King James Version
Isaiah 2
22 verses with commentary
The Mountain of the Lord
The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
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KJV Study Commentary
This superscription marks a distinct prophetic vision 'concerning Judah and Jerusalem,' indicating Isaiah's specific audience despite universal implications. The Hebrew 'chazah' (saw) emphasizes the supernatural origin of prophetic revelation—Isaiah perceives divine truth through spiritual sight, not natural observation. This grounds the following eschatological vision in divine authority.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
II.
(1) **The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.**—On the relation of this chapter to Isaiah 1, see *Introduction. *The moral and social state described in it points to an earlier date than the reformation of Hezekiah. The sins of the people are more flagrant; but there is not as yet with them the added guilt of a formal and ceremonial worship. The character of the king in Isaiah 3:12 correspon...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
30-31. Men's best devices and reliances are vain compared with God's, or without His aid (Pr 19:21; Psa 20:7; 33:17).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 2
The vanity and vexation of mirth, sensual pleasure, riches, and pomp. (Eccl. 2:1-11) Human wisdom insufficient. (Eccl. 2:12-17) This world to be used according to the will of God. (Eccl. 2:18-26)
**Verses 1-11** Solomon soon found mirth and pleasure to be vanity. What does noisy, flashy mirth towards making a man happy? The manifold devices of men's hearts, to get satisfaction from...
Read full commentary →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. established: or, prepared
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KJV Study Commentary
This Messianic prophecy envisions the mountain of the LORD's house (temple mount) elevated above all mountains as the center of eschatological worship. The imagery depicts Zion's exaltation in the millennial kingdom when Christ reigns from Jerusalem. All nations flowing to it reverses Babel's scattering, fulfilling Abrahamic promises that all nations would be blessed through Israel's seed.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) It shall come to pass in the last days.—The three verses that follow are found in almost identical form in Micah 4:1-3, with the addition of a verse (Micah 4:4) which describes the prosperity of Judah—every man sitting “under his vine and his fig-tree,” as in the days of Solomon. Whether (1) Isaiah borrowed from Micah, or (2) Micah from Isaiah, or (3) both from some earlier prophet, or (4) whe...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 2
The vanity and vexation of mirth, sensual pleasure, riches, and pomp. (Eccl. 2:1-11) Human wisdom insufficient. (Eccl. 2:12-17) This world to be used according to the will of God. (Eccl. 2:18-26)
**Verses 1-11** Solomon soon found mirth and pleasure to be vanity. What does noisy, flashy mirth towards making a man happy? The manifold devices of men's hearts, to get satisfaction from...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
The nations' confession 'He will teach us His ways' demonstrates willing submission to divine instruction. The Torah going forth from Zion establishes Jerusalem as the source of authoritative teaching, fulfilling Israel's purpose as a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6). The parallel 'word of the LORD from Jerusalem' emphasizes both written law and living Word, ultimately fulfilled in Christ.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **Many people shall go and say** . . .—What was precious to the prophet’s heart was the thought that these pilgrims from afar would not come as with a formal worship like that of Isaiah 1:10-15, but, like the queen of Sheba (1Kings 10:1-10), as seekers after truth, desiring to be taught. (Comp. Isaiah 60:3.) The “ways” and the “paths” are the great laws of righteousness, which lead to the eter...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 22
Pr 22:1-29.
**1. A good name--**(Job 30:8, Hebrew); "good" is supplied here from Ec 7:1.
**loving favour--**kind regard, that is, of the wise and good.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 2
The vanity and vexation of mirth, sensual pleasure, riches, and pomp. (Eccl. 2:1-11) Human wisdom insufficient. (Eccl. 2:12-17) This world to be used according to the will of God. (Eccl. 2:18-26)
**Verses 1-11** Solomon soon found mirth and pleasure to be vanity. What does noisy, flashy mirth towards making a man happy? The manifold devices of men's hearts, to get satisfaction from...
