Isaiah 44:9-20
1599 Geneva Bible
9 All they that make an image, are vanity, and [a]their delectable things shall nothing profit: and they are their own witnesses, [b]that they see not nor know: therefore they shall be confounded.
10 Who hath made a [c]god, or molten an image, that is [d]profitable for nothing?
11 Behold, all that are of the [e]fellowship thereof, shall be confounded: for the workmen themselves are men: let them all be gathered together, and [f]stand up, yet they shall fear, and be confounded together.
12 The smith taketh an instrument, and worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms, yea, he is [g]an hungered, and his strength faileth, he drinketh no water, and is faint.
13 The carpenter stretcheth forth a line, he fashioneth it with a red thread, he planeth it, and he portrayeth it with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, and according to the beauty of a man, that it may remain in [h]an house.
14 He will hew him down cedars, and take the pine tree and the oak, and taketh courage among the trees of the forest; he planteth a fir tree, and the rain doth nourish it.
15 And man burneth thereof; for he will take thereof, and [i]warm himself: he also kindleth it, and baketh bread, yet he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it an idol, and boweth unto it.
16 He burneth the half thereof even in the fire, and upon the half thereof he [j]eateth flesh; he roasteth the roast, and is satisfied; also he warmeth himself and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have been at the fire.
17 And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his idol; he boweth unto it, and worshippeth and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god.
18 They have not known, nor understood: [k]for God hath shut their eyes that they cannot see, and their heart, that they cannot understand.
19 And none [l]considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burnt half of it, even in the fire, and have baked bread also upon the coals thereof: I have roasted flesh, and eaten it, and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I bow to the stock of a tree?
20 He feedeth [m]of ashes: a seduced heart hath deceived him, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Isaiah 44:9 Whatsoever they bestow upon their idols, to make them to seem glorious.
- Isaiah 44:9 That is, the idolaters seeing their idols blind, most needs be witnesses of their own blindness, and feeling that they are not able to help them, must confess that they have no power.
- Isaiah 44:10 Meaning, that whatsoever is made by the hand of man, if he be esteemed as God, is most detestable.
- Isaiah 44:10 Whereby appeareth their blasphemy, which call images the books of the laity, seeing that they are not only here called unprofitable, but Isa 41:24 abominable, and Jeremiah calleth them the work of errors, Jer. 10:15; Habakkuk, a lying teacher, Hab. 2:18.
- Isaiah 44:11 That is, which by any way consent either to the making or worshipping.
- Isaiah 44:11 Signifying, that the multitude shall not then save the idolaters, when God will take vengeance, although they excuse themselves thereby among men.
- Isaiah 44:12 He describeth the raging affection of the idolaters, which forget their own necessities to set forth their devotion toward their idols.
- Isaiah 44:13 To place it in some Temple.
- Isaiah 44:15 He setteth forth the obstinacy and malice of the idolaters, which though they see by daily experience that their idols are no better than the rest of the matter whereof they are made, yet they refuse the one part, and make a god of the other, as the Papists make their cake god, and the rest of their idols.
- Isaiah 44:16 That is, he either maketh a table or trenchers.
- Isaiah 44:18 The Prophet giveth here an answer to all them that wonder how it is possible that any should be so blind to commit such abomination, saying, that God hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their hearts.
- Isaiah 44:19 Hebrew, turneth.
- Isaiah 44:20 He is abused as one that would eat ashes, thinking to satisfy his hunger.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
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