1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.
6 Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers.
7 Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots:
8 Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:
9 And the mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself: therefore forgive them not.
10 Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty.
11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
12 For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:
13 And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan,
14 And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up,
15 And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall,
16 And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.
17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
18 And the idols he shall utterly abolish.
19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
20 In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;
21 To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
22 Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of ?
1 The word H1697 that Isaiah H3470 the son H1121 of Amoz H531 saw H2372 concerning Judah H3063 and Jerusalem. H3389
2 And it shall come to pass in the last H319 days, H3117 that the mountain H2022 of the LORD'S H3068 house H1004 shall be established H3559 in the top H7218 of the mountains, H2022 and shall be exalted H5375 above the hills; H1389 and all nations H1471 shall flow H5102 unto it.
3 And many H7227 people H5971 shall go H1980 and say, H559 Come H3212 ye, and let us go up H5927 to the mountain H2022 of the LORD, H3068 to the house H1004 of the God H430 of Jacob; H3290 and he will teach H3384 us of his ways, H1870 and we will walk H3212 in his paths: H734 for out of Zion H6726 shall go forth H3318 the law, H8451 and the word H1697 of the LORD H3068 from Jerusalem. H3389
4 And he shall judge H8199 among the nations, H1471 and shall rebuke H3198 many H7227 people: H5971 and they shall beat H3807 their swords H2719 into plowshares, H855 and their spears H2595 into pruninghooks: H4211 nation H1471 shall not lift up H5375 sword H2719 against nation, H1471 neither shall they learn H3925 war H4421 any more.
5 O house H1004 of Jacob, H3290 come H3212 ye, and let us walk H3212 in the light H216 of the LORD. H3068
6 Therefore thou hast forsaken H5203 thy people H5971 the house H1004 of Jacob, H3290 because they be replenished H4390 from the east, H6924 and are soothsayers H6049 like the Philistines, H6430 and they please H5606 themselves in the children H3206 of strangers. H5237
7 Their land H776 also is full H4390 of silver H3701 and gold, H2091 neither is there any end H7097 of their treasures; H214 their land H776 is also full H4390 of horses, H5483 neither is there any end H7097 of their chariots: H4818
8 Their land H776 also is full H4390 of idols; H457 they worship H7812 the work H4639 of their own hands, H3027 that which their own fingers H676 have made: H6213
9 And the mean man H120 boweth down, H7817 and the great man H376 humbleth H8213 himself: therefore forgive H5375 them not.
10 Enter H935 into the rock, H6697 and hide H2934 thee in the dust, H6083 for H6440 fear H6343 of the LORD, H3068 and for the glory H1926 of his majesty. H1347
11 The lofty H1365 looks H5869 of man H120 shall be humbled, H8213 and the haughtiness H7312 of men H582 shall be bowed down, H7817 and the LORD H3068 alone shall be exalted H7682 in that day. H3117
12 For the day H3117 of the LORD H3068 of hosts H6635 shall be upon every one that is proud H1343 and lofty, H7311 and upon every one that is lifted up; H5375 and he shall be brought low: H8213
13 And upon all the cedars H730 of Lebanon, H3844 that are high H7311 and lifted up, H5375 and upon all the oaks H437 of Bashan, H1316
14 And upon all the high H7311 mountains, H2022 and upon all the hills H1389 that are lifted up, H5375
15 And upon every high H1364 tower, H4026 and upon every fenced H1219 wall, H2346
16 And upon all the ships H591 of Tarshish, H8659 and upon all pleasant H2532 pictures. H7914
17 And the loftiness H1365 of man H120 shall be bowed down, H7817 and the haughtiness H7312 of men H582 shall be made low: H8213 and the LORD H3068 alone shall be exalted H7682 in that day. H3117
18 And the idols H457 he shall utterly H3632 abolish. H2498
19 And they shall go H935 into the holes H4631 of the rocks, H6697 and into the caves H4247 of the earth, H6083 for H6440 fear H6343 of the LORD, H3068 and for the glory H1926 of his majesty, H1347 when he ariseth H6965 to shake terribly H6206 the earth. H776
20 In that day H3117 a man H120 shall cast H7993 his idols H457 of silver, H3701 and his idols H457 of gold, H2091 which they made each one for himself H6213 to worship, H7812 to the moles H2661 H6512 and to the bats; H5847
21 To go H935 into the clefts H5366 of the rocks, H6697 and into the tops H5585 of the ragged rocks, H5553 for H6440 fear H6343 of the LORD, H3068 and for the glory H1926 of his majesty, H1347 when he ariseth H6965 to shake terribly H6206 the earth. H776
22 Cease H2308 ye from man, H120 whose breath H5397 is in his nostrils: H639 for wherein is he to be accounted of? H2803
1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 And it shall come to pass in the latter days, that the mountain of Jehovah's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