Read full commentary →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. pruninghooks: or, scythes
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KJV Study Commentary
Universal peace under Messiah's reign reverses the curse of human violence since Cain. The transformation of weapons into farming implements (swords to plowshares, spears to pruninghooks) symbolizes the end of warfare and beginning of prosperity. Christ's righteous judgment resolves international disputes, making military preparation obsolete. This eschatological vision awaits the second coming, n...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **He shall judge among the nations.**—For “rebuke” read *decide *or *arbitrate. *The ideal Divine King is to be all, and more than all, that Solomon had been (1Kings 10:24). In reliance on His wisdom and equity, nations would refer their disputes to His decision instead of the arbitrament of war. Here again we have a partial fulfilment, it may be hoped, a “springing and germinant accomplishmen...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
2. Before God all are on the same footing (Pr 14:31; 17:5).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 2
The vanity and vexation of mirth, sensual pleasure, riches, and pomp. (Eccl. 2:1-11) Human wisdom insufficient. (Eccl. 2:12-17) This world to be used according to the will of God. (Eccl. 2:18-26)
**Verses 1-11** Solomon soon found mirth and pleasure to be vanity. What does noisy, flashy mirth towards making a man happy? The manifold devices of men's hearts, to get satisfaction from...
Read full commentary →The Day of the Lord
O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
Isaiah transitions from eschatological vision to present exhortation. 'House of Jacob' emphasizes covenant identity, calling Israel to live according to their future hope. 'Walk in the light of the LORD' contrasts with darkness of sin and judgment. This present-tense application makes eschatology practical—future glory should transform current conduct, a pattern Paul also employs (Romans 13:11-14)...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **O house of Jacob **. . .—The ideal of the future has been brought before Israel; but it is still far off, and the people must learn repentance, must themselves “walk in the light of the Lord,” before they can be as light-bearers to other nations. (Comp. the lines of thought in Romans 11:11-15.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. are punished--**that is, for their temerity; for the evil is not necessarily punitive, as the prudent might otherwise be its objects.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 2
The vanity and vexation of mirth, sensual pleasure, riches, and pomp. (Eccl. 2:1-11) Human wisdom insufficient. (Eccl. 2:12-17) This world to be used according to the will of God. (Eccl. 2:18-26)
**Verses 1-11** Solomon soon found mirth and pleasure to be vanity. What does noisy, flashy mirth towards making a man happy? The manifold devices of men's hearts, to get satisfaction from...
Read full commentary →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. from: or, more than the please: or, abound with the
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KJV Study Commentary
God's 'forsaking' His people results from their forsaking Him through syncretism—'replenished from the east' suggests adopting foreign religious practices, while 'soothsayers like the Philistines' indicates occult divination prohibited in Torah (Deuteronomy 18:10-14). The phrase 'please themselves in the children of strangers' may denote inter-marriage or commercial alliances that compromise coven...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people **. . .—Better, *For Thou hast . . .* This was the sad, dark present, in contrast with the bright future. Jehovah “went not forth” with the armies of Judah (Psalm 68:7); and the Syrians, Edomites, and Philistines, possibly the Assyrians also (2Kings 16:9; 2Chronicles 28:17-20), were laying the lands waste.
**Because they be replenished from the east.**...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. humility and the fear of the Lord--**are in apposition; one produces the other. On the results, compare Pr 3:16; 8:18.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 2
The vanity and vexation of mirth, sensual pleasure, riches, and pomp. (Eccl. 2:1-11) Human wisdom insufficient. (Eccl. 2:12-17) This world to be used according to the will of God. (Eccl. 2:18-26)
**Verses 1-11** Solomon soon found mirth and pleasure to be vanity. What does noisy, flashy mirth towards making a man happy? The manifold devices of men's hearts, to get satisfaction from...
Read full commentary →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:
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KJV Study Commentary
The accumulation of silver, gold, horses, and chariots represents trust in wealth and military might rather than God (cf. Deuteronomy 17:16-17). The phrase 'neither is there any end' suggests insatiable acquisition, violating contentment and dependence on divine providence. This materialism and militarism reveal functional atheism—living as though security and significance derive from material res...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Their land also is full of silver and gold.**—The long and prosperous reign of Uzziah, especially his trade with Ophir, had reproduced the wealth of the days of Solomon. Tribute came from the Arabians and Ammonites (2Chronicles 26:8). The words point to an earlier date than that at which Ahaz was left” naked and distressed” (2Chronicles 28:19). Even under Hezekiah, Sennacherib records in the...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5. he that ... them--**Those who properly watch over their own souls are thus preserved from the dangers which attend the way of perverse men (Pr 16:17).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 2
The vanity and vexation of mirth, sensual pleasure, riches, and pomp. (Eccl. 2:1-11) Human wisdom insufficient. (Eccl. 2:12-17) This world to be used according to the will of God. (Eccl. 2:18-26)
**Verses 1-11** Solomon soon found mirth and pleasure to be vanity. What does noisy, flashy mirth towards making a man happy? The manifold devices of men's hearts, to get satisfaction from...
