Isaiah 2:4 - Printer Friendly

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.

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.

NASB: And He will judge between the nations, And will mediate for many peoples; And they will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not lift up a sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.

CSB: He will settle disputes among the nations and provide arbitration for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plows and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not take up the sword against nation, and they will never again train for war.

NLT: 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.

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.

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.

This often-quoted verse is part of Isaiah's description of the far future (Isaiah 2:2), when the most unimaginable events will occur. The God of Israel will become the God of all peoples on earth, both Jew and Gentile. Everyone will come to Jerusalem to learn from the Lord how to follow His ways (Isaiah 2:3). In addition to being God over the world, the Lord will also rule as the leader of the world from Jerusalem. This will bring universal peace; there will be no need for weapons, and all military efforts will cease.

Isaiah describes God's rule in this verse. The Lord will judge disputes between peoples and nations and bring absolute peace to the world. The Hebrew word for "judge" is the Hebrew term sōpetim', from the root word shaphat. This was used in the book of Judges, referring to people meant to restore order to Israel. This expression is translated into English as "judge," but carries a much broader meaning. The original word includes concepts such as vindication, vengeance, defense, rescue, and advocacy. The Lord will judge between the nations in the context that He will bring order to the earth.

Sword and spears will be converted into plows and pruning hooks. War will end, and nobody will prepare to go to war against anyone else. Isaiah describes the Jewish and, later, the Christian version of utopian peace on earth, a time believers are convinced will come to pass. This points forward to the reign of Christ as king on earth, something Isaiah will describe in greater detail (Isaiah 11:1–10). Some Christian traditions understand this future era to be the millennium while others believe Isaiah is describing Christ's eternal reign over the new heavens and the new earth. In every Christian tradition this is the longed-for moment when life on earth will be as it should be under the rule of Christ and the grace of God.

Isaiah 2:1–5 describes an impossible-seeming time in Israel's future: when the Lord will reign over the entire earth from Jerusalem. People from all the Gentile nations will flock to Israel and to Jerusalem to learn from the Lord how to walk in His ways. He will judge the nations, resolving all disputes, and bringing about a time so secure that no nation will even prepare for war anymore. Isaiah urges the Israelites of his day to not wait and to walk in the Lord's light now.

Isaiah describes Israel's far future as a time when all the nations of the earth will recognize Israel's God as the Lord. They will come to Jerusalem to learn from Him how to live. Isaiah tells his people to walk in the light of the Lord now. Instead, they worship false gods, follow fortune tellers, and make deals. Their great wealth, military might, and endless homemade idols will not save them from the God's judgment on day of the Lord. Human arrogance will be brought low as the Lord is exalted. Isaiah summarizes the chapter with a warning not to trust fallible people, instead of God.

Isaiah 2 follows the summation of the first chapter by reintroducing the prophet. He describes Israel's distant future. Someday, all the people of earth will come to Jerusalem to learn how to live from Israel's God. For now, though, the Lord has rejected His people. On the day of the Lord, however, those idols will be left behind in the caves in which the people attempt to hide from God's majesty. Later chapters of this book will explain more about how this prophecy will come to be.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).