Logos Bible Study

Isaiah 2:6–11

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The Lord’s Day of Judgment

2:6Indeed, O Lord,16 you have abandoned your people,

the descendants of Jacob.

For diviners from the east are everywhere;17

they consult omen readers like the Philistines do.18

Plenty of foreigners are around.19

2:7Their land is full of gold and silver;

there is no end to their wealth.20

Their land is full of horses;

there is no end to their chariots.21

2:8Their land is full of worthless idols;

they worship22 the product of their own hands,

what their own fingers have fashioned.

2:9Men bow down to them in homage,

they lie flat on the ground in worship.23

Don’t spare them!24

2:10Go up into the rocky cliffs,

hide in the ground.

Get away from the dreadful judgment of the Lord,25

from his royal splendor!

2:11Proud men will be brought low,

arrogant men will be humiliated;26

the Lord alone will be exalted27

in that day.

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Footnotes

  1. 16 The words “O Lord” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Isaiah addresses the Lord in prayer.
  2. 17 Heb “they are full from the east.” Various scholars retain the BHS reading and suggest that the prophet makes a general statement concerning Israel’s reliance on foreign customs (J. Watts, Isaiah [], 1:; J. de Waard, Isaiah, 12–13). Nevertheless, it appears that a word is missing. Based on the parallelism (note “omen readers” in 5:6c), many suggest that קֹסְמִים (qosémim, “diviners”) or מִקְסָם (miqsam, “divination”) has been accidentally omitted. Homoioteleuton could account for the omission of an original קֹסְמִים (note how this word and the following מִקֶּדֶם [miqqedem, “from the east”] both end in mem); an original מִקְסָם could have fallen out by homoioarcton (note how this word and the following מִקֶּדֶם both begin with mem).
  3. 18 Heb “and omen readers like the Philistines.” Through this line and the preceding, the prophet contends that Israel has heavily borrowed the pagan practices of the east and west (in violation of Lev 19:26; Deut 18:9–14).
  4. 19 Heb “and with the children of foreigners they [?].” The precise meaning of the final word is uncertain. Some take this verb (I שָׂפַק, safaq) to mean “slap,” supply the object “hands,” and translate, “they slap [hands] with foreigners”; I שׂפק. This could be a reference to foreign alliances. This translation has two disadvantages: It requires the conjectural insertion of “hands” and the use of this verb with its object prefixed with a בְּ (bet) preposition with this meaning does not occur elsewhere. The other uses of this verb refer to clapping at someone, an indication of hostility. The translation above assumes the verb is derived from II שׂפק (“to suffice,” attested in the Qal in 1 Kgs 20:10; II שׂפק). In this case the point is that a sufficient number of foreigners (in this case, too many!) live in the land. The disadvantage of this option is that the preposition prefixed to “the children of foreigners” does not occur with this verb elsewhere. The chosen translation is preferred since it continues the idea of abundant foreign influence and does not require a conjectural insertion or emendation.
  5. 20 Or “treasuries”; “treasures.”
  6. 21 Judah’s royal bureaucracy had accumulated great wealth and military might, in violation of Deut 17:16–17.
  7. 22 Or “bow down to” (, ).
  8. 23 Heb “men bow down, men are low.” Since the verbs שָׁחָח (shakhakh) and שָׁפַל (shafal) are used later in this discourse to describe how God will humiliate proud men (see vv. 11, 17), some understand v. 9a as a prediction of judgment, “men will be brought down, men will be humiliated.” However, these prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive appear to carry on the description that precedes and are better taken with the accusation. They draw attention to the fact that human beings actually bow down and worship before the lifeless products of their own hands.
  9. 24 Heb “don’t lift them up.” The idiom “lift up” (נָשָׂא with לְ, nasa’ with preposition lamed) can mean “spare, forgive” (see Gen 18:24, 26). Here the idiom plays on the preceding verbs. The idolaters are bowed low as they worship their false gods; the prophet asks God not to “lift them up.”
  10. 25 Heb “from the dread of the Lord,” that is, from the dread that he produces in the objects of his judgment.” The words “get away” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  11. 26 Heb “and the eyes of the pride of men will be brought low, and the arrogance of men will be brought down.” The repetition of the verbs שָׁפַל (shafal) and שָׁחָח (shakhakh) from v. 9 draws attention to the appropriate nature of the judgment. Those proud men who “bow low” before idols will be forced to “bow low” before God when he judges their sin.
  12. 27 Or “elevated”; “honored.”

