A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of Isaiah 2-4
Kuruvilla Thomas
Bangalore
Published on 22 August 2025
Introduction
This study treats Isaiah 2-4 as a cryptochiasmus in order to arrive at a coherent reconfiguration of the text ( see definition of cryptochiasmus in [1] ). If you wish to skip the technicalities of a chiastic parse, you may read starting from Section 4 of the Discussion section, which has the reconfigured text.
Isaiah 2-4 predicts Israel's hegemony during Christ's Millennial Reign and the humbling of the wicked when Christ returns in glory at the beginning of the Final Tribulation. The prophecy also details the reasons for God's punishment of Judea through the Romans.
Discussion
1. Presuppositions
We base our parse of Isaiah 2-4 on the assumption that it refers to 3 periods:
- The First Jewish–Roman War (66AD–73AD).
- The Start of Christ's Millennial Reign on Earth (2027AD).
- Christ's Return in Glory at the Start of the Final Tribulation (unknown date before 2967AD).
2. Parsing the chiasmus
We will use the NIV Bible for this parse.
Parsing this chiasmus involves dividing portions of the text into three categories as above. We will call the period of First Jewish–Roman War Period 1, the Start of Christ's Millennial Reign Period 2 and the beginning of the Final Tribulation Period 3.
Categorizing Isaiah 2-4
Ch 2 Vs 2-6 belong to Period 2. Christ and his Messiah will rule from Jerusalem during his Millennial Reign.Ch 2 Vs 7-22 belong to Period 3. Arrogant idolaters are humbled when Christ returns in glory at the start of the Final Tribulation.
Ch 3 belong to Period 1. The sins and punishment of Judah and Jerusalem during the First Jewish–Roman War, with a focus on the sins of the leaders and the women.
Ch 4 Vs 1 appears to belong to Period 3. The rapture results in a disproportionately larger population of women than men. ( Though this verse comes immediately after the passage on the vanity of the women of Jerusalem in Ch. 3, we do not believe it applies to them, as the women in 70AD were either killed or taken into slavery.)
Ch 4 Vs 2-6 belong to Period 2. Christ will reign through his elect in the New Israel.
Original text
We color-code the chiastic units of the original text (NIV) below for easy visual identification using: red for Period 1, blue for Period 2 and green for Period 3. We have retranslated parts of the text.
Isaiah 2 2 In the last days
the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.
3 Many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 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.
5 Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord.
6 You, Lord, have abandoned your people, the descendants of Jacob. They are full of superstitions from the East; they practice divination like the Philistines and embrace pagan customs.
7 Their land is full of silver and gold; there is no end to their treasures. Their land is full of horses; there is no end to their chariots. 8 Their land is full of idols. They [a] bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made. 9 So people will be brought low and everyone humbled— they cannot be forgiven [b].
10 Go into the rocks, hide in the ground from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty! 11 The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled and human pride brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
12 The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (they [c] will be humbled), 13 for all the cedars of Lebanon, tall and lofty, and all the oaks of Bashan, 14 for all the towering mountains and all the high hills, 15 for every lofty tower and every fortified wall, 16 for every trading ship and every stately vessel. 17 The arrogance of man will be brought low and human pride humbled; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day, 18 and the idols will totally disappear.
19 People will flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth.
20 In that day people will throw away to the moles and bats their idols of silver and idols of gold, which they made to worship. 21 They will flee to caverns in the rocks and to the overhanging crags from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth. [d]
Retranslation notes for Isaiah 2
[a] vs 8 "idols. They" instead of "idols; they".
[b] vs 9 "they cannot be forgiven" instead of "do not forgive them".
[c] vs 12 "they" instead of "and they".
[d] vs 22 Removed this verse, as it is omitted in the LXX and considered by many to be a later insertion. The verse goes, "Stop trusting in mere humans, who have but a breath in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem?".
Isaiah 3 See now, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support: all supplies of food and all supplies of water, 2 the hero and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder, 3 the captain of fifty and the man of rank, the counselor, skilled craftsman and eloquent orator [a].
4 “I will make mere youths their officials; children will rule over them.”
5 People will oppress each other— man against man, neighbor against neighbor. The young will rise up against the old, the nobody against the honored.
