Isaiah 44

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 44:11

Behold, all his fellows - All that are joined in making, and in worshipping it, are regarded as the fellows, or the companions (חברין chăbērâyn) of the idol-god (see Hosea 4:17 - ‘Ephraim is joined to idols’). They and the idols constitute one company or fellowship, intimately allied to each other.Shall be, ashamed - Shall be confounded when they find that their idols cannot aid them.And the workmen - The allusion to the workmen is to show that what they made could not be worthy of the... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 44:12

The smith with the tongs - The prophet proceeds here to show the folly and absurdity of idolatry; and in order to this he goes into an extended statement Isaiah 44:12-19 of the manner in which idols were usually made. Lowth remarks, ‘The sacred writers are generally large and eloquent on the subject of idolatry; they treat it with great severity, and set forth the absurdity of it in the strongest light. But this passage of Isaiah far exceeds anything that was ever written on the subject, in... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 44:13

The carpenter - The axe is made Isaiah 44:12, and the carpenter now proceeds to the construction of the god.Stretcheth out his rule - For the purpose of laying out his work, or measuring it. The word rendered here ‘rule,’ however (קו qâv), means properly “a line”; and should be so rendered here. The carpenter stretches out a line, but not a rule.He marketh it out with a line - He marks out the shape; the length, and breadth, and thickness of the body, in the rough and unhewn piece of wood. He... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 44:14

He heweth him down cedars - In the previous verses, the prophet had described the formation of an axe with which the work was to be done Isaiah 44:12, and the laying out, and carving of the idol Isaiah 44:13. In this verse he proceeds to describe the material of which the idol was made, and the different purposes Isaiah 44:15-17 to which that material was applied. The object is to show the amazing stupidity of those who should worship a god made of the same material from which they made a fire... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 44:15

Then shall it be for a man to burn - It will afford materials for a fire. The design of this verse and the following is, to ridicule the idea of a man’s using parts of the same tree to make a fire to cook his victuals, to warm himself, and to shape a god. Nothing could be more stupid than the conduct here referred to, and yet it is common all over the pagan world. It shows the utter debasement of the race, that they thus of the same tree make a fire, cook their food, and construct their gods. read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 44:16

With part thereof he eateth flesh - That is, he prepares flesh to eat, or prepares his food.He roasteth roast - He roasts meat. read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 44:18

They have not known nor understood - They are stupid, ignorant, and blind. Nothing could more strikingly show their ignorance and stupidity than this idol worship.He hath shut their eyes - God hath closed their eyes. Margin, ‘Daubed.’ The word used here, טה ṭah from טוה ṭûah denotes properly “to spread over”; to besmear; to plaster; as, e. g., a wall with mortar Lev 14:42; 1 Chronicles 29:4; Ezekiel 13:10; Ezekiel 22:28. Here it means to cover over the eyes so as to prevent vision; and... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 44:19

And none considereth in his heart - Margin, ‘Setteth to.’ He does not place the subject near his heart or mind; he does not think of it. A similar phrase occurs in Isaiah 46:8 : ‘Bring it again to mind.’ It is a phrase drawn from the act of placing an object near us, in order to examine it closely; and we express the same idea by the phrase ‘looking at a thing,’ or ‘looking at it closely.’ The sense is, they had not attentively and carefully thought on the folly of what they were doing - a... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 44:20

He feedeth on ashes - There have been various interpretations of this. Jerome renders it, ‘A part of it is ashes;’ the Chaldee, ‘Lo! half of the god is reduced to ashes;’ the Septuagint, ‘Know thou that their heart is ashes.’ The word rendered here ‘feedeth’ (רעה ro‛eh) means properly “to feed, graze, pasture”; and then, figuratively, to delight, or take pleasure in any person or thing Proverbs 13:20; Proverbs 15:14; Proverbs 28:7; Proverbs 29:3. In Hosea 12:1, ‘Ephraim feedeth on wind,’ it... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 44:21

Remember these - Remember these things which are now said about the folly of idolatry, and the vanity of worshipping idols. The object of the argument is, to turn their attention to God, and to lead them to put their trust in him.Thou art my servant - (See the notes at Isaiah 42:19; Isaiah 43:1). read more

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 44:11

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 44:12

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 44:13

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 44:14

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 44:15

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 44:16

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 44:18

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 44:19

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 44:20

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 44:21

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