הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר חָזָה יְשַׁעְיָהוּ בֶּן אָמוֹץ עַל יְהוּדָה וִירוּשָׁלִָם

This second prophecy is introduced in a similar manner to the first (1:1): The matter that Isaiah son of Amotz envisioned concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

וְהָיָה בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים נָכוֹן יִהְיֶה הַר בֵּית ה' בְּרֹאשׁ הֶהָרִים וְנִשָּׂא מִגְּבָעוֹת וְנָהֲרוּ אֵלָיו כָּל הַגּוֹיִם

It shall be at the end of days that the mountain of the House of the Lord will be established at the top of the mountains and will be elevated above the other hills. The mountain will be raised to further heights in the future, as can be inferred from other prophecies, and all the nations will stream to it. The mountain of the House of the Lord will be the center not only of Judah and Jerusalem, but of the entire world.

וְהָלְכוּ עַמִּים רַבִּים וְאָמְרוּ לְכוּ וְנַעֲלֶה אֶל הַר ה' אֶל בֵּית אֱלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב וְיֹרֵנוּ מִדְּרָכָיו וְנֵלְכָה בְּאֹרְחֹתָיו כִּי מִצִּיּוֹן תֵּצֵא תוֹרָה וּדְבַר ה' — מִירוּשָׁלִָם

Many peoples will go and say: Let us go and ascend to the mountain of the Lord, to the House of the God of Jacob, and He will instruct us of His ways and we will walk in His paths. Not only will the nations seek to visit the House of God, to look at the magnificent Temple, but they will travel there to accept the Torah upon themselves. For at that time, from Zion will come forth Torah, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. The word of God and the Torah of Israel will not be a matter for a small people alone, as many nations will be drawn to Zion.

וְשָׁפַט בֵּין הַגּוֹיִם וְהוֹכִיחַ לְעַמִּים רַבִּים וְכִתְּתוּ חַרְבוֹתָם לְאִתִּים וַחֲנִיתוֹתֵיהֶם לְמַזְמֵרוֹת לֹא יִשָּׂא גוֹי אֶל גּוֹי חֶרֶב וְלֹא יִלְמְדוּ עוֹד מִלְחָמָה

Since the nations will come to hear the Torah that emerges from Jerusalem, he, Israel, headed by its king or leader, will adjudicate between the nations and will rebuke many peoples. When Israel has mediated and brought peace between nations, there will be no need for wars, and therefore they will beat the metal of their swords to be refashioned into plowshares, and their spears, generally made of a long wooden pole with a sharp metal edge, will be turned into pruning hooks, smaller implements, after the dangerous heads of the spears have been removed. In sum, nation will not lift sword against nation, and they will not learn war any more.

בֵּית יַעֲקֹב לְכוּ וְנֵלְכָה בְּאוֹר ה'

The prophet addresses the nation of Israel: House of Jacob, go and let us walk by the light of the Lord. We are occupied with matters that distract us from that which truly matters.

כִּי נָטַשְׁתָּה עַמְּךָ בֵּית יַעֲקֹב כִּי מָלְאוּ מִקֶּדֶם וְעֹנְנִים כַּפְּלִשְׁתִּים וּבְיַלְדֵי נָכְרִים יַשְׂפִּיקוּ

For you Israelite renegades forsook your people, the house of Jacob, and their ways; because they, the renegades’ practices, are infused with disciplines, customs, values, and perceptions from the East, and with soothsayers, who deal with various forms of fortune-telling and astrology, like the Philistines, who were apparently renowned for such occupations. And, in general, they content themselves with the children of foreigners. They are satisfied with these preoccupations of foreign peoples. Here the prophet is not accusing the house of Jacob of specific sins, such as idolatry, but of broad spiritual and cultural assimilation. Foreign culture has inundated the land.

וַתִּמָּלֵא אַרְצוֹ כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב וְאֵין קֵצֶה לְאֹצְרֹתָיו וַתִּמָּלֵא אַרְצוֹ סוּסִים וְאֵין קֵצֶה לְמַרְכְּבֹתָיו

Its, the house of Jacob’s, land has become filled with silver and gold, and there is no limit to its treasures; its land became filled with horses, and there is no limit to its chariots. The amassing of a multitude of horses, which is prohibited by the Torah, alludes to King Solomon, who collected them in great numbers. Their dealings with money and horses, and their trade and training, never end.

וַתִּמָּלֵא אַרְצוֹ אֱלִילִים לְמַעֲשֵׂה יָדָיו יִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לַאֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ אֶצְבְּעֹתָיו

In addition, its land has become filled with idols; they bow to the work of their hands, to that, the images, which their fingers made.

וַיִּשַּׁח אָדָם וַיִּשְׁפַּל אִישׁ אַל תִּשָּׂא לָהֶם

Ultimately, a person bowed under duress, and a man, symbolizing the people, was forcibly debased; You, God, should not elevate them by forgiving them. The end of days described here does not come about due to war or some external catastrophe, but through God’s revelation and the awakening of human understanding, which lead to shame and awe.

בּוֹא בַצּוּר וְהִטָּמֵן בּעָפָר מִפְּנֵי פַּחַד ה' וּמֵהֲדַר גְּאֹנוֹ

Isaiah addresses the debased man: Go into the crevices of the rock and hide in the furrows of dust, for fear of the approach of the Lord and from the grandeur of His majesty.