6 A man will seize one of his brothers in his father’s house, and say, “You have a cloak, you be our leader; take charge of this heap of ruins!” 7 But in that day he will cry out, “I have no remedy. I have no food or clothing in my house; do not make me the leader of the people.”
8 Jerusalem will stagger and Judah will fall, because [b] their words and deeds are against the Lord, defying his glorious presence. 9 The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves.
10 Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds. 11 Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them! They will be paid back for what their hands have done.
12 Youths tyrannize my people, women rule over them. My people, your guides mislead you; they confuse the direction of your paths [c].
13 The Lord takes his place in court; he rises to judge the people. 14 The Lord enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of his people: “It is you who have ruined my vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses. 15 What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
16 The Lord says, “The women of Zion are haughty, walking along with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, strutting along with swaying hips, with ornaments jingling on their ankles. 17 Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion; the Lord will make their scalps bald.”
18 In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces, 19 the earrings and bracelets and veils, 20 the headdresses and anklets and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms, 21 the signet rings and nose rings, 22 the fine robes and the capes and cloaks, the purses 23 and mirrors, and the linen garments and tiaras and shawls.
24 Instead of fragrance there will be a stench; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-dressed hair, baldness; instead of fine clothing, sackcloth; instead of beauty, branding. 25 Your men will fall by the sword, your warriors in battle. 26 The gates of Zion will lament and mourn; destitute, she will sit on the ground.
Retranslation notes for Isaiah 3
[a] vs 3 "eloquent orator" instead of "clever enchanter". From the KJV.
[b] vs 8 "Jerusalem will stagger and Judah will fall, because" instead of "Jerusalem staggers, Judah is falling;".
[c] vs 12 "Youths tyrannize my people, women rule over them. My people, your guides mislead you; they confuse the direction of your paths" instead of "Youths oppress my people, women rule over them. My people, your guides lead you astray; they turn you from the path".
Isaiah 4 1 In that day seven women will take hold of one man and say, “We will eat our own food and provide our own clothes; only let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!”
2 In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. 3 Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem. 4 The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire. 5 Then the Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over everything the glory will be a canopy. 6 It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.
3. Building the reconfigured text
From this parse, it appears that Isaiah 2-4 forms a cryptochiasmus as below:A1 Ch 2 Vs 2-6 Period 2. The Millennial Reign of Christ
B1 Ch 2 Vs 7-22 Period 3. The End-Times return of Christ
X Ch 3 Period 1. The First Jewish–Roman War
B2 Ch 4 Vs 1 Period 3. Women outnumber men during the end times
A2 Ch 4 Vs 2-6 Period 2. Christ reigns from Israel
We now reconstruct the passages in the right order based on the chiastic structure above and based on the ordering rules of a cryptochiasmus [1].
We lead with central pivot point 'X'. The corresponding subunits (for example; subunit A1 corresponds to A2) are placed contiguously to form units (for example, A1,A2 is a unit) so that we get a list of such units.
The sequence selected for rearrangement is:
X [A1,A2] [B1,B2] (1)
Translating (1) into verse numbers, we get:
Ch 3 [Ch 2 Vs 2-6, Ch 4 Vs 2-6] [Ch 2 Vs 7-22, Ch 4 Vs 1] (2)
We arrive at the reconfigured passage in the next section by rearranging the verses so they are in sequence (2).
4. Isaiah 2-4 Reconfigured
The First Jewish–Roman War (66AD–73AD) (Ch 3)Chiasmus 1: God takes away competent leadership from the Judahites (3:1-8)
Chiasmus 2: God judges the Judahites (3:9-15)
Chiasmus 3: The vain and haughty women of Jerusalem (3:16-26)
The Start of Christ's Millennial Reign on Earth (2027AD) (Ch 2 Vs 2-6, Ch 4 Vs 2-6)
Christ's Return in Glory at the Start of the Final Tribulation (unknown date before 2967AD) (Ch 2 Vs 7-22, Ch 4 Vs 1)
Chiasmus 1: Those who worship idols and the things of this world are punished (2:7-9)
Chiasmus 2: The wicked are punished and the proud humbled (2:10-19)
Chiasmus 3: The aftermath of Christ's coming (2:20-22, 4:1)
5. A Commentary on the Reconfigured Text
5.0 Introductory Statement
Chapter 2 1 This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:
This prophecy has one of the more detailed predictions about Judea and Jerusalem at the time of the First Jewish–Roman War in 70AD. The prophecy also makes predictions regarding the Israelites during the Millennial Reign and of those outside the New Israel when Christ returns in glory. ( This introductory verse, 2:1, lies outside the cryptochiasmus.)
