Isaiah 44:13

Isaiah 44:13 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)The carpenter stretcheth out his rule; he marketh it out with a line; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the house.
• New International Version (NIV)The carpenter measures with a line and makes an outline with a marker; he roughs it out with chisels and marks it with compasses. He shapes it in human form, human form in all its glory, that it may dwell in a shrine.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house.
• New King James Version (NKJV)The craftsman stretches out his rule, He marks one out with chalk; He fashions it with a plane, He marks it out with the compass, And makes it like the figure of a man, According to the beauty of a man, that it may remain in the house.

Context of Isaiah 44:13

11Behold, all his companions will be put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble, let them be put to shame together. 12The craftsman of iron shapes a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, fashioning it with hammers and working it with his strong arm. He also gets hungry and his strength fails; he drinks no water and becomes weary. The craftsman of wood extends a measuring line; he outlines it with a marker. He works it with carving knives and outlines it with a compass, and makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of mankind, so that it may sit in a house. 14He will cut cedars for himself, and he takes a holm-oak or another oak and lets it grow strong for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a laurel tree, and the rain makes it grow. 15Then it becomes something for a person to burn, so he takes one of them and gets warm; he also makes a fire and bakes bread. He also makes a god and worships it; he makes it a carved image and bows down before it.

Isaiah 44:13 word by word

חָרַ֣שׁ עֵצִים֮ נָ֣טָה קָו֒ יְתָאֲרֵ֣הוּ בַשֶּׂ֔רֶד יַעֲשֵׂ֙הוּ֙ בַּמַּקְצֻע֔וֹת וּבַמְּחוּגָ֖ה יְתָאֳרֵ֑הוּ וַֽיַּעֲשֵׂ֙הוּ֙ כְּתַבְנִ֣ית אִ֔ישׁ כְּתִפְאֶ֥רֶת אָדָ֖ם לָשֶׁ֥בֶת בָּֽיִת׃Read the interlinear

• The craftsmanחָרָשׁ, חֲרָשִׁיםchârâsh · artificerH2796
• of woodעֵץ‛êts · tree: carpenterH6086
• extendsנָטָהnâţâh · to stretchH5186
• a measuringקַוqav qâv · lineH6957
• he outlinesתָּאַרtâ'ar · to delimitH8388
• it with a markerשֶׂ֫רֶדώered · stylusH8279
• He worksעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
• it with carvingמַקְצֻעָהmaqtsû‛âh · planeH4741
• it with a compassמְחוּגָהmechûgâh · compassH4230
• it like the formתַּבְנִיתtabnîyth · patternH8403
• of a manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• like the beautyתִּפְאָרָהtiph'ârâh tiph'ereth · beautyH8597
• mankindאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
• so that it may sitיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
• houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: templeH1004

Cross-references for Isaiah 44:13

• Exodus 20:4“You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth.
• Deuteronomy 4:16so that you do not act corruptly and make a carved image for yourselves in the form of any figure, a representation of male or female,
• Acts 17:29Therefore, since we are the descendants of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by human skill and thought.
• Romans 1:23and they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible mankind, of birds, four-footed animals, and crawling creatures.
• Genesis 31:19Laban had gone to shear his flock, and Rachel stole the household idols that were her father’s.
• Genesis 35:2So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Remove the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments;
• