Isaiah 2:19
in Isaiah 2Men will flee to caves in the rocks and holes in the ground, away from the terror of the LORD and from the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to shake the earth.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And men shall go into the caves of the rocks, and into the holes of the earth, from before the terror of Jehovah, and from the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake mightily the earth.
KJV
And 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.
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This verse in Isaiah 2
Commentary
11 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
And they shall go - That is, the worshippers of idols. Into the holes of the rocks - Judea was a mountainous country, and the mountains abounded with caves that offered a safe retreat for those who were in danger. Many of those caverns were very spacious. At En-gedi, in particular, a cave is mentioned where David with six hundred men hid himself from Saul in the “sides” of it; 1 Sam. 24. Sometimes caves or dens were artificially constructed for refuge or defense in danger; Jdg 6:2; 1Sa 13:
This site's exposition
So the pride of man
on Isaiah 2:17-19
Verse 17 repeats the refrain of verse 11 nearly word for word. The promise that "the idols will vanish completely" stands opposite the mountain of the house at the chapter's opening. Men flee, hiding in the ground their idols of silver and gold were dug from.
This site's exposition
Men will flee to caves in the rocks
The flight answers the command of verse 10 to hide in the rocks, as Jamieson, Fausset and Brown note. Judea's hills were full of caves, the hiding places of Israel at 1 Samuel 13:6. Revelation 6:15 and 16 takes up the same picture.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
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. In the apostle's phrase, "From the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power," he uses the words of Isaiah, who for that same reason attests the very same Lord as arising "to shake terribly the earth."
(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. We have often spoken of silver and gold in a figurative sense, expressing their capacity to speak or feel God, and praise their Creator, since they were given by God to humans for this purpose.
The Medieval Church1 voice
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 …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth,....
With God is terrible majesty, and the glory of it is such as sooner or later will oblige us all to flee before him. Those that will not fear God and flee to him will be forced to fear him and flee from him to a refuge of lies. It is folly for those that are pursued by the wrath of God to think to escape it, and to hide or shelter themselves from it.
3 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And now which of these Jerusalems will we be the inhabitants of--that which is full of the knowledge of God, which will be our everlasting honour, or that which is full of horses and chariots, and silver and gold, and such idols, which will in the end be our shame?
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The fulfilment answers exactly to the threat (Isa 2:10). they--the idol-worshippers. caves--abounding in Judea, a hilly country; hiding-places in times of alarm (1Sa 13:6). shake . . . earth--and the heavens also (Heb 12:26). Figure for severe and universal judgments.
Into the holes of the rocks “Into caverns of rocks” - The country of Judea being mountainous and rocky, is full of caverns, as appears from the history of David’s persecution under Saul. At En-gedi, in particular, there was a cave so large that David with six hundred men hid themselves in the sides of it; and Saul entered the mouth of the cave without perceiving that any one was there, 1 Samuel 24. Josephus, Antiq., lib. xiv., c. 15, and Bell. Jud., lib. 1, c. 16, tells us of a numerous gang of banditti, who, having infested the country, and being pursued by Herod with his army retired into certain caverns almost inaccessible, near Arbela in Galilee, where they were with great difficulty subdued. Some of these were natural, others artificial. “Beyond Damascus,” says Strabo, lib. xvi., “are two mountains called Trachones, from which the country has the name of Trachonitis; and from hence towards Arabia and Iturea, are certain rugged mountains, in which there are deep caverns, one of which will hold four thousand men.” Tavernier, Voyage de Perse, part ii., chap. 4, speaks of a grot, between Aleppo and Bir, that would hold near three thousand horse. “Three hours distant from Sidon, about a mile from the sea, there runs along a high rocky mountain, in the sides of which are hewn a multitude of grots, all very little differing from each other. They have entrances about two feet square: on the inside you find in most or all of them a room of about four yards square. There are of these subterraneous caverns two hundred in number. It may, with probability at least, be concluded that these places were contrived for the use of the living, and not of the dead. Strabo describes the habitations of the Troglodytae to have been somewhat of this kind.” - Maundrell, p. 118. The Horites, who dwelt in Mount Seir, were Troglodytae, as their name הרים horim, imports. […]
The words behind it
13 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וּבָ֙אוּ֙ | uvau | and people will go | H935 → | 2568 times |
| בִּמְעָר֣וֹת | bimarot | in caves of | H4631 → | |
| צֻרִ֔ים | tzurim | [the] rocks | H6697 → | 78 times |
| וּבִמְחִלּ֖וֹת | uvimchilot | and in holes of | H4247 → | |
| עָפָ֑ר | ʾafar | [the] ground | H6083 → | 110 times |
| מִפְּנֵ֞י | mipenei | from before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| פַּ֤חַד | pachad | [the] dread of | H6343 → | 49 times |
| יְהוָה֙ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| וּמֵהֲדַ֣ר | umehadar | and from [the] splendor of | H1926 → | 30 times |
| גְּאוֹנ֔וֹ | geono | majesty his | H1347 → | 49 times |
| בְּקוּמ֖וֹ | bekumo | when arises he | H6965 → | 628 times |
| לַעֲרֹ֥ץ | laarotz | to terrify | H6206 → | 15 times |
| הָאָֽרֶץ׃ | haaretz | the earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
וּבָ֙אוּ֙and people will go
uvauH935 →2568 times
בִּמְעָר֣וֹתin caves of
bimarotH4631 →
צֻרִ֔ים[the] rocks
tzurimH6697 →78 times
וּבִמְחִלּ֖וֹתand in holes of
uvimchilotH4247 →
עָפָ֑ר[the] ground
ʾafarH6083 →110 times
מִפְּנֵ֞יfrom before
mipeneiH6440 →2123 times
פַּ֤חַד[the] dread of
pachadH6343 →49 times
יְהוָה֙Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
וּמֵהֲדַ֣רand from [the] splendor of
umehadarH1926 →30 times
גְּאוֹנ֔וֹmajesty his
geonoH1347 →49 times
בְּקוּמ֖וֹwhen arises he
bekumoH6965 →628 times
לַעֲרֹ֥ץto terrify
laarotzH6206 →15 times
הָאָֽרֶץ׃the earth
haaretzH776 →2504 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Luke 23:30At that time ‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’
it leads to
- Revelation 6:16
And they said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Hosea 10:8
The high places of Aven will be destroyed—it is the sin of Israel; thorns and thistles will overgrow their altars. Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!” and to the hills, “Fall…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Revelation 9:6
In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will escape them.
- Revelation 6:16
Through
Hosea 10:8The high places of Aven will be destroyed—it is the sin of Israel; thorns and thistles will overgrow their altars. Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!” and to the hills, “Fall…
it leads to
- Luke 23:30
At that time ‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Luke 23:30
Through
Isaiah 2:10Go into the rocks and hide in the dust from the terror of the LORD and the splendor of His majesty.
it leads to
- Revelation 6:15–16
Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.
- Isaiah 2:19–21
Men will flee to caves in the rocks and holes in the ground, away from the terror of the LORD and from the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to shake the earth.
- Revelation 6:15–16
Through
Haggai 2:6For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.
it leads to
- Hebrews 12:26–28
At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth, but heaven as well.”
- Isaiah 10:25
For in just a little while My fury against you will subside, and My anger will turn to their destruction.”
- Hebrews 12:26–28
Where this verse is studied
About Isaiah
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Tertullian, AGAINST MARCION 5.16 and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.