5.1 The First Jewish–Roman War (66AD–73AD) (Ch 3)
This Period is structured as a series of 3 chiasmi that are regarding the punishment of the Judahites.Chiasmus 1: God takes away competent leadership from the Judahites (3:1-8)
A1 3:1-4 God takes away both supplies and leadership from the wicked Judahites
X 3:5 The land descends into anarchy
A2 3:6-8 God takes away both supplies and leadership from the wicked Judahites
Subunit A1: God takes away both supplies and leadership from the wicked Judahites (3:1-4)
Chapter 3 1 See now, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support: all supplies of food and all supplies of water,
During the First Jewish-Roman war, the land of Judea experienced famine and drought (see also Joel 1:10-12,17-20). In addition, during the siege of Jerusalem, supplies of food were intentionally burned by Judahite factions to induce the defenders to fight against the siege; as a result many city dwellers and soldiers starved to death. (See our parse on the "70 Weeks of Daniel" [2] for more detailed historical background on this period.)
Chapter 3 2 the hero and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder, 3 the captain of fifty and the man of rank, the counselor, skilled craftsman and eloquent orator. 4 “I will make mere youths their officials; children will rule over them.”
Those Judahites who were wise and capable were taken away by God - the remaining men lacked experience and skill ('youths' or 'children'). It may be that many of the wiser Judahites heeded Jesus exhortation to flee as soon as they saw the Romans. Also, the Roman governor Gessius Florus had arrested and crucified many Judahite leaders at the start of the war.
Pivot X: The land descends into anarchy (3:5)
Chapter 3 5 People will oppress each other— man against man, neighbor against neighbor. The young will rise up against the old, the nobody against the honored.
Jerusalem and Judea went into a state of lawlessness, because God had taken away its supplies and all the able leadership. Also, the various Judahite factions had their own bands of soldiers who sometimes fought each other, even during the Roman siege.
Subunit A2: God takes away both supplies and leadership from the wicked Judahites (3:6-8)
Chapter 3 6 A man will seize one of his brothers in his father’s house, and say, “You have a cloak, you be our leader; take charge of this heap of ruins!” 7 But in that day he will cry out, “I have no remedy. I have no food or clothing in my house; do not make me the leader of the people.”
The people were desperate for good leadership. They tried to make leaders out of those who had some semblance of wealth - someone who inherited an estate ("father's house") and had decent clothes ("you have a cloak") - but no one was willing or able to take up the responsibility.
Chapter 3 8 Jerusalem will stagger and Judah will fall, because their words and deeds are against the Lord, defying his glorious presence.
The wicked Judahites were punished because they sinned against the Lord in word and deed - they followed Satanic doctrines and even worshipped other gods (see also Zeph. 1:4-9, Matt 23).
Chiasmus 2: God judges the Judahites (3:9-15)
A1 3:9-11 The Judahites are judged and their wicked punished
X 3:12 The Judahites have been led astray by bad leaders
A2 3:13-15 The Judahites are judged and their wicked punished
Subunit A1: The Judahites are judged and their wicked punished (3:9-11)
Chapter 3 9 The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves.
The look on the Judahites' faces is one of impudence, as they sin openly and without remorse or shame, like the people of Sodom. They will be severely punished for it.
Chapter 3 10 Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds 11 Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them! They will be paid back for what their hands have done.
Righteous Judahites are saved, as they take Jesus' advice to flee to the mountains when they see the Roman soldiers arrive (Matt 24:15-20); they will go on to establish the worldwide church. On the other hand God punishes the wicked Judahites through the Romans.
Pivot X: The Judahites have been led astray by bad leaders (3:12)
Chapter 3 12 Youths tyrannize my people, women rule over them. My people, your guides mislead you; they confuse the direction of your paths.
Before the war, the Judahites had unwise leadership ("youths", "women") that tyrannized them, and led them into wicked, Satanic doctrines and away from Jesus' message (see also Isaiah 28:7-19).