Read full commentary →Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:
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KJV Study Commentary
The proliferation of idols—'work of their own hands'—indicts manufacturing gods, then worshipping human creation. This absurdity, emphasized by 'that which their own fingers have made,' exposes idolatry's irrationality: bowing to what we've fashioned. Paul later mocks this incoherence (Acts 17:29; Romans 1:23). The Reformed emphasis on Creator-creature distinction highlights that worship must flow...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **Their land also is full of idols.**—The word which Isaiah chooses for “idols” (*elîlîm*—*i.e., *vain, false, gods) seems intentionally contrasted with *elîm *(gods, or mighty ones), and may fairly be rendered by *no-gods. *The reign of Ahaz was conspicuous from the first for this *cultus *(2Chronicles 28:2-3), but it had been prominent even under Jotham (2Chronicles 27:2).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6. Train--**initiate, or early instruct.
**the way--**literally, "his way," that selected for him in which he should go; for early training secures habitual walking in it.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-13** The church pleases herself with thoughts of further communion with Christ. None besides can speak to the heart. She sees him come. This may be applied to the prospect the Old Testament saints had of Christ's coming in the flesh. He comes as pleased with his own undertaking. He comes speedily. Even when Christ seems to forsake, it is but for a moment; he will soon return with everla...
Read full commentary →And the mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself: therefore forgive them not.
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KJV Study Commentary
The dual action—'boweth down' and 'humbleth himself'—describes self-abasement before idols, inverting proper worship where humans stand upright before God through Christ's mediation. The plea 'forgive them not' (absent in some manuscripts) seems harsh but reflects covenantal judgment: persistent impenitence forfeits mercy. This anticipates Jesus' teaching that blasphemy against the Spirit—persiste...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **And the mean man boweth down.**—The English gives adequately the significance of the two words for “man”—in Hebrew, *adam *and *îsh. *The Authorised Version applies the words to the prostrations of the worshippers of idols, whether of low or high degree; others refer them to the punishment of that idolatry: *The mean man must be bowed down *. . . *the great man must be humbled.*
**Therefore ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
7. The influence of wealth sets aside moral distinctions is implied, and, of course, disapproved (compare Pr 19:6; 21:14, &c.).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-13** The church pleases herself with thoughts of further communion with Christ. None besides can speak to the heart. She sees him come. This may be applied to the prospect the Old Testament saints had of Christ's coming in the flesh. He comes as pleased with his own undertaking. He comes speedily. Even when Christ seems to forsake, it is but for a moment; he will soon return with everla...
Read full commentary →Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty.
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KJV Study Commentary
The command to hide in rocks anticipates the Day of the LORD's terror. The dual fear of divine glory and judgment echoes Moses hiding in the rock (Exodus 33:22). The 'glory of His majesty' emphasizes God's terrifying splendor when manifested in judgment. This theophanic appearance will cause universal terror among the impenitent, foreshadowing Revelation 6:15-17.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **Enter into the rock.**—The limestone caverns of Palestine were natural asylums in times of terror and dismay (Judges 6:2; Judges 15:8; 1Samuel 13:6; 1Samuel 14:11; 1Samuel 24:3; 1Kings 18:4). Here, as in Micah 1:4, we may probably trace the impression left by the earthquake under Uzziah (Amos 1:1), when the people fled in terror from the city (Zechariah 14:5). Isaiah foresees the recurrence...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
8. (Compare Pr 11:18; Psa 109:16-20; Ga 6:7, 8).
**the rod ... fail--**His power to do evil will be destroyed.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22** The taking of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans seems first meant here, when idolatry among the Jews was done away; but our thoughts are led forward to the destruction of all the enemies of Christ. It is folly for those who are pursued by the wrath of God, to think to hide or shelter themselves from it. The shaking of the earth will be terrible to those who set their affections on things...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
The Day of the LORD inverts human pride—lofty looks brought low, haughtiness humbled. The exclusive exaltation of Yahweh establishes monotheism's practical outcome: when God is rightly honored, human pretension is exposed. This anticipates Philippians 2:9-11 where every knee bows to Christ. The passive voice ('shall be brought down') indicates divine action, not self-humiliation.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **The lofty looks of man **. . .—Better, *the lofty looks of the mean man *. . . *the haughtiness of the great man. *The self-assertion which is the essential element of pride may be found at the opposite extremes of social life.
