“To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.”
My Notes
What Does Isaiah 2:21 Mean?
Isaiah describes people fleeing in terror when God arises to "shake terribly the earth." They hide in rock clefts and on craggy peaks—the most remote, inaccessible places they can find—trying to escape "the fear of the LORD, and the glory of his majesty." The God they ignored has become the God they can't escape.
The imagery is visceral: crawling into cracks in rocks, scrambling to the tops of jagged cliffs. These aren't dignified retreats. They're panicked flights of people who have suddenly realized that the God they dismissed is real, present, and terrifying. The same glory they refused to worship has become the glory they can't face.
The phrase "when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth" suggests that God, who has been patient and seemingly passive, finally stands up. The arising is the end of patience—the moment when divine restraint gives way to divine action. And the shaking is "terrible"—not gentle, not gradual, but catastrophic. The earth itself convulses at His rising.
Reflection Questions
- 1.If God 'arose' in your life today—if His presence became unmistakably, terrifyingly real—would you run toward Him or away from Him?
- 2.What are you using as 'hiding places'—things you rely on to avoid dealing with God directly?
- 3.How does God's patience—His apparent passivity during seasons of rebellion—create a false sense of security?
- 4.What would change in your daily life if you lived as though God's arising was imminent rather than distant?
Devotional
When God stands up, people run. They don't walk. They scramble into rock cracks and climb jagged cliffs, desperate for any hiding place. The God they ignored during seasons of patience has become terrifyingly real, and they can't get away from His glory.
This verse captures a reversal that happens throughout Scripture: the God who was dismissed becomes the God who can't be escaped. During the quiet seasons—when God is patient, when judgment is delayed, when life goes on seemingly without divine intervention—it's easy to live as if He's not there. But Isaiah says there's a day when He arises. And when He does, the people who built their lives without reference to Him will panic.
The hiding is futile and the text knows it. Rock clefts can't shelter you from the Creator of rocks. Craggy peaks can't elevate you above the God who made the mountains. The hiding places aren't safety—they're denial. The same denial that led people to live as if God wasn't real now leads them to hide as if mountains can block His view.
If this verse produces discomfort, it's working. Not to terrorize you, but to wake you up. The patience of God has a boundary. The arising is coming. The question isn't whether you'll face the glory of His majesty—it's whether you'll face it as someone who has been living in the light of it or as someone scrambling for a rock to hide behind.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
To go - That is, that he may go. Clefts of the rocks - see the note at Isa 2:19. Into the tops ... - The tops of such…
The prophet here goes on to show what a desolation would be brought upon their land when God should have forsaken them.…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture