Isaiah Chapter 2

Updated: September 14, 2025

The Mountain of the Lord

1The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

2And 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.

3And 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.

4And 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.

5O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.

The Day of the Reckoning

6Therefore 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.

7Their 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:

8Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:

9And the mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself: therefore forgive them not.

10Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty.

11The 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.

12For 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:

13And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan,

14And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up,

15And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall,

16And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.

17And 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.

18And the idols he shall utterly abolish.

19And 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.

20In 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;

21To 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.

22Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?

King James Bible

Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.

The Mountain of the House of the LORD
(Micah 4:1–5)

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.

The Day of Reckoning

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 Armies 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?

The Mountain of the House of the LORD
(Micah 4:1–5)

1 This is the message that was revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

2 In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD

will be established as the chief of the mountains;

it will be raised above the hills,

and all nations will stream to it.

3 And many peoples will come and say:

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,

to the house of the God of Jacob.

He will teach us His ways

so that we may walk in His paths.”

For the law will go forth from Zion,

and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

4 Then He will judge between the nations

and arbitrate for many peoples.

They will beat their swords into plowshares

and their spears into pruning hooks.

Nation will no longer take up the sword against nation,

nor train anymore for war.

The Day of Reckoning

5 Come, O house of Jacob,

let us walk in the light of the LORD.

6 For You have abandoned Your people,

the house of Jacob,

because they are filled

with influences from the east;

they are soothsayers like the Philistines;

they strike hands with the children of foreigners.

7 Their land is full of silver and gold,

with no limit to their treasures;

their land is full of horses,

with no limit to their chariots.

8 Their land is full of idols;

they bow down to the work of their hands,

to what their fingers have made.

9 So mankind is brought low,

and man is humbled—

do not forgive them!

10 Go into the rocks

and hide in the dust

from the terror of the LORD

and the splendor of His majesty.

11 The proud look of man will be humbled,

and the loftiness of men brought low;

the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.

12 For the Day of the LORD of Hosts

will come against all the proud and lofty,

against all that is exalted—

it will be humbled—

13 against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up,

against all the oaks of Bashan,

14 against all the tall mountains,

against all the high hills,

15 against every high tower,

against every fortified wall,

16 against every ship of Tarshish, a

and against every stately vessel.

17 So the pride of man will be brought low,

and the loftiness of men will be humbled;

the LORD alone will be exalted in that day,

18 and the idols will vanish completely.

19 Men will flee to caves in the rocks

and holes in the ground,

away from the terror of the LORD

and from the splendor of His majesty,

when He rises to shake the earth.

20 In that day men will cast away

to the moles and bats

their idols of silver and gold—

the idols they made to worship.

21 They will flee to caverns in the rocks

and crevices in the cliffs,

away from the terror of the LORD

and from the splendor of His majesty,

when He rises to shake the earth.

22 Put no more trust in man,

who has only the breath in his nostrils.

Of what account is he?

Footnotes:

16 a Or every ship of trade

The Mountain of the Lord

1The thing that Isaiah son of Amoz hath seen concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

2And 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.

3And 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.

4And 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.

5O house of Jacob, come, And we walk in the light of Jehovah.'

The Day of the Reckoning

6For 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.

7And 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,

8And its land is full of idols, To the work of its hands it boweth itself, To that which its fingers have made,

9And the low boweth down, and the high is humbled, And Thou acceptest them not.

10Enter into a rock, and be hidden in dust, Because of the fear of Jehovah, And because of the honour of His excellency.

11The 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.

12For a day is to Jehovah of Hosts, For every proud and high one, And for every lifted up and low one,

13And for all cedars of Lebanon, The high and the exalted ones, And for all oaks of Bashan,

14And for all the high mountains, And for all the exalted heights,

15And for every high tower, And for every fenced wall,

16And for all ships of Tarshish, And for all desirable pictures.

17And 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.

18And the idols -- they completely pass away.

19And 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.

20In 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,

21To 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.

22Cease for you from man, Whose breath is in his nostrils, For -- in what is he esteemed?

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The F.O.G Commentary

When Swords Become Garden Tools

What’s Isaiah 2 about?

Isaiah 2 paints one of Scripture’s most beautiful pictures of God’s future kingdom – a world where nations stream to Jerusalem to learn God’s ways, where international conflicts are settled by divine wisdom rather than warfare, and where military weapons are literally recycled into farming equipment. It’s both a stunning vision of hope and a sobering warning about human pride.

The Full Context

Picture Jerusalem around 740-700 BCE. The Assyrian empire is flexing its muscles, smaller nations are forming desperate alliances, and everyone’s wondering who’s going to survive the coming storm. Into this atmosphere of political anxiety and military buildup, Isaiah delivers a message that must have seemed almost surreal – a vision of a future where warfare itself becomes obsolete.

