Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Isaiah 2:22 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 22. 22Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The prophetic poem or speech in Isaiah presses the question “Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils” at Isaiah 2:22 within “Human Pride Falls in the Day of the LORD.”
Read It With
- Isaiah 2:6–22
Read Isaiah 2:22 with 2:6–22. By itself, “Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils” can be detached from the speaker, addressee, historical horizon, poetic movement, or outcome that gives it force. The complete unit establishes: Foreign practices, wealth, weapons, and idols expose Judah's misplaced trust while the terror and majesty of the LORD bring every human height low.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Within the same chapter, this unit advances from “Nations Stream to Zion to Learn Peace” into “Human Pride Falls in the Day of the LORD.” Its non-interchangeable movement is: Foreign practices, wealth, weapons, and idols expose Judah's misplaced trust while the terror and majesty of the LORD bring every human height low. This verse's placement is specific: The prophetic poem or speech in Isaiah presses the question “Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils” at Isaiah 2:22 within “Human Pride Falls in the Day of the LORD.”
What Remains True
Power, violence, false worship, and sustained injustice have consequences, but judgment is not a human license for cruelty. In Isaiah 2:22, that bounded truth is carried through this verse's role: The prophetic poem or speech in Isaiah presses the question “Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils” at Isaiah 2:22 within “Human Pride Falls in the Day of the LORD.”
How It Can Shape Life
- Identify the ancient referent and named wrongdoing, protect people in danger, and reject revenge, scapegoating, and simplistic explanations of suffering. This response follows Isaiah 2:6–22's specific concern, “Human Pride Falls in the Day of the LORD.” This verse directs that response through its exact role: The prophetic poem or speech in Isaiah presses the question “Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils” at Isaiah 2:22 within “Human Pride Falls in the Day of the LORD.”
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Isaiah 2:6–22 — Human Pride Falls in the Day of the LORDSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Isaiah 2:6–22, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Isaiah
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology at the exact unit, without treating morphology as apparatus, lexicon, composition history, or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Isa.xml, OSIS 2:6–22 with Hebrew/KJV versification difference checked
Open the fixed Hebrew Isaiah file ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Notes: Isaiah
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2016; current official PDF
Supports: Verse-level controls for Hebrew, syntax, poetry, older KJV language, chronology, names, textual issues, and material translation alternatives.
Exact location: Official NET Isaiah PDF, translator, study, and textual notes attached to Isaiah 2:6–22 in the complete 205-page book PDF
Open the official NET Isaiah PDF ↗