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

For you have rejected your people,

the house of Jacob,

because they are full of things from the east

and of fortune-tellers like the Philistines,

and they strike hands with the children of foreigners.

Their land is filled with silver and gold,

and there is no end to their treasures;

their land is filled with horses,

and there is no end to their chariots.

Their land is filled with idols;

they bow down to the work of their hands,

to what their own fingers have made.

So man is humbled,

and each one is brought low—

do not forgive them!

Enter into the rock

and hide in the dust

from before the terror of the Lord,

and from the splendor of his majesty.

The haughty looks of man shall be brought low,

and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled,

and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

You, Lord, have abandoned your people,

the descendants of Jacob.

They are full of superstitions from the East;

they practice divination like the Philistines

and embrace pagan customs.

Their land is full of silver and gold;

there is no end to their treasures.

Their land is full of horses;

there is no end to their chariots.

Their land is full of idols;

they bow down to the work of their hands,

to what their fingers have made.

So people will be brought low

and everyone humbled—

do not forgive them.

Go into the rocks, hide in the ground

from the fearful presence of the Lord

and the splendor of his majesty!

The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled

and human pride brought low;

the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

For you have abandoned your people,

the house of Jacob,

because they are full of divination from the East

and of fortune-tellers like the Philistines.

They are in league with foreigners.

Their land is full of silver and gold,

and there is no limit to their treasures;

their land is full of horses,

and there is no limit to their chariots.

Their land is full of worthless idols;

they worship the work of their hands,

what their fingers have made.

So humanity is brought low,

and each person is humbled.

Do not forgive them!

Go into the rocks

and hide in the dust

from the terror of the Lord

and from his majestic splendor.

The pride of mankind will be humbled,

and human loftiness will be brought low;

the Lord alone will be exalted on that day.

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

For the Lord has rejected his people,

the descendants of Jacob,

because they have filled their land with practices from the East

and with sorcerers, as the Philistines do.

They have made alliances with pagans.

Israel is full of silver and gold;

there is no end to its treasures.

Their land is full of warhorses;

there is no end to its chariots.

Their land is full of idols;

the people worship things they have made

with their own hands.

So now they will be humbled,

and all will be brought low—

do not forgive them.

Crawl into caves in the rocks.

Hide in the dust

from the terror of the Lord

and the glory of his majesty.

Human pride will be brought down,

and human arrogance will be humbled.

Only the Lord will be exalted

on that day of judgment.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

For you have forsaken your people, house of Jacob,

because they are full from the east,

and of soothsayers like the Philistines,

and they make alliances with the offspring of foreigners.

And its land is filled with silver and gold,

and there is no end to its treasures;

and its land is filled with horses,

and there is no end to its chariots.

Its land is filled with idols;

they bow down to the work of their hands,

to what they made with their fingers.

So humanity is humbled;

everyone is humbled,

and you must not forgive them.

Enter into the rock

and hide yourself in the dust

from the presence of the terror of Yahweh

and from the glory of his majesty.

The haughty eyes of humanity will be brought low,

and the pride of everyone will be humbled,

and Yahweh alone will be exalted on that day.

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

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.

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:

Their land also is full of idols;

They worship the work of their own hands,

That which their own fingers have made:

And the mean man boweth down,

And the great man humbleth himself:

Therefore forgive them not.

Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust,

For fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty.

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.

Public Domain