Subunit A2: The Judahites are judged and their wicked punished (3:13-15)
13 The Lord takes his place in court; he rises to judge the people. 14 The Lord enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of his people: “It is you who have ruined my vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses. 15 What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
The Judahite class of elders and leaders (primarily the Pharisees and Scribes) were corrupt. They placed the Judahites under oppressive laws (Matt 23:4) and abused their position to take advantage of the poor. They will be judged by God and punished for it.
Chiasmus 3: The vain and haughty women of Jerusalem (3:16-26)
A1 3:16-17 The punishment of Jerusalem's women
X 3:18-23 The vanity of Jerusalem's women
A2 3:24-26 The punishment of Jerusalem's women
Subunit A1: The punishment of Jerusalem's women (3:16-17)
Chapter 3 16 The Lord says, “The women of Zion are haughty, walking along with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, strutting along with swaying hips, with ornaments jingling on their ankles. 17 Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion; the Lord will make their scalps bald.”
The women of Jerusalem had become excessively haughty, immoral and immodest ("flirting, strutting, swaying hips...", "outstretched necks" to attract attention), so God punished them during the Roman attack.
Pivot X: The vanity of Jerusalem's women (3:18-23)
Chapter 3 18 In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces, 19 the earrings and bracelets and veils, 20 the headdresses and anklets and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms, 21 the signet rings and nose rings, 22 the fine robes and the capes and cloaks, the purses 23 and mirrors, and the linen garments and tiaras and shawls.
The jewellery, cosmetics and fine clothes worn by the inordinately vain women of Jerusalem are detailed in this list - they are some of the typical eastern forms of feminine adornment. All of this was taken away from them during the war with the Romans.
Subunit A2: The punishment of Jerusalem's women (3:24-26)
Chapter 3 24 Instead of fragrance there will be a stench; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-dressed hair, baldness; instead of fine clothing, sackcloth; instead of beauty, branding.
As punishment, the women of Jerusalem were either brutally killed or led away into slavery ("...instead of beauty, branding").
Chapter 3 25 Your men will fall by the sword, your warriors in battle. 26 The gates of Zion will lament and mourn; destitute, she will sit on the ground.
This passage is addressed to the women of Jerusalem. Their menfolk are killed, including the irregular troops that defends Jerusalem. There is great lamentation as their city is razed to the ground (the "gates" of the city, a public meeting place, is personified here). Remarkably, in the Roman medals commemorating the defeat and captivity of Judea and Jerusalem, Judea is represented by a grieving female sitting under a palm tree, with the inscription: Judea Capta.
5.2 The Start of Christ's Millennial Reign on Earth (2027AD) (Ch 2 Vs 2-6, Ch 4 Vs 2-6)
This Period is arranged in the form of a two-unit chiasmus:A1 2:2-3 Israel is the spiritual leader of the world
B1 2:4 The Messiah will rule over the world from Jerusalem
X 2:5-6 Israel turns away from idolatry
B2 4:2-3 The Messiah will rule over the world from Jerusalem
A2 4:4-6 Israel is the spiritual leader of the world
Subunit A1: Israel is the spiritual leader of the world (2:2-3)
Chapter 2 2 In the last days
the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
and all nations will stream to it.
3 Many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
During the Millennial Reign of Christ, Jerusalem, the capital of the reconstituted Israel, will be a spiritual mountain towering above all nations and institutions around it ("mountain" is figurative here). Jerusalem, the home of the coming Messiah, will be a highly regarded source of Godly wisdom and spiritual law for the world (see also Isaiah 60:3, Jer. 3:17). (The passage in 2:2-4 is virtually identical to Micah 4:1-3, which is a part of our parse of Micah 4&5 [3].)
Subunit B1: The Messiah will rule over the world from Jerusalem (2:4)
Chapter 2 4 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.
Christ, through his Messiah, will be judge over international disputes and so will be de facto ruler of the world. There will be no more cause for war or even for arming and preparing for war, because Christ will have complete control over world affairs - this will be a period of true peace on earth ("They will beat their swords into plowshares...") (see also Isa. 11:6, Micah 4:3).
Pivot X: Israel turns away from idolatry (2:5-6)
Chapter 2 5 Come, descendants of Jacob,
let us walk in the light of the Lord.
