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INDEX
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COLLECTIONS
Commentaries,
Word Studies, Devotionals, Sermons, Illustrations
Old and New Testament. |
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Isaiah 2:13 And
it will be
against
all the
cedars of
Lebanon that
are
lofty and
lifted up,
Against
all the
oaks of
Bashan,
(NASB:
Lockman) |
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English Translation of
the Greek (Septuagint):
and upon every cedar of Libanus, of them that are high and towering,
and upon every oak of Basan,
Amplified: [The wrath of God will begin by coming down]
against all the cedars of Lebanon [west of the Jordan] that are high
and lifted up, and against all the oaks of Bashan [east of the
Jordan],
(Amplified
Bible Lockman)
KJV: And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and
lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan,
NET: for all the cedars of Lebanon, that are so high and
mighty, for all the oaks of Bashan;
(NET
Bible)
NJB: for all the cedars of Lebanon, high and proud, and for all
the oaks of Bashan; (NJB)
NLT: And it will be against all the cedars of Lebanon
that are lofty and lifted up, Against all the oaks of Bashan, (NLT
- Tyndale House)
Young's Literal: And for all cedars of Lebanon, The high
and the exalted ones, And for all oaks of Bashan, |
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And it will be against all
the cedars of Lebanon that are lofty and lifted up, against all the
oaks of Bashan: (Is 10:33,34; 14:8; 37:24; Ezekiel 31:3, 4,
5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12; Amos 2:5; Zechariah 11:1,2)
It - Refers to the Day of
the LORD (Is 2:12-note)
Grogan links the description
of judgement against natural and manmade objects in Is 2:13, 14, 15,
16 with the abasement of men's pride writing that ...
the prophet introduces symbols of
pride to engage the imagination...The main point (being) that God's
act of judgment would humble every manifestation of human pride.
(Gaebelein,
F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary OT 7 Volume Set: Books:
Zondervan Publishing)
Zechariah records a similar
prophecy...
Open your doors, O
Lebanon, That a
fire may feed on your cedars. Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has
fallen, Because the glorious trees have been destroyed; Wail, O oaks
of Bashan, For the impenetrable forest has come down. (Zech 11:1,2)
Cedars (See
Cedar) - ISBE states that...
Cedar trees are everywhere
mentioned with admiration in the Old Testament. Solomon made the cedar
the first of trees (1Ki 4:33). They are the “glory of
Lebanon”
(Is 35:2; 60:13). The most boastful threat of Sennacherib was that
he would cut down the tall cedars of
Lebanon (Is 37:24). (Orr, J.,
M.A., D.D. The International standard Bible encyclopedia: 1915
edition)
Cedars of Lebanon (See
Lebanon) - Some
take the natural and manmade allusions in Is 2:13, 14, 15, 16 as
metaphors for personages (whether kings or otherwise), but there is no
reason these cannot be interpreted literally. We know that the earth
was subjected to God's curse because of sin and the Day of the LORD is
simply a culmination of God's wrath against sin. For example in
Revelation John records the following regarding the Trumpet
judgments...
And the first sounded, and there
came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the
earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the
trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. (Rev
8:7)
Motyer
agrees with a literal interpretation but nicely ties it in with the
emphasis on human pride in Isa 2:11, 12, 17, writing that...
every exalted thing, whether
natural (Is 2:13, 14) or made with human hands (Is 2:15, 16),
somehow reflects humankind’s arrogant pride and so falls when it falls.
There is an ambivalence in the Old Testament view of the created
world. As God’s world, it always sides with him (Is 1:2), but as
humanity’s world it is implicated in the curse humanity’s sin has
brought. The thorns of Genesis 3:18 are at once nature’s hostility to
the sinner and nature’s corruption by sin (cf. Ro 8:20, 21, 22, 23).
(Motyer, J. A. The Prophecy of Isaiah: Downers Grove, Ill.:
InterVarsity Press.) (Bolding added)
MacArthur interprets the
passage literally writing that...
