Isaiah
Chapter 2
Zion, Center of the Eschatological Kingdom
The vision of Isaiah, son of Amoz, concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be set over the highest mountains and tower over the hills.
All the nations shall stream to it, saying, “Come, let us go to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways, and we may walk in his paths. For the teaching comes from Zion, and from Jerusalem the word of the Lord.
He will rule over the nations and settle disputes for many people. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not raise sword against nation; they will no longer train for war.
O nation of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!”
Theophany and God’s Judgment
You have forsaken your people, the land of Jacob, for it was full of diviners. They turned into soothsayers like the Philistines, and clasped hands with pagans.
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, and they bow down before the work of their hands, before the things their fingers have made.
Man will be humbled and the mortal fallen, forgive them not!
Get behind the rocks, hide in the dust, for fear of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty!
The haughty looks of man will be humbled; the pride of mortals will be brought low. The Lord alone will be exalted on that day.
The Lord will stand up on that day against all the proud and arrogant, against all that is high or great,
against all the cedars of Lebanon and all the oaks of Bashan,
against all the lofty mountains, and all the soaring hills,
against every high tower and fortified walls,
against all the ships of Tarshish and their luxurious load.
The arrogance of man will be humbled; the pride of mortals will be brought low. The Lord alone will be exalted on that day.
All the idols will pass away.
People will flee into the hollows of the rocks, into the caverns of the earth, from the terror of the Lord, from the splendor of his majesty, when he arises to terrify the earth.
On that day, they will throw to the moles and the bats their idols of silver and gold, which they made for themselves to worship.
They will flee into the caverns of the rocks, into the crevices of the crags, from the terror of the Lord, from the splendor of his majesty, when he arises to terrify the earth.
Rely not on man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. What is he worth?
Commentaries
Zion, Center of the Eschatological Kingdom.
Two recurring themes in Isaiah converge here: the Temple of Jerusalem as the sole one in Israel and the universal reach of salvation. At the end of time, after the instability and wars common in his eighth-century B.C. era, God Himself will establish the Temple on Mount Zion as his dwelling place and a pilgrimage site for all people. Everyone will learn from the Lord how to be at peace because “law” or “instruction” will eliminate violence among nations (cf. Mi 4:1-3). There will be a new people of God made up of the faithful remnant of Israel and all nations drawn by the Lord’s presence, walking according to the word. The “light of the Lord” (5) shines forth from the Temple’s tabernacle (cf. Ez 43:1-5).
Theophany and God’s Judgment.
Verse 6 links to verse 5 through the mention of the house of Jacob, which, although serving as a title for the entire people, might have been specifically aimed at the northern kingdom before the fall of Samaria. The first oracle (6-9) calls the northern tribes to make a pilgrimage to Zion. Simultaneously, the Lord accuses them of trusting in riches, military power, and idols. In the second oracle (10-22), the prophet proclaims, “the day of the Lord Almighty” (12), when the Lord will punish the arrogant and proud. Both oracles end with a shared theme: it is pointless to rely on man and his strength (22).