1Die Rede, die Jeschajahu Sohn des Amoz über Jehuda und Jerusalem empfing: 2Geschehn wirds in der Späte der Tage: festgegründet ist der Berg SEINES Hauses zu Häupten der Berge, über die Hügel erhaben, strömen werden zu ihm die Weltstämme alle, 3hingehn Völker in Menge, sie werden sprechen: »Laßt uns gehn, aufsteigen zu SEINEM Berg, zum Haus von Jaakobs Gott, daß er uns weise in seinen Wegen, daß auf seinen Pfaden wir gehn! Denn Weisung fährt von Zion aus, von Jerusalem SEINE Rede.« 4Richten wird er dann zwischen den Weltstämmen, ausgleichen unter der Völkermenge: ihre Schwerter schmieden zu Karsten sie um, ihre Speere zu Winzerhippen, nicht hebt mehr Stamm gegen Stamm das Schwert, nicht lernen sie fürder den Krieg. 5Haus Jaakobs, laßt nun uns gehn, einhergehn in SEINEM Licht! 6Verworfen ja hast du dein Volk, das Haus Jaakobs: angefüllt ja wurden mit Östlichem sie, sind Zeichengucker wie die Philister, klatschzaubern mit Kindern der Fremde! 7Und voll ward sein Land von Silber und Gold, kein Ende seinen Schätzen, und voll ward sein Land von Rossen, kein Ende seinen Kampfwagen, 8und voll ward sein Land von Gottnichtsen, vorm Gemächt seiner Hände sank er hin, vor dem, was seine Finger machten! 9Aber gesenkt wird der Mensch, aber geniedert der Mann, nimmer willst du es ihnen tragen. 10Da kommt man in die Felskluft, man scharrt im Staub sich ein vor SEINEM Schrecken, vorm Glanze seiner Hehre: 11Hoffartsaugen der Menschen geniedert, Stolz der Männer gesenkt, ragend einzig ER an jenem Tag. 12Ja, ein Tag ists IHM dem Umscharten über alles Hehre und Stolze, über alles Erhabne: geniedert wirds! 13über alle Libanon-Zedern, die stolzen, die erhabnen, über alle Baschan-Eichen, 14über alle stolzen Berge, über alle erhabnen Hügel, 15über allen hohen Turm, über alle steile Mauer, 16über alle Tarschisch-Schiffe, - über all die Wunschgebäude! 17Gesenkt wird die Hoffart des Menschen, der Männerstolz geniedert, ragend einzig ER an jenem Tag. 18Und die Gottnichtse - gänzlich entgleitets, 19da man kommt in die Höhlen der Felsen, in die Schlupflöcher des Staubs vor SEINEM Schrecken, vor dem Glanze seiner Hehre, wann er aufsteht, zu erschüttern das Erdland. 20An jenem Tag schleudert der Mensch fort die Gottnichtse seines Silbers, die Gottnichtse seines Goldes, die man ihm machte, - vor den Maulwürfen und den Fledermäusen hinzusinken 21um kommen zu dürfen in die Spalten der Felsen, in die Schlüfte der Schroffen, vor SEINEM Schrecken, vor dem Glanze seiner Hehre, wann er aufsteht, zu erschüttern das Erdland. 22Laßt doch ab ihr vom Menschen, in dessen Nase bloß ein Hauch ist, denn wofür ist er zu rechnen!
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 (Isa. 2:1-22)
The inscription.
The word--the revelation.
2 Same as
Mic 4:1. As Micah prophesied in Jotham's reign, and Isaiah in Uzziah's, Micah rests on Isaiah, whom he confirms: not vice versa. HENGSTENBERG on slight grounds makes
Mic 4:1 the original.
last days--that is, Messiah's: especially the days yet to come, to which all prophecy hastens, when "the house of the God of Jacob," namely, at Jerusalem, shall be the center to which the converted nations shall flock together (
Matt 13:32;
Luke 2:31-
Luke 2:32;
Acts 1:6-
Acts 1:7); where "the kingdom" of Israel is regarded as certain and the time alone uncertain (
Ps 68:15-
Ps 68:16;
Ps 72:8,
Ps 72:11).
mountain of the Lord's house . . . in the top, &c.--the temple on Mount Moriah: type of the Gospel, beginning at Jerusalem, and, like an object set on the highest hill, made so conspicuous that all nations are attracted to it.
flow--as a broad stream (
Isa 66:12).
3 If the curse foretold against Israel has been literally fulfilled, so shall the promised blessing be literal. We Gentiles must not, while giving them the curse, deny them their peculiar blessing by spiritualizing it. The Holy Ghost shall be poured out for a general conversion then (
Jer 50:5;
Zech 8:21,
Zech 8:23;
Joel 2:28).
from Jerusalem-- (
Luke 24:47) an earnest of the future relations of Jerusalem to Christendom (
Rom 11:12,
Rom 11:15).
4 judge--as a sovereign umpire, settling all controversies (compare
Isa 11:4). LOWTH translates "work," "conviction."
plowshares--in the East resembling a short sword (
Isa 9:6-
Isa 9:7;
Zech 9:10).
5 The connection is: As Israel's high destiny is to be a blessing to all nations (
Gen 12:3), let Israel's children walk worthy of it (
Eph 5:8).