6 You, Lord, have abandoned your people,
the descendants of Jacob.
They are full of superstitions from the East;
they practice divination like the Philistines
and embrace pagan customs.
The people of the Northern Tribes ("Jacob") are called to return to their God at the start of Christ's Millennial Reign (see Romans 11:26). For more than 2700 years, God had hidden His face from the Israelites of the Northern Tribes because of the waywardness of their forefathers, and so they followed pagan religions and occult practices from the East during this period (see Deut. 28:36, Romans 11:25).
Subunit B2: The Messiah will rule over the world from Jerusalem (4:2-3)
Chapter 4 2 In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel.
During the Millennial Reign of Christ, the coming Messiah ("Branch"), through his actions, will be a magnificent representative of God. The good things that come out of Israel ("fruit of the land") under the leadership of the Messiah for the benefit of the world will be the pride and glory of the Israelites. The word "Branch" refers to the coming Messiah - he is a "Shoot" ("Branch" may be better rendered "Shoot") from the dormant root of David's line (see Isaiah 11:1, Jer. 23:5-6...).
Chapter 4 3 Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem.
The people of Israel will be called "holy", indicating that they will all be dedicated to doing God's work on earth. Israel will be purged during the period of Jacob's trouble (see Jeremiah 30:7), and only those who are judged worthy will remain in the New Israel ("recorded among the living", the "survivors" of 4:2). Note that we take "Zion" and "Jerusalem" in this passage to synecdochically represent all of Israel.
Subunit A2: Israel is the spiritual leader of the world (4:4-6)
Chapter 4 4 The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire.
God will purge from among the women and men of Israel those who are wicked ("filth", "bloodstains") during the time of Jacob's trouble (see Jeremiah 30:7) - this will be a time of judgement ("spirit of judgement/fire") for the Israelites. Note that we take "Zion" and "Jerusalem" in this passage to synecdochically represent all of Israel.
Chapter 4 5 Then the Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over everything the glory will be a canopy. 6 It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.
God will spiritually lead the chosen remnant of the Israelites ("Mount Zion" represents all of Israel), as indicated by the "cloud of smoke" and "flaming fire" (see Exodus 13:21-22). God will protect the Israelites ("the glory will be a canopy") from the wickedness of the spiritual realm ("heat of day" and "storm and rain" represent the evil of the spiritual realm - cf. Rev. 7:16).
5.3 Christ's Return in Glory at the Start of the Final Tribulation (unknown date before 2967AD) (Ch 2 Vs 7-22, Ch 4 Vs 1)
This Period is structured as a series of 3 chiasmi that are regarding the humbling of the wicked at Christ's coming for the rapture.Chiasmus 1: Those who worship idols and the things of this world are punished (2:7-9)
A1 2:7 Those who worship the things of this world are punished
X 2:8a Many around the world worship demon gods
A2 2:8b-9 Those who worship the things of this world are punished
Subunit A1: Those who worship the things of this world are punished (2:7)
Chapter 2 7 Their land is full of silver and gold; there is no end to their treasures. Their land is full of horses; there is no end to their chariots.
Many around the world will be extremely rich ("silver and gold", "treasure") from living in an advanced society, and they will have all the trappings of wealth ("horses" and "chariots" represent their lavish lifestyle). But they will become obsessed with the things of this world, forgetting their God.
Pivot X: Many around the world worship demon gods (2:8a)
Chapter 2 8a Their land is full of idols.
Many outside Israel will worship demon gods (see also Rev 22:15), even though the whole world has been made fully aware of the One True God (see Matthew 24:14).
Subunit A2: Those who worship the things of this world are punished (2:8b-9)
This subunit continues from the corresponding subunit A1 above.
Chapter 2 8b They bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made. 9 So people will be brought low and everyone humbled— they cannot be forgiven.
The people of this time worship the things they own, the works of their hand, instead of worshipping God. Those who have more regard for the things of this world than they have for God will be punished when Christ comes in glory at the beginning of the Final Tribulation.
Chiasmus 2: The wicked are punished and the proud humbled (2:10-19)
A1 2:10 The wicked hide from the presence of the Lord
B1 2:11 The arrogant are punished
X 2:12-16 The powerful are humbled
B2 2:17-18 The arrogant are punished
A2 2:19 The wicked hide from the presence of the Lord
Subunit A1: The wicked hide from the presence of the Lord (2:10)
Chapter 2 10 Go into the rocks, hide in the ground from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty!
