The Meaning of Isaiah 2:13 Explained

Isaiah 2:13

KJV: And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan,

YLT: And for all cedars of Lebanon, The high and the exalted ones, And for all oaks of Bashan,

Darby: and upon all the cedars of Lebanon, high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan;

ASV: and upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan,

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And upon all the cedars  of Lebanon,  [that are] high  and lifted up,  and upon all the oaks  of Bashan, 

What does Isaiah 2:13 Mean?

Context Summary

Isaiah 2:12-22 - An Exhortation To Humility And Reverence
If men will not repent, they must suffer. If they will not voluntarily put away their idols and sorceries, they will be compelled to do so in the anguish of their disappointment with their helpless deities, Isaiah 2:20. Nothing in that great civilization would be spared. High towers, fenced walls, ships, treasures, armor-all would perish. Their vaunted faith in man would cease. Life would become elemental in its simplicity amid the shelter of the ragged rocks. In sarcastic phrase the prophet depicts a despairing nation choosing for ruler the first man that came along with a decent coat on his back, Isaiah 2:6; but in vain. We can almost hear the sob of the prophet's soul in Isaiah 2:8-9, and recall the tears of a greater than Isaiah, Who wept over this same Jerusalem eight hundred years afterward. Patriotism is one of the purest passions that can burn in the heart of man! "Lives there a man, with soul so dead, that never to himself has said, This is my own, my native land!" [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 2

1  Isaiah prophesies the coming of Christ's kingdom
6  Wickedness is the cause of God's forsaking
10  He exhorts to fear, because of the powerful effects of God's majesty

What do the individual words in Isaiah 2:13 mean?

And Upon all the cedars of Lebanon [that are] high and lifted up and upon the oaks of Bashan
וְעַל֙ כָּל־ אַרְזֵ֣י הַלְּבָנ֔וֹן הָרָמִ֖ים וְהַנִּשָּׂאִ֑ים וְעַ֖ל אַלּוֹנֵ֥י הַבָּשָֽׁן

וְעַל֙  And  Upon 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
אַרְזֵ֣י  the  cedars 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אֶרֶז  
Sense: cedar.
הַלְּבָנ֔וֹן  of  Lebanon 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: לְבָנׄון  
Sense: a wooded mountain range on the northern border of Israel.
הָרָמִ֖ים  [that  are]  high 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: יָרוּם 
Sense: to rise, rise up, be high, be lofty, be exalted.
וְהַנִּשָּׂאִ֑ים  and  lifted  up 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: נָשָׂא  
Sense: to lift, bear up, carry, take.
וְעַ֖ל  and  upon 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
אַלּוֹנֵ֥י  the  oaks 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אַלֹּון  
Sense: oak, great tree.
הַבָּשָֽׁן  of  Bashan 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: בָּשָׁן 
Sense: a district east of the Jordan known for its fertility which was given to the half-tribe of Manasseh.