Isaiah 2:13 - Exposition

Upon all the cedars of Lebanon . It is usual to take this metaphorically; and no doubt men are often compared to trees in Scripture ( Psalms 1:3 ; Jeremiah 17:8 ; Job 8:16 , Job 8:17 ), and "cedars of Lebanon" especially are symbols of the great and proud ones ( Ezekiel 31:3 ). But it has been well observed that either all the details of the description in the text must be taken literally, or all of them metaphorically, and that the mention of such objects as "ships of Tarshish" and "pleasant pictures" pleads strongly for a literal interpretation. The day of the Lord was upon the cedars when Sennacherib "with chariots upon chariots came up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon , and cut down the tall cedars thereof , and the choice fir trees thereof" ( Isaiah 37:24 ); and similar devastation accompanied, it is probable, the other invasions of the Assyrians. Upon all the oaks of Bashan . The "oaks of Bashan" are celebrated also by Ezekiel ( Ezekiel 27:6 ) and by Zechariah ( Zechariah 11:2 ). It is quite likely that the Assyrians cut timber in Bashan, as they did in Lebanon and Amanus.