Isaiah 2:4

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

2In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house will be the highest of all— the most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship. 3People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem. The Lord will mediate between nations and will settle international disputes. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore. 5Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord! 6For the Lord has rejected his people, the descendants of Jacob, because they have filled their land with practices from the East and with sorcerers, as the Philistines do. They have made alliances with pagans.

Isaiah 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 11:3He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay.
• 1 Samuel 2:10Those who fight against the Lord will be shattered. He thunders against them from heaven; the Lord judges throughout the earth. He gives power to his king; he increases the strength of his anointed one.”
• Psalms 82:8Rise up, O God, and judge the earth, for all the nations belong to you.
• Psalms 96:13before the Lord, for he is coming! He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with his truth.
• Psalms 110:6He will punish the nations and fill their lands with corpses; he will shatter heads over the whole earth.
• John 16:8And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.
• Acts 17:31For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.”
• Revelation 19:11Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war.
• Isaiah 9:7His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!
• Isaiah 11:6In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all.
• Psalms 46:9He causes wars to end throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
• Hosea 2:18On that day I will make a covenant with all the wild animals and the birds of the sky and the animals that scurry along the ground so they will not harm you. I will remove all weapons of war from the land, all swords and bows, so you can live unafraid in peace and safety.
• Joel 3:10Hammer your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Train even your weaklings to be warriors.
• Micah 4:3The Lord will mediate between peoples and will settle disputes between strong nations far away. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore.
• Zechariah 9:10I will remove the battle chariots from Israel and the warhorses from Jerusalem. I will destroy all the weapons used in battle, and your king will bring peace to the nations. His realm will stretch from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.
• Isaiah 60:17I will exchange your bronze for gold, your iron for silver, your wood for bronze, and your stones for iron. I will make peace your leader and righteousness your ruler.

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

• Church
• Gentiles
• Gospel
• Hooks
• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• Jesus, the Christ
• Nation
• Peace
• Plowshare
• Pruning
• Spear
• Sword
• War

In the dictionaries

• Abolish
• Coulter
• Hook
• Lofty
• Proportion
• Teach
• Terribly
• Armor; Arms
• Christ, Offices of
• Commentaries

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