb has the meaning "to shake;" but it is not clear that the Hebrew one has ever this sense. read more
And the loftiness ... - see the note at Isaiah 2:11. The repetition of this makes it strongly emphatic. read more
And the idols - Note, Isaiah 2:8.Abolish - Hebrew, ‘Cause to pass away or disappear.’ He shall entirely cause their worship to cease. This prediction was most remarkably fulfilled. Before the captivity at Babylon, the Jews were exceedingly prone to idolatry. It is a remarkable fact that no such propensity was ever evinced “after” that. In their own land they were entirely free from it; and scattered as they have been into all lands, they have in every age since kept clear from idolatry. Not an... read more
And they shall go - That is, the worshippers of idols.Into the holes of the rocks - Judea was a mountainous country, and the mountains abounded with caves that offered a safe retreat for those who were in danger. Many of those caverns were very spacious. At En-gedi, in particular, a cave is mentioned where David with six hundred men hid himself from Saul in the “sides” of it; 1 Samuel 24:0. Sometimes caves or dens were artificially constructed for refuge or defense in danger; Judges 6:2; 1... read more
Isaiah 2:17-18 . And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down Here the prophet expresses literally what he had delivered metaphorically in the preceding verses. The same things were asserted Isaiah 2:11, but they are here repeated, partly to assure the people of the certainty of them, and partly to fix them more deeply in their minds, because men are very backward to believe and consider things of this nature. And the idols he shall utterly abolish He will discover the impotency of idols... read more
Isaiah 2:19. And they The idolatrous Israelites; shall go into the holes of the rocks, &c. Their usual places of retreat in cases of danger; see Joshua 10:16; Jdg 6:2 ; 1 Samuel 13:6. The idea is taken from the nature of the land of Canaan; which was full of caves and dens; for fear of the Lord, and the glory of his majesty, &c. “The meaning is, that there should be, at this time, a great and most bright display of the divine majesty and justice, which the impious and... read more
Jerusalem as it should be and as it is (2:1-22)God’s people always looked for the day when Jerusalem would be the religious centre of the world, where people of all nations would go to be taught the ways of God. In that day there would be no more war, but contentment and prosperity (2:1-4). (A note on the new Jerusalem is included in the introduction to Chapters 40-66, where the subject of Jerusalem’s future glory is considered more fully.) Such hope for the future is all the more reason why... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 2:12-22
The day of judgment. Here follows a grand picture, in which a few simple thoughts are set. I. THE DAY OF JEHOVAH . This stands for any and every epoch of clearer light which reveals the relative worth of things. False estimates of life and its objects have become by custom fixed. The imagination has been under a delusion. A false idea of greatness and goodness has become so fixed that nothing but a revolution will subvert it. The criticism of words may be defied; but the... read more