**The Lord alone shall be exalted . . .**—The verb, as in Psalm 46:7; Psalm 46:11 (see margin and text of Authorised Version), implies the image of a rock-citadel, t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9. a bountiful eye--**that is, a beneficent disposition.
**for he giveth ... poor--**His acts prove it.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22** The taking of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans seems first meant here, when idolatry among the Jews was done away; but our thoughts are led forward to the destruction of all the enemies of Christ. It is folly for those who are pursued by the wrath of God, to think to hide or shelter themselves from it. The shaking of the earth will be terrible to those who set their affections on things...
Read full commentary →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:
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KJV Study Commentary
The phrase 'day of the LORD of hosts' describes the climactic intervention when God directly judges proud humanity. Four characteristics of proud humans will be targeted: pride, loftiness, haughtiness, and being lifted up. This comprehensive catalog emphasizes that every form of human exaltation opposes God's glory and will be judged. The Hebrew repetition intensifies the certainty of this humblin...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **The day of the Lord of hosts shall be . . .**—Literally, *the Lord of hosts hath a day *. . . As generally in the prophets, any time of special judgment or special mercy is as “a day of Jehovah.” Man feels himself in the presence of a higher power, working in this way or in that for righteousness. The phrase. had been specially prominent in the mouth of Isaiah’s forerunner, Amos (8:9-13, 9:...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10. Cast out--**or drive away. Scorners foster strife by taunts and revilings.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22** The taking of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans seems first meant here, when idolatry among the Jews was done away; but our thoughts are led forward to the destruction of all the enemies of Christ. It is folly for those who are pursued by the wrath of God, to think to hide or shelter themselves from it. The shaking of the earth will be terrible to those who set their affections on things...
Read full commentary →And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan,
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KJV Study Commentary
The cedars of Lebanon and oaks of Bashan—renowned for height and strength—symbolize human pride and self-exaltation. God's promise that His day will be 'upon' these proud symbols indicates judgment on all that exalts itself against divine authority. The typology anticipates eschatological 'day of the LORD' when all human pride is humbled (Philippians 2:10-11). This reflects the Reformed conviction...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **Upon all the cedars of Lebanon . . .**—The words find a striking parallel in the passage from Herodotus just referred to. In that storm which is about to burst over the land, the cedars and the oaks, and, we may add, those who were as the cedars and the oaks, in their pride and glory, should all alike be shattered.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
11. (Compare Margin).
**pureness of heart--**and gentle, kind words win favor, even from kings.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22** The taking of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans seems first meant here, when idolatry among the Jews was done away; but our thoughts are led forward to the destruction of all the enemies of Christ. It is folly for those who are pursued by the wrath of God, to think to hide or shelter themselves from it. The shaking of the earth will be terrible to those who set their affections on things...
Read full commentary →And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up,
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KJV Study Commentary
High mountains and lifted hills continue the vertical imagery of human exaltation. Mountains, often sites of idolatrous high places (1 Kings 14:23), represent both geographical prominence and spiritual presumption. The 'day of the LORD' will level all such elevation, fulfilling Isaiah 40:4's eschatological topography where 'every mountain and hill shall be made low.' This anticipates the ultimate ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14)**And upon all the high mountains.**—Possibly the prophet may have had in his mind the thunderstorm of Psalm 29:5—“the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.” The oaks of Bashan were, like the cedars of Lebanon, proverbially types of forest greatness (Isaiah 33:9). Literally, the words must have found a fulfilment in the ravages of Sargon’s and Sennacherib’s armies.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12. preserve--**or guard.
**knowledge--**its principles and possessors.
**overthroweth--**utterly confounds and destroys the wicked.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22** The taking of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans seems first meant here, when idolatry among the Jews was done away; but our thoughts are led forward to the destruction of all the enemies of Christ. It is folly for those who are pursued by the wrath of God, to think to hide or shelter themselves from it. The shaking of the earth will be terrible to those who set their affections on things...
