Amplified Bible
Isaiah 2:4
4And He will judge between the nations, And will mediate [disputes] for many peoples; And they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up the sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.
Isaiah 2:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
- New International Version (NIV)He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
- English Standard Version (ESV)He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.
- New King James Version (NKJV)He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.
Context of Isaiah 2:4
2Now it will come to pass that In the last days The mountain of the house of the Lord Will be [firmly] established as the highest of the mountains, And will be exalted above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it. 3And many peoples shall come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house (temple) of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us His ways And that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go out from Zion And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He will judge between the nations, And will mediate [disputes] for many peoples; And they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up the sword against nation, And never again will they learn war. 5O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord. 6Most certainly [Lord] You have abandoned your people, the house of Jacob, Because they are filled with influences from the east, And they are soothsayers [who foretell] like the Philistines; Also they strike bargains with the children of foreigners (pagans).
Read all of Isaiah 2Isaiah 2:4 word by word
וְשָׁפַט֙ בֵּ֣ין הַגּוֹיִ֔ם וְהוֹכִ֖יחַ לְעַמִּ֣ים רַבִּ֑ים וְכִתְּת֨וּ חַרְבוֹתָ֜ם לְאִתִּ֗ים וַחֲנִיתֽוֹתֵיהֶם֙ לְמַזְמֵר֔וֹת לֹא־יִשָּׂ֨א ג֤וֹי אֶל־גּוֹי֙ חֶ֔רֶב וְלֹא־יִלְמְד֥וּ ע֖וֹד מִלְחָמָֽה׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And he shall judgeשָׁפַטshâphaţ · to judgeH8199
- among the nationsגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
- and shall rebukeיָכַחyâkach · to rebukeH3198
- manyרַבrab · manyH7227
- peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- and they shall beatכָּתַתkâthath · to crushH3807
- their swordsחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
- into plowsharesאֵת'êth · plowshareH855
- and their spearsחֲנִיתchănîyth · spearH2595
- into pruninghooksמַזְמֵרָהmazmêrâh · pruning-knifeH4211
- shall not lift upנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: fightH5375
- neither shall they learnלָמַדlâmad · to learn: learnH3925
- warמִלְחָמָהmilchâmâh · battleH4421
Cross-references for Isaiah 2:4
- Isaiah 11:3And He will delight in the fear of the Lord, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make decisions by what His ears hear;
- 1 Samuel 2:10The adversaries of the Lord will be broken to pieces; He will thunder against them in the heavens, The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; And He will give strength to His king, And will exalt the horn (strength) of His anointed.”
- Psalms 82:8Arise, O God, judge the earth! For to You belong all the nations.
- Psalms 96:13Before the Lord, for He is coming, For He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness And the peoples in His faithfulness.
- Psalms 110:6He will execute judgment [in overwhelming punishment] among the nations; He will fill them with corpses, He will crush the chief men over a broad country.
- John 16:8And He, when He comes, will convict the world about [the guilt of] sin [and the need for a Savior], and about righteousness, and about judgment:
- Acts 17:31because He has set a day when He will judge the inhabited world in righteousness by a Man whom He has appointed and destined for that task, and He has provided credible proof to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”
- Revelation 19:11And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who was riding it is called Faithful and True (trustworthy, loyal, incorruptible, steady), and in righteousness He judges and wages war [on the rebellious nations].
- Isaiah 9:7There shall be no end to the increase of His government and of peace, [He shall rule] on the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From that time forward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
- Isaiah 11:6And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the young goat, And the calf and the young lion and the fatted steer together; And a little child will lead them.
- Psalms 46:9He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow into pieces and snaps the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire.
- Hosea 2:18And in that day I will make a covenant for Israel With the animals of the open country And with the birds of the heavens And with the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow and the sword and [banish] war from the land And will make them lie down in safety.
- Joel 3:10Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, “I am strong!”
- Micah 4:3And He will judge between many peoples And render decisions for strong and distant nations. Then they shall hammer their swords into plowshares And their spears into pruning hooks [so that the implements of war may become the tools of agriculture]; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Nor shall they ever again train for war.
- Zechariah 9:10I will cut off the [war] chariot from Ephraim And the [war] horse from Jerusalem, And the bow of war will be cut off. And He will speak [words of] peace to the nations, And His dominion shall be from sea to sea [absolutely endless], And from the River [Euphrates] to the ends of the earth.
- Isaiah 60:17Instead of bronze I will bring gold, And instead of iron I will bring silver, And instead of wood, bronze, And instead of stones, iron. And [instead of the tyranny of the present] I will appoint peace as your officers, And righteousness your rulers.
Commentaries on Isaiah 2:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Neither shall they learn war any more - If wars are necessary, how deep must that fall be that renders them so! But what a reproach to humanity is the trade of war! Men are regularly instructed in it, as in any of the necessary arts. "How to dislodge most souls from their frail shrines By bomb, sword, ball, and bayonet, is the art Which some call great and glorious!" And is this a necessary part of a finished education in civilized society? O Earth!…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4And he shall judge - Or he shall exercise the office of a judge, or umpire. This “literally” refers to the God of Jacob Isaiah 2:3, though it is clear that the meaning is, that he will do it by the Messiah, or under his reign. One office of a judge is to decide controversies; to put an end to litigations, and thus to promote peace. The connection shows that this is the meaning here. Nations that are contending shall be brought to peace by the influence of…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4The kingdom of God becomes clear when conflict and violence stop. It is characterized by peace (Romans 14:17). People will either choose to cooperate or be compelled to stop fighting (Psalm 46:9). Nations will choose divine judgment instead of war (see Isaiah 1:18–20). The words judge and arbitrate describe God's actions here, but later verses show the Messiah as the one who delivers justice (Isaiah 11:3–4). When this happens, war will end, and nations…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. judge--as a sovereign umpire, settling all controversies (compare Is 11:4). Lowth translates "work," "conviction." plowshares--in the East resembling a short sword (Is 9:6, 7; Zec 9:10).Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 2:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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