notes
Main point summary
Isaiah records a vision he saw for Judah and Jerusalem. The vision for Jerusalem is that at the end of the age God will exalt Jerusalem and His word will flow out of her causing nations will stream to her to follow in His paths. Then God will be the judge between the nations, and they will be at peace. The vision for Judah is the challenge to also walk together in the light of the Lord.
Arc
editing
OT
Isaiah 2:1-5
nasb
The word which a Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
Now it will come about that a In the last days
The b mountain of the house of the Lord Will be established 1 as the chief of the mountains,
And will be raised above the hills;
Synonymous Parallelism
coord
SP
temporal
And c all the nations will stream to it.
And many peoples will come and say,
Synonymous Parallelism
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord ,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
Synonymous Parallelism
That He may teach us 1 concerning His ways
And that we may walk in His paths.”
Synonymous Parallelism
actionpurpose
ideaexplanation
For the 2 law will go forth a from Zion
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Synonymous Parallelism
ground
actionresult
And He will judge between the nations,
And will 1 render decisions for many peoples;
Synonymous Parallelism
And a they will hammer their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Synonymous Parallelism
b Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
And never again will they learn war.
Synonymous Parallelism
series
progression
Come, a house of Jacob, and let us walk in the b light of the Lord .
inference
Synonymous Parallelism: the following lines repeat or reinforce the sense of the first line.
discourse
Phrase
Isaiah 2:1-5
A. Introduction
The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
B. Vision for Jerusalem
A. The Lord Exalts Jerusalem
Now it will come about that In the last days
The mountain of the house of the Lord Will be established as the chief of the mountains,
And will be raised above the hills;
B. The Nations' Response
And all the nations will stream to it.
And many peoples will 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 concerning His ways
And that we may walk in His paths.”
For the law will go forth from Zion
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
A'. The Lord Judges Between the Nations
And He will judge between the nations,
And will render decisions for many peoples;
B'. The Nations' Response
And they will hammer their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
And never again will they learn war.
C. Challenge to Judah
Come, house of Jacob, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.
phrasing
Notes
A. Isaiah 2:1 - Introduction This is the vision Isaiah saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be lifted up and the nations will stream to her. Will Judah response correctly and walk in the light of the Lord? B. Isaiah 2:2-4 - Vision of Jerusalem The vision for Jerusalem is divided into 2 parts, each part being structured as an action of God and the nations' response to this action. Note that makes extensive use of synonymous parallelism in the vision for Jerusalem. A. Isaiah 2:2a-c - The Lord Exalts Jerusalem The vision takes place in "the last days". Isaiah means by the term "last days" at the end of history. In Peter's eyes the last days started when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:17). At this time Jerusalem and specifically the temple will be exalted. This is described as the mountain upon which it sits being lifted up and becoming the chief mountain, i.e., higher than all other "high places" (Num 22:41). The passive implies that the actor here is the Lord. B. Isaiah 2:2d-3 - The Nations' Response When the Lord exalts Jerusalem, the nations will stream or flow into it. They are coming explicitly to be taught of God's way so that they may follow them. Isaiah adds a footnote, that this happens because God's word flows out of Jerusalem. Thus this part of the vision can be summarized as follows: At the end of the age God will exalt Jerusalem and His word will flow out of her causing nations will stream to her to follow in His paths. A'. Isaiah 2:4a-b - The Lord Judges Between the Nations After this instruction of the nations, the Lord will judge between the nations. B'. Isaiah 2:4c-d - The Nations' Response Since they will accept Him as their judge and follow His judgements, they have no more need to defend themselves and thus war will end. Instead of a United Nations there will be a Universal Judge, bringing peace to the world. A summary of this part of the vision is: God will be the judge between the nations, and they will be at peace. C. Isaiah 2:5 - Challenge to Judah The nations called to one another in v2, "Come!" and purposed in v3 "to walk in His paths". Now Isaiah calls to Judah, "Come!" and pleads with them to walk together "in the light of the Lord". How will Judah respond?