The cedars and oaks were objects of
great admiration to people of OT times (Ps 92:12; 104:16; Ezek. 27:6;
31:3). Yet even these impressive created objects would face
destruction because of human rebellion.
The Pulpit Commentary favors
a literal interpretation of cedars...oaks...mountains...hills,
etc...
Upon all the cedars of
Lebanon.
It is usual to take this metaphorically; and no doubt men are often
compared to trees in Scripture (Ps 1:3; Jer 17:8; Job 8:16,
17), and “cedars of
Lebanon” especially are symbols of the
great and proud ones (Ezek 31:3). But it has been well observed
that either all the details of the description in the text must be
taken literally, or all of them metaphorically, and that the mention
of such objects as “ships of Tarshish” and “pleasant pictures” pleads
strongly for a literal interpretation.
The day of the Lord was upon the
cedars when Sennacherib “with chariots upon chariots came up to the
height of the mountains, to the sides of
Lebanon, and cut down the
tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof” (Isaiah 37:24);
and similar devastation accompanied, it is probable, the other
invasions of the Assyrians (see ‘Ancient Monarchies,’ vol. 1. pp. 474,
475).
The “oaks of Bashan” are
celebrated also by Ezekiel (Ezek 27:6) and by Zechariah (Zec 11:2).
(Pulpit Commentary – Volume 10: Isaiah)
W E Vine interprets this
passage figuratively despite the fact that it can be interpreted
literally writing that...
the cedars of
Lebanon and
the oaks of Bashan, illustrative of natural glory and power,
are symbolic of military leaders of the nations gathered finally
against the Jews.
Keil writes that...
The prophet then proceeds to
enumerate all the high things upon which that day would fall,
arranging them two and two, and binding them in pairs by a double
correlative Vav. The day of Jehovah comes, as the first two
pairs affirm, upon everything lofty in nature. (Keil, C. F., &
Delitzsch, F. Commentary on the Old Testament. 7:80. Peabody, MA:
Hendrickson)
Keil goes on to elaborate on
Isaiah's use of nature with an interesting discussion...
In order to understand the prophet,
we must bear in mind what the Scriptures invariably assume, from their
first chapter to the very close, namely, that the totality of nature
is bound up with man in one common history; that man and the totality
of nature are inseparably connected together as centre and
circumference; that this circumference is affected by the sin which
proceeds from man, as well as by the anger or the mercy which proceeds
from God to man; that the judgments of God, as the history of the
nations proves, involve in fellow-suffering even that part of the
creation which is not free; and that this participation in the
“corruption” (phthora) and “glory” (doxa) of humanity will come out
with peculiar distinctness and force at the close of the world’s
history, in a manner corresponding to the commencement; and lastly,
that the world in its present condition needs a palingenesia, or
regeneration, quite as much as the corporeal nature of man, before it
can become an object of good pleasure on the part of God. We cannot be
surprised, therefore, that, in accordance with this fundamental view
of the Scriptures, when the judgment of God fell upon Israel, it
should also be described as going down to the land of Israel, and as
overthrowing not only the false glory of the nation itself, but
everything glorious in the surrounding nature, which had been made to
minister to its national pride and love of show, and to which its sin
adhered in many different ways. What the prophet foretold began to be
fulfilled even in the Assyrian wars. The cedar woods of
Lebanon were
unsparingly destroyed; the heights and valleys of the land were
trodden down and laid waste; and, in the period of the great empires
which commenced with Tiglath-pileser, the Holy Land was reduced to a
shadow of its former promised beauty. (Ibid)
(Ed comment on Keil's note:
And there is a day yet future when it will be laid waste, e.g., see Re
8:7ff -note) |
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Isaiah 2:14 Against
all the
lofty
mountains,
against
all the
hills that are
lifted
up, (NASB:
Lockman) |
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English Translation of
the Greek (Septuagint):
and upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill,
Amplified: And [after that] against all the high mountains and
all the hills that are lifted up,
(Amplified
Bible - Lockman)
KJV: And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the
hills that are lifted up,
NET: for all the tall mountains, for all the high hills,
(NET
Bible)
NJB: for all the high mountains and for all the proud hills (NJB)
NLT: Against all the lofty mountains, Against all the
hills that are lifted up, (NLT
- Tyndale House)
Young's Literal: And for all the high mountains, And for all
the exalted heights, |
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Against all the lofty
mountains, against all the hills that are lifted up : (Is
30:25; 40:4; Ps 68:16; 110:5,6)
John Martin writes that...
