Isaiah 2:1-5
New English Translation
The Future Glory of Jerusalem
2 Here is the message about Judah and Jerusalem that was revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz.[a]
2 In future days[b]
the mountain of the Lord’s temple will endure[c]
as the most important of mountains,
and will be the most prominent of hills.[d]
All the nations will stream to it;
3 many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain,
to the temple of the God of Jacob,
so[e] he can teach us his requirements,[f]
and[g] we can follow his standards.”[h]
For Zion will be the center for moral instruction;[i]
the Lord’s message will issue from Jerusalem.
4 He will judge disputes between nations;
he will settle cases for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares,[j]
and their spears into pruning hooks.[k]
Nations will not take up the sword against other nations,
and they will no longer train for war.
5 O descendants[l] of Jacob,
come, let us walk in the Lord’s guiding light.[m]
Footnotes
- Isaiah 2:1 tn Heb “the word which Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.”
- Isaiah 2:2 tn The verse begins with a verb that functions as a “discourse particle” and is not translated. In numerous places throughout the OT, the “to be” verb with a prefixed conjunction (וְהָיָה [vehayah] and וַיְהִי [vayehi]) occurs in this fashion to introduce a circumstantial clause and does not require translation.sn “In future days” refers generally to the future, but here and in Micah 4:1 it may also refer to the final period of history (see the note at Gen 49:1).
- Isaiah 2:2 tn Or “be established” (KJV, NIV, NRSV).
- Isaiah 2:2 tn Heb “as the chief of the mountains, and will be lifted up above the hills.” The image of Mount Zion being elevated above other mountains and hills pictures the prominence it will attain in the future.
- Isaiah 2:3 tn The prefixed verb form with simple vav (ו) introduces a purpose/result clause after the preceding prefixed verb form (probably to be taken as a cohortative; see IBHS 650 §39.2.2a).
- Isaiah 2:3 tn Heb “his ways.” In this context God’s “ways” are the standards of moral conduct he decrees that people should live by.
- Isaiah 2:3 tn The cohortative with vav (ו) after the prefixed verb form indicates the ultimate purpose/goal of their action.
- Isaiah 2:3 tn Heb “walk in his ways.”
- Isaiah 2:3 tn Heb “for out of Zion will go instruction.”
- Isaiah 2:4 sn Instead of referring to the large plow as a whole, the plowshare is simply the metal tip which actually breaks the earth and cuts the furrow.
- Isaiah 2:4 sn This implement was used to prune the vines, i.e., to cut off extra leaves and young shoots (H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:93; M. Klingbeil, NIDOTTE 1:1117-18). It was a short knife with a curved hook at the end sharpened on the inside like a sickle. Breaking weapons and fashioning agricultural implements indicates a transition from fear and stress to peace and security.
- Isaiah 2:5 tn Heb “house,” referring to the family line or descendants (likewise in v. 6).
- Isaiah 2:5 tn Heb “let’s walk in the light of the Lord.” In this context, which speaks of the Lord’s instruction and commands, the “light of the Lord” refers to his moral standards by which he seeks to guide his people. One could paraphrase, “let’s obey the Lord’s commands.”
Isaiah 2:1-5
English Standard Version
The Mountain of the Lord
2 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 (A)It shall come to pass in the latter days
that (B)the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be lifted up above the hills;
and (C)all the nations shall flow to it,
3 and (D)many peoples shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For (E)out of Zion shall go forth the law,[a]
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
(F)and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
(G)nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.
5 O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in (H)the light of the Lord.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 2:3 Or teaching
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