עֵינֵי גַּבְהוּת אָדָם — שָׁפֵל וְשַׁח רוּם אֲנָשִׁים וְנִשְׂגַּב ה' לְבַדּוֹ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא

The lofty eyes of a person will be debased and the pompous haughtiness of men will be brought down, and the Lord alone will be exalted on that day. When God reveals Himself, all other forms of greatness dissipate.

כִּי יוֹם לַה' צְבָאוֹת עַל כָּל גֵּאֶה וָרָם וְעַל כָּל נִשָּׂא וְשָׁפֵל

For it is a day for the Lord of hosts, on which He will reveal Himself, judge sinners, and stand against everyone proud and haughty, and against everyone elevated or lowered. Apparently, even the lowly will be included in the reproof.

וְעַל כָּל אַרְזֵי הַלְּבָנוֹן הָרָמִים וְהַנִּשָּׂאִים וְעַל כָּל אַלּוֹנֵי הַבָּשָׁן

The Lord will also stand against all the cedars of the Lebanon that are high and elevated, and against all the oaks of the Bashan, mighty trees that symbolize the powerful people of the world who will stand trial before God.

וְעַל כָּל הֶהָרִים הָרָמִים וְעַל כָּל הַגְּבָעוֹת הַנִּשָּׂאוֹת

The Lord will also stand against all the high mountains and against all the elevated hills. Even on the figurative level, this is not referring to people. Rather, all the greatness of nature will shrink before the revelation of God: Massive trees will become small shrubs, and mountains will shrivel up. This description may suit an alternate interpretation of the phrase “and against everyone elevated or lowered” (verse 12), meaning that the exalted will become lowered.

וְעַל כָּל מִגְדָּל גָּבֹהַּ וְעַל כָּל חוֹמָה בְצוּרָה

The Lord will stand against every tall tower and against every fortified wall. All such symbols of power will be like mere toys.

וְעַל כָּל אֳנִיּוֹת תַּרְשִׁישׁ וְעַל כָּל שְׂכִיּוֹת הַחֶמְדָּה

And the Lord will also stand against all the large ships of Tarshish, used for long journeys to the edge of the Mediterranean Sea and beyond, and against all precious objects, expensive trinkets and pretty decorations. All these will lose their importance.

וְשַׁח גַּבְהוּת הָאָדָם וְשָׁפֵל רוּם אֲנָשִׁים וְנִשְׂגַּב ה' לְבַדּוֹ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא

The prophet reiterates: The loftiness of humanity will be bowed and the haughtiness of men will be debased, and the Lord alone will be exalted on that day,

והָאֱלִילִים — כָּלִיל יַחֲלֹף

and as a result, the false, man-made gods will entirely pass away. They will lose their influence and be destroyed.

וּבָאוּ בִּמְעָרוֹת צֻרִים וּבִמְחִלּוֹת עָפָר מִפְּנֵי פַּחַד ה' וּמֵהֲדַר גְּאוֹנוֹ בְּקוּמוֹ לַעֲרֹץ הָאָרֶץ

They, people, will come into caves in the rocks and into tunnels in the dirt, as stated above: Go into the rock and hide in the dust (verse 10), out of fear of the Lord and the glory of His majesty, upon His arising to dominate [la’arotz] the land. The word la’arotz derives from the root ayin-reish-tzadi, which means rule and government, as does the word aritz.

בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יַשְׁלִיךְ הָאָדָם אֵת אֱלִילֵי כַסְפּוֹ וְאֵת אֱלִילֵי זְהָבוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ לוֹ לְהִשְׁתַּחֲוֹת לַחְפֹּר פֵּרוֹת וְלָעֲטַלֵּפִים

On that day, humanity will cast away its false gods of silver and its false gods of gold that they made for one to prostrate himself, to the moles and to the bats. All the gold and silver treasures and idols will be thrown away for moles to bury in the ground and for bats to carry to their caves,

לָבוֹא בְּנִקְרוֹת הַצֻּרִים וּבִסְעִפֵי הַסְּלָעִים מִפְּנֵי פַּחַד ה' וּמֵהֲדַר גְּאוֹנוֹ בְּקוּמוֹ לַעֲרֹץ הָאָרֶץ

come go into the crevices of the rocks and into the cracks of the crags. This expression, which appears several times in the book of Isaiah and only once elsewhere in the Bible, refers to the spaces between the protrusions of larger rocks. They will hide out of fear of the Lord and the glory of His majesty, upon His arising to dominate the land.

חִדְלוּ לָכֶם מִן הָאָדָם אֲשֶׁר נְשָׁמָה בְּאַפּוֹ כִּי בַמֶּה נֶחְשָׁב הוּא

Consequently, you should desist from, give up on, humanity, who has breath in his nostrils and is mortal, for how is he accounted? Although at present man seems to be the lord of creation, who controls everything and does whatever he wants, when the glory of God is revealed at the end of days, the various objects of idolization will be diminished and all the things people once considered important and worthy will be abandoned and seen as insignificant, including man himself. Then only the glory of God will remain, when He comes to rule the world.