Read full commentary →And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall,
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KJV Study Commentary
Towers and walls—defensive structures representing military security—face divine judgment. Human fortifications cannot withstand God's assault; trust in military might proves vain (Psalm 20:7). This theme recurs in Isaiah's prophecy against Babylonian walls (Isaiah 25:12) and anticipates Revelation's depiction of fallen Babylon (Revelation 18:21). The Reformed emphasis on providence recognizes tha...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **Upon every high tower.**—Generic as the words are, they have a special reference to the fortifications which were the glory of Uzziah’s reign, and were continued by his successors (2Chronicles 26:9-10; 2Chronicles 27:3-4; Hosea 8:14; Micah 5:11; comp. also Isaiah 22:8-11, Psalm 48:13).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
13. Frivolous excuses satisfy the indolent man's conscience.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22** The taking of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans seems first meant here, when idolatry among the Jews was done away; but our thoughts are led forward to the destruction of all the enemies of Christ. It is folly for those who are pursued by the wrath of God, to think to hide or shelter themselves from it. The shaking of the earth will be terrible to those who set their affections on things...
Read full commentary →And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures. pleasant: Heb. pictures of desire
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KJV Study Commentary
Ships of Tarshish—long-distance trading vessels—symbolize commercial enterprise and economic pride. 'Pleasant pictures' (or 'beautiful craft') may reference ornate decorations or the ships themselves as objects of aesthetic pride. Divine judgment targets even human ingenuity and beauty when these become sources of self-glory. This anticipates Revelation 18's lament over Babylon's commercial fall, ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **And upon all the ships of Tarshish.**—The words point to the commerce in the Red Sea carried on by the fleets of Uzziah and Jotham (1Kings 22:48); perhaps also to that in the Mediterranean with Tarshish, or Tartessus (Spain), as in Jonah 1:3. The “ships of Tarshish” had come to be used generically for all ships of the class used in such commerce, whether crossing the Mediterranean to Spain,...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14. The mouth--**or flattering speeches (Pr 5:3; 7:5) ensnare man, as pits, beasts. God makes their own sin their punishment.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22** The taking of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans seems first meant here, when idolatry among the Jews was done away; but our thoughts are led forward to the destruction of all the enemies of Christ. It is folly for those who are pursued by the wrath of God, to think to hide or shelter themselves from it. The shaking of the earth will be terrible to those who set their affections on things...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse summarizes verses 13-16: human pride ('loftiness of man') will be humbled, and God alone exalted. The exclusivity—'the LORD alone shall be exalted'—reflects the fundamental theological reality that divine glory tolerates no rival (Isaiah 42:8). This anticipates the eschatological vindication when every knee bows and tongue confesses Christ's lordship (Philippians 2:10-11). Reformed theo...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down.**—Iteration is used as the most solemn form of emphasis. That was the burden of the prophet’s song.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15. is bound--**or firmly fixed. Chastisement deters from crime and so leads to reformation of principle.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22** The taking of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans seems first meant here, when idolatry among the Jews was done away; but our thoughts are led forward to the destruction of all the enemies of Christ. It is folly for those who are pursued by the wrath of God, to think to hide or shelter themselves from it. The shaking of the earth will be terrible to those who set their affections on things...
Read full commentary →And the idols he shall utterly abolish. he: or, shall utterly pass away
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KJV Study Commentary
The stark pronouncement that idols 'shall utterly abolish' (Hebrew 'kalil chaleph'—completely pass away) declares their total eradication. Unlike mere humbling, idols face annihilation—they possess no enduring reality. This eschatological vision anticipates the new heaven and earth where nothing unclean enters (Revelation 21:27). The Reformed understanding that created things have no inherent perm...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **And the idols.**—Better, *The no-gods shall pass away. *The seven words of the English answer to three in the Hebrew. As with a profound sense, conscious or unconscious, of the power of rhythm, the prophet first condenses the judgment that is coming on the *no-gods, *and then expands it.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
16. These two vices pertain to the same selfish feeling. Both are deservedly odious to God and incur punishment.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22** The taking of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans seems first meant here, when idolatry among the Jews was done away; but our thoughts are led forward to the destruction of all the enemies of Christ. It is folly for those who are pursued by the wrath of God, to think to hide or shelter themselves from it. The shaking of the earth will be terrible to those who set their affections on things...
Read full commentary →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. of the earth: Heb. of the dust
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KJV Study Commentary
Terrified humanity hides in caves and holes from God's majestic arising—reversing Eden where Adam hid from God's presence (Genesis 3:8). The 'terror of the LORD' and 'glory of his majesty' describe theophanic judgment when God manifests His presence to 'shake terribly the earth.' This anticipates Revelation 6:15-17 where earth-dwellers cry for rocks to hide them from the Lamb's wrath. The futility...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **And they shall go into the holes of the rocks.**—The imagery of the earthquake in Uzziah’s reign (see Note on Isaiah 2:10) is still present to Isaiah’s thoughts. (See Revelation 6:15.)