This passage sits at the beginning of Isaiah’s major prophetic collection, right after his initial call and commission. It’s essentially Isaiah’s “mission statement” – showing both the ultimate destination (God’s peaceful kingdom) and the obstacles that must be overcome (human arrogance and self-reliance). The chapter splits dramatically between this glorious vision of the future and a harsh warning about the “day of the LORD” that will humble all human pride. This isn’t just poetry; it’s Isaiah establishing the theological framework for everything that follows in his prophecy.

What the Ancient Words Tell Us

The Hebrew word nahar in Isaiah 2:2 literally means “to flow like a river.” When Isaiah says the nations will “flow” to the Lord’s house, he’s not describing a casual stroll to the temple. He’s painting a picture of an unstoppable river of humanity surging toward Jerusalem, drawn by something they desperately need.

Grammar Geeks

The verb yizal (“shall flow”) in Isaiah 2:2 uses a form that suggests continuous, ongoing action. This isn’t a one-time event but a perpetual stream of nations coming to learn from God. The image is of water constantly flowing downhill – natural, inevitable, unstoppable.

But here’s what’s fascinating: the nations aren’t coming for conquest or commerce. They’re coming to lamad – to learn. This Hebrew root appears twice in verse 3, emphasizing that the draw isn’t Jerusalem’s wealth or military power, but its wisdom. The nations are essentially saying, “Teach us how to live.”

The famous “swords into plowshares” line uses ’etim (plowshares) and mazmerot (pruning hooks) – both agricultural tools that require the same metal-working skills as weapons, just redirected toward life instead of death. Isaiah isn’t describing the elimination of technology, but its transformation.

What Would the Original Audience Have Heard?

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To Isaiah’s contemporaries, this vision would have been both thrilling and impossible to imagine. Jerusalem in the 8th century BCE was a regional power at best, constantly threatened by larger empires. The idea that mighty nations like Assyria or Egypt would come streaming to Jerusalem for wisdom would have seemed like wishful thinking.

Yet there’s something deeper here. Ancient Near Eastern peoples understood that gods had geographical territories, and that going to learn from a god meant traveling to their sacred mountain. What’s revolutionary in Isaiah’s vision is the scale – not just neighboring tribes, but “all nations” recognizing Yahweh’s authority.

Did You Know?

Archaeological evidence shows that 8th century Jerusalem was indeed becoming a place of learning and literary activity. The “Hezekiah scribal school” was copying and preserving ancient texts, including many of the Proverbs. Isaiah may have been describing something that was already beginning to happen on a small scale.

The audience would also have understood the economic implications. In their world, metalworking represented significant investment – iron weapons were expensive and valuable. To melt down swords into farming tools wasn’t just symbolic; it was economic transformation on a massive scale.

Wrestling with the Text

But here’s where it gets puzzling. Right after this beautiful vision of peace, Isaiah shifts dramatically to describing the “day of the LORD” – a time of terrifying judgment. Why the whiplash?

Look at Isaiah 2:11: “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.” The Hebrew word for “haughty” (gavoah) literally means “high” or “lifted up.” Isaiah is creating a contrast between two kinds of elevation – human pride lifting itself up, and God’s mountain being established as the highest point.

Wait, That’s Strange…

Why does Isaiah jump from universal peace to universal judgment? The Hebrew suggests these aren’t separate events but connected processes. The same divine authority that draws nations to learn also humbles human arrogance. Peace isn’t possible while pride reigns.

The repeated phrase “in that day” (bayom hahu) appears throughout the chapter, but it seems to refer to both the peaceful kingdom and the day of judgment. This isn’t sloppy writing – Isaiah is showing that they’re part of the same divine intervention in history.

How This Changes Everything

This passage fundamentally reframes how we think about power and security. Isaiah’s audience lived in a world where national strength meant military might and political alliances. Sound familiar? The prophet is essentially asking: What if real security came from moral authority rather than military power?

The vision challenges our assumptions about conflict resolution. Instead of nations maintaining “peace through strength,” Isaiah describes peace through wisdom – conflicts resolved not by superior firepower but by appealing to divine justice.

“True peace isn’t the absence of conflict – it’s the presence of justice flowing from the highest authority in the universe.”

But perhaps most radical is the idea that this transformation is inevitable. Isaiah isn’t describing what might happen if people get their act together. He’s describing what will happen because God has determined it. The mountain will be established, the nations will flow to it, and they will learn God’s ways.

This doesn’t mean human responsibility disappears. The second half of the chapter makes clear that human pride and self-reliance must be dealt with first. But it does mean that ultimate hope doesn’t rest on human achievement but on divine intervention.

Key Takeaway

God’s peace isn’t just the end of war – it’s the beginning of a world where conflicts are resolved by wisdom rather than force, and where human energy is invested in flourishing rather than destruction. This future is certain not because humanity will evolve, but because God will intervene.

Isaiah Chapter 2

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