6 Therefore--rather, "For": reasons why there is the more need of the exhortation in
Isa 2:5.
thou--transition to Jehovah: such rapid transitions are natural, when the mind is full of a subject.
replenished--rather, filled, namely, with the superstitions of the East, Syria, and Chaldea.
soothsayers--forbidden (
Deut 18:10-
Deut 18:14).
Philistines--southwest of Palestine: antithesis to "the east."
please themselves--rather, join hands with, that is, enter into alliances, matrimonial and national: forbidden (
Exod 23:32;
Neh 13:23, &c.).
7 gold--forbidden to be heaped together (
Deut 17:17). Solomon disobeyed (
1Kgs 10:21,
1Kgs 10:27).
horses . . . chariots--forbidden (
Deut 17:16). But Solomon disobeyed (
1Kgs 20:26). Horses could be used effectively for war in the plains of Egypt; not so in the hilly Judea. God designed there should be as wide as possible a distinction between Israel and the Egyptians. He would have His people wholly dependent on Him, rather than on the ordinary means of warfare (
Ps 20:7). Also horses were connected with idolatry (
2Kgs 23:11); hence His objection: so the transition to "idols" (
Isa 2:8) is natural.
8 (
Hos 8:4). Not so much public idolatry, which was not sanctioned in Uzziah's and Jotham's reign, but (see
2Kgs 15:4,
2Kgs 15:35) as private.
9 mean--in rank: not morally base: opposed to "the great man." The former is in Hebrew, Adam, the latter, ish.
boweth--namely, to idols. All ranks were idolaters.
forgive . . . not--a threat expressed by an imperative. Isaiah so identifies himself with God's will, that he prays for that which he knows God purposes. So
Rev 18:6.
10 Poetical form of expressing that, such were their sins, they would be obliged by God's judgments to seek a hiding-place from His wrath (
Rev 6:15-
Rev 6:16).
dust--equivalent to "caves of the earth," or dust (
Isa 2:19).
for fear, &c.--literally, "from the face of the terror of the Lord."
11 lofty looks--literally, "eyes of pride" (
Ps 18:27).
humbled--by calamities. God will so vindicate His honor "in that day" of judgments, that none else "shall be exalted" (
Zech 14:9).
12 Man has had many days: "the day of the Lord" shall come at last, beginning with judgment, a never-ending day in which God shall be "all in all" (
1Cor 15:28;
2Pet 3:10).
every--not merely person, as English Version explains it, but every thing on which the nation prided itself.
13 cedars . . . oaks--image for haughty nobles and princes (
Amos 2:9;
Zech 11:1-
Zech 11:2; compare
Rev 19:18-
Rev 19:21).
Bashan--east of Jordan, north of the river Jabbok, famous for fine oaks, pasture, and cattle. Perhaps in "oaks" there is reference to their idolatry (
Isa 1:29).
14 high . . . hills--referring to the "high places" on which sacrifices were unlawfully offered, even in Uzziah's (equivalent to Azariah) reign (
2Kgs 15:4). Also, places of strength, fastnesses in which they trusted, rather than in God; so
15 tower . . . wall--Towers were often made on the walls of cities.
fenced--strongly fortified.
16 Tarshish--Tartessus in southwest Spain, at the mouth of the Guadalquivir, near Gibraltar. It includes the adjoining region: a Phśnician colony; hence its connection with Palestine and the Bible (
2Chr 9:21). The name was also used in a wide sense for the farthest west, as our West Indies (
Isa 66:19;
Ps 48:7;
Ps 72:10). "Ships of Tarshish" became a phrase for richly laden and far-voyaging vessels. The judgment shall be on all that minister to man's luxury (compare
Rev 18:17-
Rev 18:19).
pictures--ordered to be destroyed (
Num 33:52). Still to be seen on the walls of Nineveh's palaces. It is remarkable that whereas all other ancient civilized nations, Egypt, Assyria, Greece, Rome, have left monuments in the fine arts, Judea, while rising immeasurably above them in the possession of "the living oracles," has left none of the former. The fine arts, as in modern Rome, were so often associated with polytheism, that God required His people in this, as in other respects, to be separate from the nations (
Deut 4:15-
Deut 4:18). But Vulgate translation is perhaps better, "All that is beautiful to the sight"; not only paintings, but all luxurious ornaments. One comprehensive word for all that goes before (compare
Rev 18:12,
Rev 18:14,
Rev 18:16).
17 Repeated from
Isa 2:11, for emphatic confirmation.
18 idols--literally, "vain things," "nothings" (
1Cor 8:4). Fulfilled to the letter. Before the Babylonian captivity the Jews were most prone to idolatry; in no instance, ever since. For the future fulfilment, see
Zech 13:2;
Rev 13:15;
Rev 19:20.
19 The fulfilment answers exactly to the threat (
Isa 2:10).
they--the idol-worshippers.
caves--abounding in Judea, a hilly country; hiding-places in times of alarm (
1Sam 13:6).
shake . . . earth--and the heavens also (
Heb 12:26). Figure for severe and universal judgments.
20 moles--Others translate "mice." The sense is, under ground, in darkness.
bats--unclean birds (
Lev 11:19), living amidst tenantless ruins (
Rev 11:13).
22 The high ones (
Isa 2:11,
Isa 2:13) on whom the people trust, shall be "brought low" (
Isa 3:2); therefore "cease from" depending on them, instead of on the Lord (
Ps 146:3-
Ps 146:5).