3 And many peoples shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem.
4 And he will judge between the nations, and will decide concerning many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of Jehovah.
6 For thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they are filled `with customs' from the east, and `are' soothsayers like the Philistines, and they strike hands with the children of foreigners.
7 And their land is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land also is full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots.
8 Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made.
9 And the mean man is bowed down, and the great man is brought low: therefore forgive them not.
10 Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, from before the terror of Jehovah, and from the glory of his majesty.
11 The lofty looks of man shall be brought low, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and Jehovah alone shall be exalted in that day.
12 For there shall be a day of Jehovah of hosts upon all that is proud and haughty, and upon all that is lifted up; and it shall be brought low;
13 and upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan,
14 and upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up,
15 and upon every lofty tower, and upon every fortified wall,
16 and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant imagery.
17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; and Jehovah alone shall be exalted in that day.
18 And the idols shall utterly pass away.
19 And men shall go into the caves of the rocks, and into the holes of the earth, from before the terror of Jehovah, and from the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake mightily the earth.
20 In that day men shall cast away their idols of silver, and their idols of gold, which have been made for them to worship, to the moles and to the bats;
21 to go into the caverns of the rocks, and into the clefts of the ragged rocks, from before the terror of Jehovah, and from the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake mightily the earth.
22 Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for wherein is he to be accounted of?
1 The thing that Isaiah son of Amoz hath seen concerning Judah and Jerusalem:
2 And it hath come to pass, In the latter end of the days, Established is the mount of Jehovah's house, Above the top of the mounts, And it hath been lifted up above the heights, And flowed unto it have all the nations.
3 And gone have many peoples and said, `Come, and we go up unto the mount of Jehovah, Unto the house of the God of Jacob, And He doth teach us of His ways, And we walk in His paths, For from Zion goeth forth a law, And a word of Jehovah from Jerusalem.
4 And He hath judged between the nations, And hath given a decision to many peoples, And they have beat their swords to ploughshares, And their spears to pruning-hooks, Nation doth not lift up sword unto nation, Nor do they learn any more -- war.
5 O house of Jacob, come, And we walk in the light of Jehovah.'
6 For Thou hast left Thy people, the house of Jacob. For they have been filled from the east, And `are' sorcerers like the Philistines, And with the children of strangers strike hands.
7 And its land is full of silver and gold, And there is no end to its treasures, And its land is full of horses, And there is no end to its chariots,
8 And its land is full of idols, To the work of its hands it boweth itself, To that which its fingers have made,
9 And the low boweth down, and the high is humbled, And Thou acceptest them not.
10 Enter into a rock, and be hidden in dust, Because of the fear of Jehovah, And because of the honour of His excellency.
11 The haughty eyes of man have been humbled, And bowed down hath been the loftiness of men, And set on high hath Jehovah alone been in that day.
12 For a day `is' to Jehovah of Hosts, For every proud and high one, And for every lifted up and low one,
13 And for all cedars of Lebanon, The high and the exalted ones, And for all oaks of Bashan,
14 And for all the high mountains, And for all the exalted heights,
15 And for every high tower, And for every fenced wall,
16 And for all ships of Tarshish, And for all desirable pictures.
17 And bowed down hath been the haughtiness of man, And humbled the loftiness of men, And set on high hath Jehovah alone been in that day.
18 And the idols -- they completely pass away.
19 And `men' have entered into caverns of rocks, And into caves of dust, Because of the fear of Jehovah, And because of the honour of His excellency, In His rising to terrify the earth.
20 In that day doth man cast his idols of silver, And his idols of gold, That they have made for him to worship, To moles, and to bats,
21 To enter into cavities of the rocks, And into clefts of the high places, Because of the fear of Jehovah, And because of the honour of His excellency, In His rising to terrify the earth.
22 Cease for you from man, Whose breath `is' in his nostrils, For -- in what is he esteemed?
1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 And it shall come to pass in the end of days, [that] the mountain of Jehovah's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow unto it.
3 And many peoples shall go and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and Jehovah's word from Jerusalem.
4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall reprove many peoples; and they shall forge their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-knives: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
5 House of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of Jehovah.
6 For thou hast cast off thy people, the house of Jacob, because they are filled [with what comes] from the east, and use auguries like the Philistines, and ally themselves with the children of foreigners.
7 And their land is full of silver and gold, and there is no end of their treasures: their land also is full of horses, and there is no end of their chariots.
8 And their land is full of idols; they bow themselves down to the work of their own hands, to that which their fingers have made.
9 And the mean man shall be bowed down, and the great man shall be brought low: and do not thou forgive them!
10 Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, from before the terror of Jehovah, and from the glory of his majesty.
11 The lofty eyes of man shall be brought low, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and Jehovah alone shall be exalted in that day.
12 For there shall be a day of Jehovah of hosts upon everything proud and lofty, and upon everything lifted up, and it shall be brought low;
13 and upon all the cedars of Lebanon, high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan;
14 and upon all the lofty mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up;
15 and upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall;
16 and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant works of art.
17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; and Jehovah alone shall be exalted in that day:
18 and the idols shall utterly pass away.
19 And they shall go into the caves of the rocks, and into the holes of the earth, from before the terror of Jehovah, and from the glory of his majesty, when he shall arise to terrify the earth.
20 In that day men shall cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made [each] for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;
21 to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the fissures of the cliffs, from before the terror of Jehovah, and from the glory of his majesty, when he shall arise to terrify the earth.
22 Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for what account is to be made of him?
1 This is what Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 It shall happen in the latter days, that the mountain of Yahweh's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be raised above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it.
3 Many peoples shall go and say, "Come, let's go up to the mountain of Yahweh, To the house of the God of Jacob; And he will teach us of his ways, And we will walk in his paths. For out of Zion the law shall go forth, And the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.
4 He will judge between the nations, And will decide concerning many peoples; And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning-hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war any more.
5 House of Jacob, come, and let us walk in the light of Yahweh.
6 For you have forsaken your people, the house of Jacob, Because they are filled from the east, With those who practice divination like the Philistines, And they clasp hands with the children of foreigners.
7 Their land is full of silver and gold, Neither is there any end of their treasures. Their land also is full of horses, Neither is there any end of their chariots.
8 Their land also is full of idols. They worship the work of their own hands, That which their own fingers have made.
9 Man is brought low, And mankind is humbled; Therefore don't forgive them.
10 Enter into the rock, And hide in the dust, From before the terror of Yahweh, And from the glory of his majesty.
11 The lofty looks of man will be brought low, The haughtiness of men will be bowed down, And Yahweh alone will be exalted in that day.
12 For there will be a day of Yahweh of Hosts for all that is proud and haughty, And for all that is lifted up; And it shall be brought low:
13 For all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, For all the oaks of Bashan,
14 For all the high mountains, For all the hills that are lifted up,
15 For every lofty tower, For every fortified wall,
16 For all the ships of Tarshish, And for all pleasant imagery.
17 The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, And the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; And Yahweh alone shall be exalted in that day.
18 The idols shall utterly pass away.
19 Men shall go into the caves of the rocks, And into the holes of the earth, From before the terror of Yahweh, And from the glory of his majesty, When he arises to shake the earth mightily.
20 In that day, men shall cast away their idols of silver, And their idols of gold, Which have been made for themselves to worship, To the moles and to the bats;
21 To go into the caverns of the rocks, And into the clefts of the ragged rocks, From before the terror of Yahweh, And from the glory of his majesty, When he arises to shake the earth mightily.
22 Stop trusting in man, whose breath is in his nostrils; For of what account is he?
1 The word which Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw about Judah and Jerusalem.
2 And it will come about in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord will be placed on the top of the mountains, and be lifted up over the hills; and all nations will come to it.
