Isaiah 2:11-17

2:11 Proud men will be brought low,

arrogant men will be humiliated; ¹ 

the Lord alone will be exalted ² 

in that day.

2:12 Indeed, the Lord who commands armies has planned a day of judgment, ³ 

for ⁴  all the high and mighty,

for all who are proud – they will be humiliated;

2:13 for all the cedars of Lebanon,

that are so high and mighty,

for all the oaks of Bashan; ⁵ 

2:14 for all the tall mountains,

for all the high hills, ⁶ 

2:15 for every high tower,

for every fortified wall,

2:16 for all the large ships, ⁷ 

for all the impressive ⁸  ships. ⁹ 

2:17 Proud men will be humiliated,

arrogant men will be brought low; ¹⁰ 

the Lord alone will be exalted ¹¹ 

in that day.

Job 40:11-12

40:11 Scatter abroad ¹²  the abundance ¹³  of your anger.

Look at every proud man ¹⁴  and bring him low;

40:12 Look at every proud man and abase him;

crush the wicked on the spot! ¹⁵ 

Daniel 4:37

4:37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all his deeds are right and his ways are just. He is able to bring down those who live ¹⁶  in pride.

Luke 14:11

14:11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but ¹⁷  the one who humbles ¹⁸  himself will be exalted.”

[2:11]  ¹ tn Heb “and the eyes of the pride of men will be brought low, and the arrogance of men will be brought down.” The repetition of the verbs שָׁפַל (shafal) and שָׁחָח (shakhakh) from v. 9 draws attention to the appropriate nature of the judgment. Those proud men who “bow low” before idols will be forced to “bow low” before God when he judges their sin.

[2:11]  ² tn Or “elevated”; CEV “honored.”

[2:12]  ³ tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] has a day.”

[2:12]  ⁴ tn Or “against” (NAB, NASB, NRSV).

[2:13]  ⁵ sn The cedars of Lebanon and oaks of Bashan were well-known for their size and prominence. They make apt symbols here for powerful men who think of themselves as prominent and secure.

[2:14]  ⁶ sn The high mountains and hills symbolize the apparent security of proud men, as do the high tower and fortified wall of v. 15.

[2:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish.

[2:16]  ⁸ tn Heb “desirable”; NAB, NIV “stately”; NRSV “beautiful.”

[2:16]  ⁹ tn On the meaning of this word, which appears only here in the Hebrew Bible, see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena (SBLDS), 41-42.

[2:17]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and the pride of men will be brought down, and the arrogance of men will be brought low.” As in v. 11, the repetition of the verbs שָׁפַל (shafal) and שָׁחָח (shakhakh) from v. 9 draws attention to the appropriate nature of the judgment. Those proud men who “bow low” before idols will be forced to “bow low” before God when he judges their sin.

[2:17]  ¹¹ tn Or “elevated”; NCV “praised”; CEV “honored.”

[40:11]  ¹² tn The verb was used for scattering lightning (Job 37:11). God is challenging Job to unleash his power and judge wickedness in the world.

[40:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “the overflowings.”

[40:11]  ¹⁴ tn The word was just used in the positive sense of excellence or majesty; now the exalted nature of the person refers to self-exaltation, or pride.

[40:12]  ¹⁵ tn The expression translated “on the spot” is the prepositional phrase תַּחְתָּם (takhtam, “under them”). “Under them” means in their place. But it can also mean “where someone stands, on the spot” (see Exod 16:29; Jos 6:5; Judg 7:21, etc.).

[4:37]  ¹⁶ tn Aram “walk.”

[14:11]  ¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context, which involves the reversal of expected roles.

[14:11]  ¹⁸ sn The point of the statement the one who humbles himself will be exalted is humility and the reversal imagery used to underline it is common: Luke 1:52-53; 6:21; 10:15; 18:14.