Throughout this section (Is
2:6–4:1) and many others in the Book of Isaiah, there is an
interesting interplay between the judgment which the Lord will inflict
on the nation by the Assyrian and Babylonian Captivities and
the judgment which will come on Israel and the whole world in
the ‘last days’ just before the
Millennium.
Probably Isaiah and the other
prophets had no idea of the lengthy time span that would intervene
between those exiles and this later time of judgment. Though many of
the predictions in Is 2:10–21 happened when Assyria and Babylon
attacked Israel and Judah, the passage looks ahead to a cataclysmic
judgment on the whole world (Ed: As indicated by Isaiah's
description -- when He rises to make the
earth tremble [Is 2:19-note,
Is 2:21-note]--
which speaks of a global or worldwide fulfillment not restricted
geographically to Israel and not yet fulfilled in history which thus
speaks of a yet future event).
(Walvoord,
J. F., Zuck, R. B., et al: The Bible Knowledge Commentary. 1985.
Victor or
Logos) |
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Isaiah
2:15 Against
every
high
tower,
against
every
fortified
wall,
(NASB:
Lockman) |
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English Translation of
the Greek (Septuagint):
and upon every high tower, and upon every high wall,
Amplified: And against every high tower and every fenced wall,
(Amplified
Bible - Lockman)
KJV: And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall,
NET: for every high tower, for every fortified wall, 16 for all
the large ships, for all the impressive ships.
(NET
Bible)
NJB: for every lofty tower and for every towering wall; (NJB)
NLT: Against every high tower, Against every fortified
wall, (NLT
- Tyndale House)
Young's Literal: And for every high tower, And for every fenced
wall, |
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Against every high tower,
against every fortified wall:
Against every...against every
- speaks of the totality of the destruction.
High tower...fortified wall
- These are literal structures which
are representative of man's arrogance that he can build towers high
enough and walls thick enough to assure his security. God's judgment
will show the vanity of such reasoning.
Keil commenting on Is
2:15, 16 writes that...
The glory of nature is followed by
what is lofty and glorious in the world of men, such as magnificent
fortifications, grand commercial buildings, and treasures which
minister to the lust of the eye. (Ibid) |
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Isaiah 2:16 Against
all the
ships of
Tarshish and
against
all the
beautiful
craft.
(NASB:
Lockman) |
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English Translation of
the Greek (Septuagint):
and upon every ship of the sea, and upon every display of fine ships.
Amplified: And against all the ships of Tarshish and all
the picturesque and desirable imagery [designed for mere ornament and
luxury].
(Amplified
Bible - Lockman)
KJV: And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant
pictures.
NET: for all the large ships, for all the impressive ships.
(NET
Bible)
NJB: for all the ships of Tarshish and for everything
held precious. (NJB)
NLT: Against all the ships of Tarshish, And against all the
beautiful craft. (NLT
- Tyndale House)
Young's Literal: And for all ships of Tarshish, And for
all desirable pictures. |
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Against all the ships of
Tarshish and against all the beautiful craft.: (Is 23:1;
1Ki 10:22; 22:48,49; Psalms 47:7; Revelation 18:17, 18, 19 )
(Beautiful - Nu 33:52; Re 18:11)
Against all...against all (Hebrew = kol) -
emphasizes the totality of the destruction. This refers to the lofty,
lucrative commercial activities of man and possibly man's artistic
achievements (see note below on interpretation of "beautiful craft").