After Christ returns in glory at the start of the Final Tribulation, the wicked, who are not raptured out, will see the power and splendour of God as He begins to inflict the Final Tribulations on the people of earth, and they will try to hide from His terrifying presence (see also Rev 6:15-17).
Subunit B1: The arrogant are punished (2:11)
11 The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled and human pride brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
The people of the world outside Israel are arrogant and proudly self-sufficient because of the wealth and power they acquired from demon worship. They are punished at Christ's coming. God alone is exalted on that day and all the demon gods are stripped of their power (Rev 6:12-14).
Pivot X: The powerful are humbled (2:12-16)
12 The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (they will be humbled), 13 for all the cedars of Lebanon, tall and lofty, and all the oaks of Bashan, 14 for all the towering mountains and all the high hills, 15 for every lofty tower and every fortified wall, 16 for every trading ship and every stately vessel.
The wicked of the earth have acquired great wealth and power through idolatry. But Christ's coming will be a day of judgement, and they will be humbled as they face the Final Tribulation. The entire list in vs 13-16 - cedars of Lebanon, lofty towers, towering mountains, stately vessels... - metaphorically represents people and institutions with great wealth and power.
Subunit B2: The arrogant are punished (2:17-18)
17 The arrogance of man will be brought low and human pride humbled; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day, 18 and the idols will totally disappear.
The people of the world are arrogant and proudly self-sufficient because of the wealth and power they acquired from demon worship. They are humbled at Christ's coming. God alone is exalted on that day and all the demon gods ("idols") are stripped of their power (Rev 6:12-14).
Subunit A2: The wicked hide from the presence of the Lord (2:19)
19 People will flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth.
After Christ returns in glory at the start of the Final Tribulation, the wicked, who are not raptured out, will see the power and splendour of God and they will try to hide from his terrifying wrath (see also Rev 6:15-17).
Chiasmus 3: The aftermath of Christ's coming (2:20-22, 4:1)
A1 2:20 The aftermath of the Lord's coming for the rapture
X 2:21-22 The wicked hide from the presence of the Lord
A2 4:1 The aftermath of the Lord's coming for the rapture
Subunit A1: The aftermath of the Lord's coming for the rapture (2:20)
Chapter 2 20 In that day people will throw away to the moles and bats their idols of silver and idols of gold, which they made to worship.
People will stop worshipping pagan gods, for at this time, the demon gods lose all their power (Rev. 6:13-14) and God alone is exalted. The idolaters will discard their idols in the rubbish heaps ("to the moles and bats" - both moles and bats inhabit ruins), indicating the contempt they now have for the gods they had worshipped.
Pivot X: The wicked hide from the presence of the Lord (2:21-22)
Chapter 2 21 They will flee to caverns in the rocks and to the overhanging crags from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth.
After Christ returns in glory at the start of the Final Tribulation, the wicked, who are not raptured out, will see the power and splendour of God and they will try to hide from His terrifying presence as He unleashes the Final Tribulation on the earth (see also Rev 6:15-17).
( Note that we have removed 2:22. See details under the retranslation notes for Ch 2 above.)
Subunit A2: The aftermath of the Lord's coming for the rapture (4:1)
Chapter 4 1 In that day seven women will take hold of one man and say, “We will eat our own food and provide our own clothes; only let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!”
It appears that far more men than women are deemed worthy to be taken up in the rapture, probably because the women are vain and immoral like those of Period 1. Due to the resulting imbalance, many women will be without mates during the Final Tribulation. (Note that both subunits A1 and A2 begin with the phrase, "In that day".)
Conclusion
With this chiastic reconstruction of the text, we have shown that the passage contains three interwoven prophetic passages. The prophecy predicts Israel's leadership during the Messiah's Millennial Reign, and the humbling of the wicked towards the end of the Millennial Reign. This prophecy specifically mentions the punishment of worldly and immoral women in all three Periods.
References
[1] A Definition of Cryptochiasmus[2] A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of "The 70 Weeks Of Daniel"
[3] A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of Micah 4 and 5
* First version published on 24 December 2019.