Isaiah 46:2

Isaiah 46:2 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but themselves are gone into captivity.
• New International Version (NIV)They stoop and bow down together; unable to rescue the burden, they themselves go off into captivity.
• English Standard Version (ESV)They stoop; they bow down together; they cannot save the burden, but themselves go into captivity.
• New King James Version (NKJV)They stoop, they bow down together; They could not deliver the burden, But have themselves gone into captivity.

Context of Isaiah 46:2

1Bel bends down to the ground. Nebo lies down low. Their images are heavy loads on the backs of animals. The animals become tired and weak as they carry them away. Those gods fall down and they lie together on the ground! They have no power to rescue their images. The gods themselves go as prisoners to a foreign land, together with their images. 3The Lord says, ‘Listen to me, you family of Jacob. Yes, listen to me, all you Israelites who are still alive. I have taken care of you since you first became a nation. I have carried you since you were born. 4I will continue to take care of you until you are old, until your hair becomes grey. I made you who you are, and I will supply everything that you need. I will carry you, and I will save you.

Isaiah 46:2 word by word

קָרְס֤וּ כָֽרְעוּ֙ יַחְדָּ֔ו לֹ֥א יָכְל֖וּ מַלֵּ֣ט מַשָּׂ֑א וְנַפְשָׁ֖ם בַּשְּׁבִ֥י הָלָֽכָה׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• They stoopקָרַסqâras · to stoopH7164
• they bow downכָּרַעkâra‛ · to bowH3766
• togetherיָחְדָּוyachad · togetherH3162
• they couldיָכֹלyâkôl yâkôl · be ableH3201
• not deliverמָלַטmâlaţ · to escapeH4422
• the burdenמַשָּׂאmaώώâ' · burdenH4853
• but themselvesנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: myselfH5315
• are goneהָלַךְhâlak · to go: wentH1980
• into captivityשְׁבִיshebîy · captivityH7628

Cross-references for Isaiah 46:2

• Isaiah 36:18Do not let Hezekiah deceive you when he says, ‘The Lord will rescue us.’ No god of any nation has ever saved his country from the king of Assyria's power.
• Isaiah 37:12The gods of those other countries did not save them. Our kings destroyed the nations of Gozan, Haran and Rezeph. They killed the people of Eden who lived in Tel Assar.
• Isaiah 44:17He uses the rest of the wood to make an idol to be his god. He bends down in front of it and he worships it. He prays to it and he says, ‘Save me, because you are my god!’
• Isaiah 45:20So come, you people of the nations, you who have escaped from war. Bring yourselves in front of me together! People who carry wooden idols are fools! They pray to gods who cannot rescue them.
• Judges 18:17The five men who had explored the land went inside. They took all the idols, the image and the priest's ephod. While they did that, the Levite priest was standing at the gate with the 600 soldiers.
• 2 Samuel 5:21When the Philistines ran away from there, they did not take their idols with them. So David and his men took them away.
• Jeremiah 43:12He will burn the temples of Egypt's gods with fire. He will burn their gods or he will carry them away. He will take everything that he wants from Egypt. He will return home in good health.
• Jeremiah 48:7People of Moab, you trusted your riches and your skills to save you. Because of that, your enemies will catch you. They will even take your god Chemosh away as prisoner, together with his priests and officers.

Commentaries on Isaiah 46:2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2They could not deliver the burden "They could not deliver their own charge" - That is, their worshippers, who ought to have been borne by them. See the two next verses. The Chaldee and Syriac Versions render it in effect to the same purpose, those that bear them, meaning their worshippers; but how they can render משא massa in an active sense, I do not understand. For לא lo, not, ולא velo, and they could not, is the reading of twenty-four of Kennicott's…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2They stoop - Bel, and Nebo, and all the Babylonian gods (see Isaiah 46:1). They could not deliver the burden - The word burden‘ here, probably means the load of metal, wood, and stone, of which the idols were composed. The gods whom the Babylonians worshipped had not even power to protect the images which were made to represent them, and which had now become a heavy burden to the animals and wains which were carrying them away. They could not rescue them…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-2This taunt was against the self-contradiction of Babylonian religion. A taunt is a mocking song or speech. In this passage, the prophet makes fun of Babylon’s beliefs. The message shows that their religion does not make sense.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. deliver--from the enemies' hands. burden--their images laid on the beasts (Is 46:1). themselves--the gods, here also distinguished from their images.Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 46:2

• Babylon
• Idolatry

In the dictionaries

• Pleasure
• Purpose
• Bear; Borne
• Deliver
• Evil
• Isaiah
• Mark, the Gospel According to
• Saviour
• Gate

Commentaries on Isaiah 46

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings