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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Isaiah 44:9-20

Often before, God, by the prophet, had mentioned the folly and strange sottishness of idolaters; but here he enlarges upon that head, and very fully and particularly exposes them to contempt and ridicule. This discourse is intended, 1. To arm the people of Israel against the strong temptation they would be in to worship idols when they were captives in Babylon, in compliance with the custom of the country (they being far from the city of their own solemnities) and to humour those who were now... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 44:16

He burneth part thereof in the fire ,.... To warm himself with, as before: with part thereof he eateth flesh ; that is, with part of it he dresses flesh, and makes it fit to eat; unless the meaning is, with part of it he makes tables and trenchers to eat meat off of; but the former sense seems most likely, and agrees with what follows: he roasteth roast, and is satisfied ; he roasts his meat with it, and eats it when roasted, and is highly pleased and delighted with it, and he eats... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 44:16

With part "And with part" - Twenty-three MSS., the Septuagint, and Vulgate add the conjunction ו vau , and ועל veal . read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:6-20

A FURTHER CONTRAST OF GOD WITH IDOLS . The captive Jews, dwelling scattered in a land the inhabitants of which were, one and all, idolaters, and having by hereditary taint an inclination to idolatry, would be easily tempted, during the long and weary period of the Captivity, to put away the worship and even the thought of Jehovah, who had allowed their subjugation, and conform to the religion of their conquerors. Hence the repeated contrasts in these later chapters—specially... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:6-28

Jehovah and the images. I. SELF - MANIFESTATION OF JEHOVAH . He is the First and the Last, Alpha and Omega. Existing before the creation, he will endure when it shall have passed away ( Isaiah 48:12 ). It is a thought which strikes us at once by its sublimity, anal, what is better, with its truth. Men sometimes speak of the material world as real, of the world of faith and imagination as dreamy. Not so the greatest prophets and poets. Shakespeare describes the globe and all its... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:9-18

The irrational and the religions, This passage is interesting, as containing the most pungent and effective sarcasm in holy writ. There are indeed the finest conceivable materials for the sarcastic in the practice of idolatry; i.e. in all those cases in which idolatry has sunk into its lowest stage. Where a statue is understood to be nothing more than the memorial or visible representation of the Divine, the language of the Hebrew prophet would not apply; but where it is regarded, as it... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:9-20

The uniqueness of God having been set forth, the prophet now turns to the images and the image-makers, overwhelming them with his scorn and ridicule. The passage may be compared with Jeremiah 10:3-10 and Baruch 6:8-72. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:9-20

The utter folly of all kinds of idolatry. Idolatry proper—the actual worship of images—is felt by modern Englishmen to be so extreme a folly that they have a difficulty in believing it to have at any time been, or still anywhere to be, the actual religion of a people. Their inclination is to regard it as a symbolism—coarse and ill-judged, perhaps—but yet a well-meaning symbolism, expressive of the truths of natural religion. But research into the past history of mankind, and investigation of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:16

He burneth part thereof ; rather, half thereof ; "With half thereof"—not the other half, but the same—"he eateth flesh." One fire serves for the two purposes of warming him and cooking his victuals. 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

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