To go into the clifts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks ,.... That is, the idolaters shall either go there themselves; or they shall cause their idols to go there, thither they shall cast them; though the former sense seems the best, because of what follows, for fear of the Lord , &c.; See Gill on Isaiah 2:10 , Isaiah 2:19 . read more
Into the holes of the rocks "Into caverns of rocks" - The country of Judea being mountainous and rocky, is full of caverns, as appears from the history of David's persecution under Saul. At En-gedi, in particular, there was a cave so large that David with six hundred men hid themselves in the sides of it; and Saul entered the mouth of the cave without perceiving that any one was there, 1 Samuel 24. Josephus, Antiq., lib. xiv., c. 15, and Bell. Jud., lib. 1, c. 16, tells us of a numerous gang... read more
Retribution and its results. In this noble prophetic passage, as charged with poetic grandeur as it is full of religious zeal, we have our thought directed to— I. Two HEINOUS SINS WHICH BELONG TO EVERY AGE AND CLASS . They are these: 1. Disobedience . The divination to which reference is made ( Isaiah 2:6 ) is expressly prohibited in the Law ( Deuteronomy 18:10-12 ); alliance with strangers ( Isaiah 2:6 ) is also forbidden ( Exodus 34:12 ; Dent; Exodus... read more
THE DESCRIPTION OF THE DAY OF THE LORD . The prophet, now, having announced that God is about to visit his people in anger ( Isaiah 2:10 , Isaiah 2:11 ), proceeds to describe in highly rhetorical language the visitation itself, read more
The terrors of the day of the Lord. Every visitation of man by God is typical of his coming to judgment. "That day" is, in its deepest and truest sense, the day whereon Christ shall come again to judge both the quick and the dead. Of "that day and that hour knoweth no man" ( Matthew 24:36 ); and the terror is increased by the mystery. The prophet sees God descend to judge Israel. The particular features are local; but through them may be discerned without much difficulty the... read more
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
To go into ; or, as they go into ; i.e. "as they make their escape, they shall fling the idols away." The clefts of the rocks (comp. Exodus 33:22 , the only other passage of Scripture where the word occurs). The tops of the ragged rocks ; rather, the rents , or crevices . The idea of hiding themselves from the awful majesty of God is kept up throughout (cf. Isaiah 2:10 and Isaiah 2:19 ; and see also Luke 23:30 ). read more
To go - That is, that he may go.Clefts of the rocks - see the note at Isaiah 2:19.Into the tops ... - The tops of such rocks were not easily accessible, and were, therefore, deemed places of safety. We may remark here, how vain were the refuges to which they would resort - as if they were safe from “God,” when they had fled to the places in which they sought safety from “man.” The image here is, however, one that is very sublime. The earth shaking; the consternation and alarm of the people;... 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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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Isaiah 2:10-22
The prophet here goes on to show what a desolation would be brought upon their land when God should have forsaken them. This may refer particularly to their destruction by the Chaldeans first, and afterwards by the Romans, or it may have a general respect to the method God takes to awaken and humble proud sinners, and to put them out of conceit with that which they delighted in and depended on more than God. We are here told that sooner or later God will find out a way, I. To startle and... read more