Isaiah 44:14

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Isaiah 44:12-17

Isaiah 44:12-17 . The smith, &c. “The sacred writers,” says Bishop Lowth, “are generally large and eloquent upon 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 any thing that ever was written upon the subject, in force of argument, energy of expression, and elegance of composition. One or two of the apocryphal writers have attempted to imitate the prophet, but with very ill... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Isaiah 44:1-28

Israel’s God and man-made gods (44:1-28)Not only is God willing to forgive his people, but he wants to pour out the power of his Spirit upon them so that new spiritual life will spring up within them. This will enable them to evangelize the Gentiles, who will then join the descendants of Jacob in worshipping the God of Israel (44:1-5). Israel’s redeemer is the only God. He knows the end from the beginning and his people can depend on him always (6-8).In contrast to the one true and living God... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 44:14

14. Description of the material out of which the idol is formed. cypress—rather, from Hebrew root, "to be hard," the holm oak," an evergreen abundant in Palestine [GESENIUS]. strengtheneth—literally, "and he getteth strength to himself in the trees of the forest;" that is, he layeth in a great store of timber [LOWTH]. Or, "chooseth," as "madest strong for thyself," that is, hast chosen (Psalms 80:15; Psalms 80:17) [GESENIUS]. But English Version gives a good sense: "strengtheneth"; that is,... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Isaiah 44:1-22

2. The servant of the Lord 41:1-44:22There is an emphasis on the uniqueness of the Lord compared to other gods in this section, a theme that Isaiah introduced earlier (ch. 40 especially). The prophet particularly stressed Yahweh’s ability to control history in this connection. He did this to assure Israel that God loved her and had a future for her beyond the Exile, specifically to serve Him by demonstrating to the world that He is sovereign over history. These emphases become increasingly... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Isaiah 44:8-20

The witness to redemption 43:8-44:20Isaiah continued to show that Yahweh was both willing and able to deliver His people, a theme begun in Isaiah 42:10. He confronted the gods, again (cf. Isaiah 41:21-29), but this time he challenged them to bring forth witnesses to their deity, namely, people who could confirm their ability to predict the future. The captive Judeans were Yahweh’s witnesses. They would, despite their spiritual blindness and deafness, give witness to His ability to predict their... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Isaiah 44:10-22

God’s purposes for His servants 42:10-44:22The section of Isaiah that I have titled "God’s promises to His servants" (Isaiah 41:1 to Isaiah 42:9) sets the stage and introduces themes that Isaiah proceeded to develop in this section. Those themes are the certainty of redemption (Isaiah 42:10 to Isaiah 43:7), the witness to redemption (Isaiah 43:8 to Isaiah 44:20), and the memory of redemption (Isaiah 44:21-22). read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Isaiah 44:14

As shepherds raised some sheep for sacrifice, so the idol craftsman, here a forester, planted a tree with a view to making a god out of it one day "for himself." He wanted wood that would not rot, but the type of wood itself really does not matter. The god is perfectly passive and dependent on its human creator throughout the whole process. How can such a creation possibly help people? read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 44:1-28

The Impotence of Idols1-23. The reproach of God’s people shall be entirely removed. Jehovah the Eternal, who rules the events of history, contrasted with the futile gods of the heathen. 24-28. This great Jehovah pledges the restoration of His people through Cyrus.2. Jesurun] i.e. ’upright,’ a symbolic name of Israel (Deuteronomy 32:15), indicating its ideal character. Fear not] i.e. on account of past failure and apparent inability to realise the future which God sets before you. 3. Cp. Isaiah... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Isaiah 44:14

(14) He heweth him down cedars.—The manufacture is traced further back, possibly by way of protest against the belief current in all nations that some archaic image had fallen from heaven (Acts 19:35). The “cypress” is probably the Quercus ilex, and the “ash” a fig tree; but the identification of trees in the language of a remote time and language is always somewhat uncertain.Which he strengtheneth for himself.—Better, fixeth his choice among. The eye travels, it will be noted, backward from... read more

William Nicoll

Expositor's Dictionary of Texts - Isaiah 44:1-28

The Immanence of God Isaiah 44:8 In the Christian view of God there are two attributes which it is not easy for the human reason to combine. One of them we call the transcendence of God; to the other we give the name of immanence. I. What do we mean by the Divine transcendence? We mean that apart from and above the universe there lives and reigns a personal Creator. And what do we mean by the immanence of God? We mean the presence of the Almighty in creation. A God transcendent, like some... read more

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