Isaiah 2 · The Lantern

The worde that Isaiah the sonne of Amoz sawe vpon Iudah and Ierusalem.

Judea and Jerusalem: Isaiah mentions Judea and Jerusalem, and in this is nothing unusual. His discourse was a prophecy, momentarily obscured by the names that are indicated. For it is the same for Jacob, predicting this, in the same way Isaiah will now state it (cf. Gen 49:10-11).

(Chapter 2, Verse 1) The word that Isaiah, the son of Amos, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. And in the previous Vision, which we have already explained, where the Septuagint translates it, it is written in Hebrew as 'Al Juda Ujerusalem' (); and in this second one, it is likewise contained in Hebrew.

Here he begins to rebuke their fault on the part of turning toward. And this is divided into three parts: in the first part, he denounces them for the fault which they were committing in the worship of idols; in the second, for the fault which they were committing in the oppression of men: "for behold" (ch.

It shall be in the last dayes, that the mountaine of the house of the Lord shalbe prepared in the top of the mountaines, and shall be exalted aboue the hilles, and all nations shall flowe vnto it.

One can take the time to learn in what manner the prophecies of the call of the Gentiles should be understood and that they were fulfilled only after the coming of our Savior.

[Isaiah] announces the wonderful and widespread demonstration of piety everywhere: idolatry will be destroyed, while the house of God will receive its due sign of universal respect.… After our Savior's appearing, idolatry will be shown and the beauty of truth will be unveiled. In this we will see the fulfillment of this announcement.

Here he carries out the intention. And this is divided into three parts: in the first part, he promises the remedy of salvation, lest the weight of the following fault leads to despair; in the second, he shows the guilt of the fault, where it says: "for you have cast off your people" (Isa 2:6); in the third, he threatens the lash of punishment, where it says: "therefore forgive…

And many people shall go, and say, Come, and let vs go vp to the mountaine of the Lord, to the house of the God of Iaakob, and hee will teach vs his wayes, and we will walke in his paths: for the Lawe shall go foorth of Zion, and the worde of the Lord from Ierusalem,

And when the Spirit of prophecy speaks as predicting things that are to come to pass, He speaks in this way: "For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

(Verse 3.) And they shall say: Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob: and he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths. The nations and peoples, not content with their own salvation, will encourage one another and say: Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob.

The order of conversion was that the gentiles were converted through the calling of those who were from the Jews. And therefore he sets out three things: first, those who call, second, the calling, where it says, "come," third, the reason for this order, where it says, "for the law shall come forth from Zion." Therefore he says, "many," not all, "people," that is, who are from…

And he shall iudge among the nations, and rebuke many people: they shall breake their swords also into mattocks, and their speares into siethes: nation shall not lift vp a sworde against nation, neither shall they learne to fight any more.

The gospel will be this "way" of the new law and the new word in Christ, no longer in Moses. "And he shall judge among the nations," even concerning their error. "And these shall rebuke a large nation," that of the Jews themselves and their proselytes.

(Verse 4.) And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. All the eagerness for war will be turned to peace, and instead of discord there will be harmony throughout the world.

Here he promises peace to the converted. And concerning this, he does three things: first, he sets out that which brings about peace; second, the sign of peace: "and they shall turn their swords into ploughshares"; third, the fruit of peace: "nation shall not lift up sword." That which brings about peace is the judgment of a king, and therefore, first, he says, "he shall judge…

O house of Iaakob, come ye, and let vs walke in the Lawe of the Lord.

But as there the prophet says, 'And now, O house of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of the Lord; for He has sent away His people, the house of Jacob, because their land was full, as at the first, of soothsayers and divinations;' even so it is necessary for us here to observe that there are two seeds of Judah, and two races, as there are two houses of Jacob: the one beg…

Dearly beloved, whether the Jews receive these divine testimonies with joy or with indignation, nevertheless, when we can, let us proclaim them with great love for the Jews. Let us not proudly glory against the broken branches; let us rather reflect by whose grace it is, and by much mercy, and on what root, we have been grafted into.

Here he places the calling of the Jews after the conversion of the gentiles has occurred: speaking either in the person of the prophet or in the person of the gentiles, that they may be in the tail who were in the head: "blindness in part has happened in Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles should come in" (Rom 11:25).

Surely thou hast forsaken thy people, the house of Iaakob, because they are full of the East maners, and are sorcerers as the Philistims, and abound with strange children.

Their land also was full of siluer and golde, and there was none ende of their treasures: and their land was full of horses, and their charets were infinite.

Someone might ask, what is wrong with having silver or horses, particularly when what the people believed was not rigorous? How should we respond? The prophet was not criticizing the use of these possessions but the misuse of them. When he said, "Woe to the mighty," he was not condemning them for having possessions but for hoarding so much more than they needed.

Vanity is the general term for vices, but vain in the particular sense means that which is found alien to God. Just as trusting in the Godhead is fruitful constancy, so deviating from him is the vanity that perishes.… So those who burned with the most base love of idols are convicted, and the phrase is to be pronounced as a rebuke, as if the words were, "Why do you love the van…

Here he sets out the occasion of idolatry, which is avarice or its likeness: "or covetousness, which is a serving of idols" (Eph 5:3–5).

Their land also was full of idols: they worshipped the worke of their owne hands, which their owne fingers haue made.

Not only do human beings "make gods for themselves" from statues, but you will also find them "making gods for themselves" from their imaginations. For such people can imagine another god and creator of the world in a system different from the divine plan of the world recorded by the Spirit, other than the true world.

(Verse 8) And the land was filled with silver and gold, and there was no end to its treasure. Among the other vices of the earth, the house of Jacob is also counted for its abundance of gold and silver. Among all the omens and divinations, the horses and chariots that God prohibited the kings of Israel from multiplying are condemned.

Here he denounces in them the worship of idolatry; and he adds to the weight of this from three things. First, from its multitude, where he says, "also is full": "Ephraim has made many altars to sin" (Hos 7:11); "under every green tree, and on every high hill you didst prostitute yourself" (Jer 2:20).

And a man bowed himselfe, and a man humbled himselfe: therefore spare them not.

Enter into the rocke, and hide thee in the dust from before the feare of the Lord, and from the glory of his maiestie.

The hie looke of man shall be humbled, and the loftinesse of men shalbe abased, and the Lord onely shall be exalted in that day.

For the day of the Lord of hostes is vpon all the proude and hautie, and vpon all that is exalted: and it shalbe made lowe.

Euen vpon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are hie and exalted, and vpon all the okes of Bashan,

And vpon all the hie mountaines, and vpon all the hilles that are lifted vp,

And vpon euery hie tower, and vpon euery strong wall,

And vpon all the shippes of Tarshish, and vpon all pleasant pictures.

And the hautinesse of men shalbe brought low, and the loftinesse of men shalbe abased, and the Lord shall onely be exalted in that day.

And the idoles will he vtterly destroy.

Then they shall goe into the holes of the rockes, and into the caues of the earth, from before the feare of the Lord, and from the glory of his maiestie, when he shall arise to destroy the earth.

The Creator ought to be known even by the light of nature, for he may be understood from his works and may thereby become the object of a more widely spread knowledge. To him, therefore, does it appertain to punish such as do not know God, for none ought to be ignorant of him.

(Verse 19) On that day, a man will cast away his silver idols and his gold images that he made for himself to worship moles and bats. He will enter the clefts of the rocks and the crevices of the cliffs, from the terror of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth.

Here he places the precaution of hiding; and it is the same as before, except that here it is foretold as in the future, because he had also explained by foretelling and not by calling down that their power was to be thrown down; "they shall go into the lower parts of the earth: they shall be delivered into the hands of the sword, they shall be the portions of foxes" (Ps 63:9–1…

At that day shall man cast away his siluer idoles, and his golden idoles (which they had made themselues to worship them) to the mowles and to the backes,

To goe into the holes of the rockes, and into the toppes of the ragged rockes from before the feare of the Lord, and from the glory of his maiestie, when he shall rise to destroy the earth.

Cease you from the man whose breath is in his nostrels: for wherein is he to be esteemed?

Isaiah2