Isaiah 2:22
New International Version
Stop trusting in mere humans, who have but a breath in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem?

New Living Translation
Don’t put your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as breath. What good are they?

English Standard Version
Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?

Berean Standard Bible
Put no more trust in man, who has only the breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?

King James Bible
Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?

New King James Version
Sever yourselves from such a man, Whose breath is in his nostrils; For of what account is he?

New American Standard Bible
Take no account of man, whose breath of life is in his nostrils; For why should he be esteemed?

NASB 1995
Stop regarding man, whose breath of life is in his nostrils; For why should he be esteemed?

NASB 1977
Stop regarding man, whose breath of life is in his nostrils; For why should he be esteemed?

Legacy Standard Bible
Stop regarding man, whose breath of life is in his nostrils; For why should he be esteemed?

Amplified Bible
Stop regarding man, whose breath [of life] is in his nostrils [for so little time]; For why should he be esteemed?

Christian Standard Bible
Put no more trust in a mere human, who has only the breath in his nostrils. What is he really worth?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Put no more trust in man, who has only the breath in his nostrils. What is he really worth?

American Standard Version
Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for wherein is he to be accounted of?

Contemporary English Version
Stop trusting the power of humans. They are all going to die, so how can they help?

English Revised Version
Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Stop trusting people. Their life is in their nostrils. How can they be worth anything?

Good News Translation
Put no more confidence in mortals. What are they worth?

International Standard Version
"Stop trusting in human beings, whose life breath is in their nostrils, for what are they really worth?"

Majority Standard Bible
Put no more trust in man, who has only the breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?

NET Bible
Stop trusting in human beings, whose life's breath is in their nostrils. For why should they be given special consideration?

New Heart English Bible
Stop trusting in man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for of what account is he?

Webster's Bible Translation
Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?

World English Bible
Stop trusting in man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for of what account is he?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Cease yourselves from man, "" Whose breath [is] in his nostrils, "" For—in what is he esteemed?

Young's Literal Translation
Cease for you from man, Whose breath is in his nostrils, For -- in what is he esteemed?

Smith's Literal Translation
Cease to you from man of whom the breath is in his nose: for in what was he reckoned?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Cease ye therefore from the man, whose breath is in his nostrils, for he is reputed high.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Therefore, rest away from man, whose breath is in his nostrils, for he considers himself to be exalted.

New American Bible
As for you, stop worrying about mortals, in whose nostrils is but a breath; for of what worth are they?

New Revised Standard Version
Turn away from mortals, who have only breath in their nostrils, for of what account are they?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Shun the man who is hasty for of what account is he?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Withdraw yourselves from man whose breath is in his nostrils, for as what is he esteemed?
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Cease ye from man, in whose nostrils is a breath; For how little is he to be accounted!

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Day of Reckoning
21They will flee to caverns in the rocks and crevices in the cliffs, away from the terror of the LORD and from the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to shake the earth. 22Put no more trust in man, who has only the breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?

Cross References
Jeremiah 17:5
This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes mere flesh his strength and turns his heart from the LORD.

Psalm 146:3
Put not your trust in princes, in mortal man, who cannot save.

Psalm 118:8-9
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. / It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.

Job 27:8
For what is the hope of the godless when he is cut off, when God takes away his life?

Job 34:14-15
If He were to set His heart to it and withdraw His Spirit and breath, / all flesh would perish together and mankind would return to the dust.

Psalm 62:9
Lowborn men are but a vapor; the exalted are but a lie. Weighed on the scale, they go up; together they are but a vapor.

Psalm 144:3-4
O LORD, what is man, that You regard him, the son of man that You think of him? / Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.

Ecclesiastes 12:7
before the dust returns to the ground from which it came and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

2 Corinthians 1:9
Indeed, we felt we were under the sentence of death, in order that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead.

1 Corinthians 3:21
Therefore, stop boasting in men. All things are yours,

James 4:14
You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Matthew 10:28
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

1 Peter 1:24
For, “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,

John 2:24-25
But Jesus did not entrust Himself to them, for He knew them all. / He did not need any testimony about man, for He knew what was in a man.

Romans 1:23
and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.


Treasury of Scripture

Cease you from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of ?

cease

Psalm 62:9
Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.

Psalm 146:3
Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.