They will be brought low.
Ships of Tarshish (see
Tarshish) - These
were at that time the largest ships, capable of the greatest voyages
and of transporting the greatest cargoes. These are best interpreted
as literal ships but clearly reflect man's ability to build and to
"triumph" over the mighty sea.
John describes the
"abasement" of man's commercial enterprises just before Christ returns
to set up His Millennial kingdom...
for in one hour such great wealth
has been laid waste!’ And every shipmaster and every passenger
and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, stood at a
distance, 18 and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning,
saying, ‘What city is like the great city?’ (Babylon) 19 “And they
threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning,
saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea
became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste!’
(Re 18:17-note,
Re 18:18-note,
Re 18:19-note)
Beautiful (02532)
(hemdah) describes that which is pleasant or desirable. It is
used to describe an object of value.
Craft (07914)
(sakiyah) is translated as ship, but by others as picture and
thus the variance of interpretations.
Beautiful craft - This
could represent ships or could refer to "pleasant pictures" (KJV, cp
Amplified, NJB, Young's). |
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Isaiah 2:17 The
pride of
man will be
humbled and the
loftiness of
men will be
abased; And the
LORD
alone will be
exalted in that
day (NASB:
Lockman) |
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English Translation of
the Greek (Septuagint):
And every man shall be brought low, and the pride of men shall fall:
and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.
Amplified: Then the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and
the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; and the Lord alone shall
be exalted in that day.
(Amplified
Bible - Lockman)
KJV: 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.
NET: Proud men will be humiliated, arrogant men will be brought
low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. 18 The worthless
idols will be completely eliminated.
(NET
Bible)
NJB: Human pride will be humbled, human arrogance brought low,
and Yahweh alone will be exalted, on that day. 18 When the idols all
disappear, (NJB)
NLT: And the pride of man will be humbled, And the
loftiness of men will be abased, And the LORD alone will be exalted in
that day. (NLT
- Tyndale House)
Young's Literal: 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. |
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The pride of man will be
humbled and the loftiness of men will be abased; and the LORD alone
will be exalted in that day: (Is 2:11; 13:11; Jeremiah
48:29,30; Ezekiel 28:2-7)
Constable writes that...
Everyone, not just the Israelites,
who exalts himself against the Lord will suffer humiliation. The
Lord’s day of reckoning (Is 1:12) is any day in which He humbles the
haughty, but it is particularly the Tribulation (Ed:
Daniel's Seventieth Week)
in which He will humble haughty unbelievers. Isaiah used nature and
the works of man to symbolize people (cf. Is 1:30; 6:13; 9:10;
10:33-11:1; 44:14; 60:16). Here several of these symbols represent the
spiritual pride of Israel (cf. Ro 12:3; Ep 4:2).
Pride (01365)
(gabhut) speaks of that which is lofty and thus describes men
as arrogant, haughty, conceited. In Is 2:11, it describes that "look"
of arrogance (you've seen it before - it needs no description).
Humbled (07817)
(shachach/sahah) (Is 2:9-note,
Is 2:11-note,
Is 2:17-note) means to
be bowed down, prostrated, humbled which is the sense in this
passage. It can also mean to bow in homage (Pr 14:19), to bow (as a
mourner Ps 35:14, 38:7), to crouch (as a wild beast, Job 38:40). Later
in Isaiah shachach is used of laying low a city or city walls (Is
25:12, 26:5).
Sachach/sahah -
21v in the OT - Job 9:13; 38:40; Ps 10:10; 35:14; 38:6; 42:5, 6, 11;
43:5; 107:39; Pr 14:19; Eccl 12:4; Isa. 2:9, 11, 17; 5:15; 25:12;
26:5; 29:4; 60:14; Hab 3:6 and is rendered in the NAS as been
humbled(1), bow down(1), bowed down(3), bowing(1), bows down(1), bring
down(1), brought low(1), collapsed(1), crouch(2), despair(4),
humbled(3), prostrate(1), sing softly(1).
Abased (08213)
(shaphel/sapal
[word study]) (Frequent
in Isaiah - Is 2:9, 11, 12, 17; 5:15; 10:33; 13:11; 25:11, 12;
26:5; 29:4; 32:19; 40:4; 57:9) conveys the basic sense of to be low
physically, which leads to the more important figurative meanings of
abasement, humbling, humility.
Calvin writes that...
The Prophet declares that he had
his eye on men, when he described the various kinds of loftiness; for
God is not displeased with the steep mountains or tall cedars, which
He created, but informs us that the whole evil lies in men, who vainly
trust to what is high and lofty.
In that day - Parallel
phrase in Is 2:11-note
All that mankind has accomplished
will be brought to nought in that day.
What day?
In the context this is a reference to the triumphant return of the
King of kings to set up His Millennial Kingdom
Nave's
Topic
Scriptures on Pride
Ex 18:10, 11; Lv. 26:19; Deut.
8:11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20; Jdg. 9:14, 15; 1Sa 2:3, 4, 5; 1Ki
20:11; 2Ki 14:9, 10 2Chr 25:18, 19. Job 11:12; 12:2, 3; 13:2, 5;
15:1-13; 18:3, 4; 21:31, 32; 32:9, 10, 11, 12, 13; 37:24; Ps 9:20;
10:2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 11; 12:3, 4; 18:27; 31:23; 49:11; 52:7; 73:6, 8, 9;
75:4, 5, 6; 101:5; 119:21, 69, 70, 78; 138:6;
Proverbs 3:34; 6:16, 17; 8:13;
10:17; 11:2, 12; 12:9, 15;13:10; 14:21; 15:5, 10, 12, 25, 32; 16:5,
18, 19; 17:19; 18:11, 12; 20:6; 21:4, 24; 25:14, 27;26:5, 12, 16;
27:2; 28:11, 25; 29:8, 23; 30:12, 13;
Isaiah 2:11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16,
17; 3:16-26; 5:8, 15; 9:9, 10; 10:5-16; 13:11; 14:12, 13, 14, 15,16;
22:16, 19; 23:7, 9;24:4, 21; 26:5; 28:3; 47:7, 8, 9, 10;
Je 9:23, 24; 13:9, 15, 17; 48:7,
14, 15, 29 Is 16:6, 7. Je 49:4, 16; 50:31, 32; Ezek. 16:56; 28:2-9,
17; 30:6; 31:10, 11, 12, 13, 14.; Da 4:37; 1:45; Ho 5:5, 7:10, 10:11;
Ob 3, 4; Nah 3:19; Hab. 2:4, 5, 9; Zeph 2:10, 15; Zeph. 3:11; Mal.
4:1;
Mt 23:6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 20:26,
27; Mk 10:43; Lk 9:46; 18:14. Mk 7:21, 22; 12:38, 39 Lk 20:45, 46, 47,
1:51, 52; 11:43; 14:8, 9; 20:46 Mt. 23:6, 7. Ro 1:22, 29, 30; 11:17,
18, 19, 20, 21, 25; Ro 12:3, 16; 1Co 1:29; 3:18; 4:6, 7, 8, 10; 5:2,
6; 8:1, 2; 10:12; 13:4; 14:38; 2Co 10:5, 12, 18; 12:7; Ga 6:3; Ep
4:17; Phil 2:3; 1Ti 2:9; 3:6; 6:3, 4, 17; 2Ti 3:2, 4; Jas 3:1; 4:6;
1Pe 5:3, 5; 1Jn 2:16; Re 3:17, 18; 18:7, 8 |
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