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And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan,
Isaiah 2:13 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB For all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, for all the oaks of Bashan,
  • BSB against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up, against all the oaks of Bashan,
  • NKJV Upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up, And upon all the oaks of Bashan;
  • NASB And it will be against all the cedars of Lebanon that are lofty and lifted up, Against all the oaks of Bashan,
  • NLT He will cut down the tall cedars of Lebanon and all the mighty oaks of Bashan.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Judgment will fall on the towering cedars of Lebanon and oaks of Bashan. These majestic trees symbolize lofty human pride that God will fell.

Overview

The cedars and oaks were proverbial for height and strength, fitting images of human grandeur. All that seems immovable and exalted will be brought down before God. The list illustrates that nothing proud can stand in the day of the LORD.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 6

  • Isa 14:8Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us.
  • Zech 11:1–2Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars.
  • Ezek 31:3–12Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs.
  • Isa 10:33–34Behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled.
  • Amos 2:5But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.
  • Isa 37:24By thy servants hast thou reproached the Lord, and hast said, By the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the height of his border, and the forest of his Carmel.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (5)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Isaiah videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Isaiah 2:13YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on IsaiahMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).

How Isaiah 2:13 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.