Isaiah 2:12-22 warns of a day when Yahweh will cast down the tall trees and high mountains, the proud men, and the idols. The passage ends with a warning not to esteem man who has breath in his nose. This last is often taken as a reference to the frailty and weakness of man, who should not be feared. The language is more specific.
“Man” is adam , and the references to breath and nose take us back to Genesis 2:7. The man that should not be esteemed (or, reckoned, considered, valued; the verb is the same as in Genesis 15:6) is not mankind in general but Adam, the first man. With the coming of the day, the Lord will wipe away the whole world of the first Adam, who received breath through His nose, and was of the earth, earthy. He will make a way for the last Adam.
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