3 And the peoples will say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob: and he will give us knowledge of his ways, and we will be guided by his word; for out of Zion the law will go out, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 And he will be the judge between the nations, and the peoples will be ruled by his decisions: and their swords will be turned into plough-blades, and their spears into vine-knives: no longer will the nations be turning their swords against one another, and the knowledge of war will be gone for ever.
5 O family of Jacob, come, and let us go in the light of the Lord.
6 For you, O Lord, have given up your people, the family of Jacob, because they are full of the evil ways of the east, and make use of secret arts like the Philistines, and are friends with the children of strange countries.
7 And their land is full of silver and gold, and there is no end to their stores; their land is full of horses, and there is no end to their carriages.
8 Their land is full of images; they give worship to the work of their hands, even to that which their fingers have made.
9 And the poor man's head is bent, and the great man goes down on his face: for this cause there will be no forgiveness for their sin.
10 Go into a hole in the rock, covering yourselves with dust, in fear of the Lord, before the glory of his power.
11 The high looks of man will be put to shame, and the pride of men will be made low, and only the Lord will be lifted up in that day.
12 For the day of the Lord of armies is coming on all the pride of men, and on all who are high and lifted up;
13 And on all the high trees of Lebanon, and on all the strong trees of Bashan;
14 And on all the high mountains, and on all the hills which are lifted up;
15 And on every high tower, and on every strong wall;
16 And on all the ships of Tarshish, and on all the fair boats.
17 And the high looks of man will be put to shame, and the pride of men will be made low: and only the Lord will be lifted up in that day.
18 And the images will never be seen again.
19 And men will go into cracks of the rocks, and into holes of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and before the glory of his power, when he comes out of his place, shaking the earth with his strength.
20 In that day men will put their images of silver and of gold, which they made for worship, in the keeping of the beasts of the dark places;
21 To take cover in the cracks of the rocks, and in the holes of the hills, for fear of the Lord, and before the glory of his power, when he comes out of his place, shaking the earth with his strength.
22 Have no more to do with man, whose life is only a breath, for he is of no value.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Isaiah 2
Commentary on Isaiah 2 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 2
Isa 2:1-22.
1. 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 (Mt 13:32; Lu 2:31, 32; Ac 1:6, 7); where "the kingdom" of Israel is regarded as certain and the time alone uncertain (Ps 68:15, 16; 72:8, 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; Zec 8:21, 23; Joe 2:28).
from Jerusalem—(Lu 24:47) an earnest of the future relations of Jerusalem to Christendom (Ro 11:12, 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, 7; Zec 9:10).
5. The connection is: As Israel's high destiny is to be a blessing to all nations (Ge 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 (De 18:10-14).
Philistines—southwest of Palestine: antithesis to "the east."
please themselves—rather, join hands with, that is, enter into alliances, matrimonial and national: forbidden (Ex 23:32; Ne 13:23, &c.).
7. gold—forbidden to be heaped together (De 17:17). Solomon disobeyed (1Ki 10:21, 27).
horses … chariots—forbidden (De 17:16). But Solomon disobeyed (1Ki 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 (2Ki 23:11); hence His objection: so the transition to "idols" (Isa 2:8) is natural.
8. (Ho 8:4). Not so much public idolatry, which was not sanctioned in Uzziah's and Jotham's reign, but (see 2Ki 15:4, 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 Re 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 (Re 6:15, 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" (Zec 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" (1Co 15:28; 2Pe 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 (Am 2:9; Zec 11:1, 2; compare Re 19:18-21).
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 (2Ki 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 Phœnician colony; hence its connection with Palestine and the Bible (2Ch 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; 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 Re 18:17-19).
pictures—ordered to be destroyed (Nu 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 (De 4:15-18). 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 Re 18:12, 14, 16).
17. Repeated from Isa 2:11, for emphatic confirmation.
18. idols—literally, "vain things," "nothings" (1Co 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 Zec 13:2; Re 13:15; 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 (1Sa 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 (Le 11:19), living amidst tenantless ruins (Re 11:13).
22. The high ones (Isa 2:11, 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 146:3-5).