Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of ?
Read it in contextThe Day of Reckoning
Start reading at Isaiah 2:5 (Isaiah 2:5 to Isaiah 2:22).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
This unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. The opening visions confront Judah's rebellion while joining judgment with promises concerning the remnant and the Davidic ruler.
2:5O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.
2:6Therefore 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.
2:7Their 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:
2:8Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:
2:9And the mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself: therefore forgive them not.
2:10Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty.
2:11The 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.
2:12For 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:
2:13And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan,
2:14And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up,
2:15And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall,
2:16And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.
2:17And 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.
2:18And the idols he shall utterly abolish.
2:19And 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.
2:20In 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;
2:21To 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.
2:22Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of ?
Study content, not yet reviewed.
Who
Who wrote the book? Isaiah son of Amoz is the named prophet and the traditional author. The New Testament attributes passages from both earlier and later portions to Isaiah; scholars differ about the book's later composition and collection. Biblical references: Isaiah 1:1; John 12:38; John 12:39. stated in the text
Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Isaiah 1:1–5:30): Judah and Jerusalem are the principal hearers of Isaiah's warnings; rulers, worshippers, and the people are challenged concerning their conduct. stated in the text
Who was the book written to? Judah and Jerusalem are the principal named audience, with messages also concerning Israel and other nations. Later portions address God's people in the horizon of exile, return, and restoration. Biblical references: Isaiah 1:1; Isaiah 40:1; Isaiah 48:20. stated in the text
What
What is the topic of this reading unit? The Day of Reckoning. Read Isaiah 2:5 through Isaiah 2:22 as a connected unit. interpretation
How does it contribute to the book? This unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. The opening visions confront Judah's rebellion while joining judgment with promises concerning the remnant and the Davidic ruler. interpretation
When
When are the events or message set? The opening names the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Some passages speak toward later restoration; the time pictured in an oracle is not necessarily its composition date. book background
Where
What is the book’s geographic setting? Judah and Jerusalem are central, but the oracles address surrounding nations and distant powers as well. The named audience and location vary by oracle. book background
Where does the context start?
This passage sits in The Day of Reckoning (Isaiah 2:5 to Isaiah 2:22).
Start reading at Isaiah 2:5. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? The New Testament explicitly applies passages of Isaiah to Jesus, including the servant passage discussed in Acts 8. Use those links while preserving each oracle's immediate wording and audience. See Isaiah 53:7, Acts 8:32, Acts 8:35, Matthew 12:17. interpretation
How should this book guide our response? Reject empty worship that coexists with injustice, and respond to the calls to trust and return. Preserve the named recipients and conditions of particular promises. interpretation
What Scripture saysThe book opens with the vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz and names him throughout. The New Testament quotes both the earlier and later chapters as Isaiah's words. Isaiah 1:1Isaiah 6:1John 12:38John 12:39
Early traditionJewish and Christian tradition holds the whole book to be Isaiah's.
What is debatedMany critical scholars propose a second and third author for chapters 40 and following, based on setting and style. John 12 quoting both sections as Isaiah is a significant argument against that view.
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Isaiah 2
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Isaiah's opening locates his vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem in named royal reigns. The book includes warnings, narratives, and promises addressed to different settings. Identify the immediate audience before extending a promise or judgment to later readers. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Connection to the wholeThis opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. The opening visions confront Judah's rebellion while joining judgment with promises concerning the remnant and the Davidic ruler.
Connection to the wholeThis unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. The opening visions confront Judah's rebellion while joining judgment with promises concerning the remnant and the Davidic ruler.
interpretation
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Isaiah
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Isaiah's opening locates his vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem in named royal reigns. The book includes warnings, narratives, and promises addressed to different settings. Identify the immediate audience before extending a promise or judgment to later readers.
Connection to the wholeThe opening visions confront Judah's rebellion while joining judgment with promises concerning the remnant and the Davidic ruler.
Connection to the wholeThe narratives connect trust and deliverance with an announcement concerning Babylon, bridging earlier warnings and later words of comfort.
Connection to the wholeThe movement announces comfort, challenges idols, and develops the servant passages and invitations to receive the LORD's provision.