**When he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.**—The Hebrew verb and noun have the emphasis of a paronomasia which cannot be reproduced in English, but of which the Latin “*ut terreat terram*” gives some idea...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
17. Here begins another division of the book, marked by those encouragements to the pursuit of wisdom, which are found in the earlier chapters. It will be observed that at Pr 22:22-24:12, the proverbs are generally expressed in two verses instead of one (see Introduction).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22** The taking of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans seems first meant here, when idolatry among the Jews was done away; but our thoughts are led forward to the destruction of all the enemies of Christ. It is folly for those who are pursued by the wrath of God, to think to hide or shelter themselves from it. The shaking of the earth will be terrible to those who set their affections on things...
Read full commentary →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; his idols of silver: Heb. the idols of his silver, etc each: or, for him
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KJV Study Commentary
In desperation, idolaters cast away their silver and gold idols to 'moles and bats'—creatures dwelling in darkness, emphasizing the idols' worthlessness. What was once cherished for worship is now discarded as useless. This dramatic reversal exposes idolatry's futility when crisis reveals false gods cannot save. The imagery anticipates Jesus' teaching that treasure stored on earth proves worthless...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **A man shall cast his idols of silver **. . .—The picture of the earthquake is still continued. The men who have taken refuge in the caves fling away the idols, that they have found powerless to help them, to the moles and bats which had their dwelling there. It is perhaps significant that the animals thus named were proverbial for their blindness and love of darkness. Such, the prophet seem...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
18. These lessons must be laid up in the mind, and
**fitted--**or better, "fixed" in the lips so as to be ever ready.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22** The taking of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans seems first meant here, when idolatry among the Jews was done away; but our thoughts are led forward to the destruction of all the enemies of Christ. It is folly for those who are pursued by the wrath of God, to think to hide or shelter themselves from it. The shaking of the earth will be terrible to those who set their affections on things...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
Repetition of verse 19's imagery (hiding in clefts and rocks) emphasizes the universality and intensity of terror when God arises in judgment. The purpose clause—'when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth'—identifies divine theophany as the cause. This cosmic shaking anticipates Haggai 2:6-7 and Hebrews 12:26-29's warning that God will shake both heaven and earth, leaving only the unshakeable ki...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **To go into the clefts of the rocks . . .**—Comp. for the phrase, Exodus 33:22. The picture of Isaiah 2:19 is reproduced, with some noticeable variations. As men feel shock after shock of the earthquake, and see the flashing fires, and hear the crash of the thunder, they leave the larger caverns in which they had at first sought shelter, and where they have left the idols that were once so p...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19. That ... Lord--**This is the design of the instruction.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22** The taking of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans seems first meant here, when idolatry among the Jews was done away; but our thoughts are led forward to the destruction of all the enemies of Christ. It is folly for those who are pursued by the wrath of God, to think to hide or shelter themselves from it. The shaking of the earth will be terrible to those who set their affections on things...
Read full commentary →Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?
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KJV Study Commentary
The imperative 'Cease ye from man' commands abandoning reliance on human wisdom, power, or deliverance. The rhetorical question 'wherein is he to be accounted of?' dismisses human significance apart from God—man's breath is fleeting (Hebrew 'neshamah be'appo'—breath in his nostrils), emphasizing mortality and frailty (Psalm 144:3-4). This anticipates Jesus' warning against fearing those who kill t...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **Cease ye from man **. . .—The verse is wanting in some MSS. of the LXX. version, and is rejected by some critics, as of the nature of a marginal comment, and as not in harmony with the context. The first fact is the most weighty argument against it, but is not decisive. The other objection does not count for much. To “cease from man” as well as from “idols” is surely the natural close of th...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**20. excellent things--**or probably of former times.
**counsels and knowledge--**both advice and instruction.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22** The taking of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans seems first meant here, when idolatry among the Jews was done away; but our thoughts are led forward to the destruction of all the enemies of Christ. It is folly for those who are pursued by the wrath of God, to think to hide or shelter themselves from it. The shaking of the earth will be terrible to those who set their affections on things...
Read full commentary →