Jeremiah 17:5
Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

whose

Genesis 2:7
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Genesis 7:22
All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.

Job 27:3
All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;

for wherein

Job 7:15-21
So that my soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life…

Psalm 8:4
What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

Psalm 144:3,4
LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him! …

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Isaiah 2
1. Isaiah prophesies the coming of Christ's kingdom
6. Wickedness is the cause of God's forsaking
10. He exhorts to fear, because of the powerful effects of God's majesty














Put no more trust in man
This phrase serves as a direct command and a caution against placing ultimate confidence in human beings. The Hebrew word for "trust" here is "בָּטַח" (batach), which conveys a sense of reliance or confidence. Historically, Israel often fell into the trap of relying on alliances with other nations or their own leaders instead of trusting in God. This admonition is a timeless reminder that human strength and wisdom are limited and fallible. In a conservative Christian perspective, this calls believers to place their faith solely in God, who is unchanging and sovereign.

who has only the breath in his nostrils
The imagery of "breath in his nostrils" underscores the frailty and temporality of human life. The Hebrew word "רוּחַ" (ruach) can mean breath, spirit, or wind, emphasizing the transient nature of human existence. This phrase echoes the creation account in Genesis, where God breathes life into Adam, highlighting that life itself is a gift from God and can be taken away at any moment. Archaeologically, ancient Near Eastern cultures often depicted gods as life-givers, but here, the Bible uniquely emphasizes the singularity of the true God as the source of life. This serves as a humbling reminder of human mortality and the need to depend on the eternal God.

Of what account is he?
This rhetorical question challenges the reader to consider the true value and reliability of human beings compared to God. The Hebrew word "חָשַׁב" (chashav) implies reckoning or considering worth. In the grand scheme of God's eternal plan, human power and wisdom are insignificant. Historically, Israel's leaders and prophets often failed, leading to national calamity, which reinforces the message that human solutions are inadequate without divine guidance. From a conservative Christian viewpoint, this question encourages believers to evaluate their priorities and to recognize that true worth and purpose are found in a relationship with God, not in human achievements or status.

(22) Cease ye from man . . .--The verse is wanting in some MSS. of the LXX. version, and is rejected by some critics, as of the nature of a marginal comment, and as not in harmony with the context. The first fact is the most weighty argument against it, but is not decisive. The other objection does not count for much. To "cease from man" as well as from "idols" is surely the natural close of the great discourse which had begun with proclaiming that men of all classes and conditions should be brought low. The words "whose breath is in his nostrils" emphasise the frailty of human life (Genesis 2:7; Genesis 7:22; Psalm 146:3-4). Looking to that frailty, the prophet asks, as the psalmist had asked, "What is man? (Psalm 8:1). What is he to be valued at?" If it could be proved that the verse was not Isaiah's, it is at least the reflection of a devout mind in harmony with his.

Verse 22. - Cease ye from man. This verse is regarded by many as a late marginal note, which has accidentally crept into the text (Diestel, Studer, Cheyne). It is omitted in the Septuagint, and interrupts the sequence of Isaiah 3. on Isaiah 2. somewhat awkwardly. If retained, it must be regarded as an appeal to Israel on the part of the prophet to give up their trust in man, whence had flowed all their other errors. Whose breath is in his nostrils; i.e. "whose life is a mere breath; who, if he ceases to breathe, ceases to live." For wherein is he to be accounted of? or, for of what account is he? Surely, of no account at all.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Put no more trust
חִדְל֤וּ (ḥiḏ·lū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 2308: To be flabby, desist, be lacking, idle

in
מִן־ (min-)
Preposition
Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of

man,
הָ֣אָדָ֔ם (hā·’ā·ḏām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 120: Ruddy, a human being

who
אֲשֶׁ֥ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

has only the breath
נְשָׁמָ֖ה (nə·šā·māh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5397: A puff, wind, angry, vital breath, divine inspiration, intellect, an animal

in his nostrils.
בְּאַפּ֑וֹ (bə·’ap·pōw)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 639: The nose, nostril, the face, a person, ire

Of what
בַמֶּ֥ה (ḇam·meh)
Preposition-b | Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

account
נֶחְשָׁ֖ב (neḥ·šāḇ)
Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 2803: To think, account

is he?
הֽוּא׃ (hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 2:22 Stop trusting in man whose breath (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 2:21
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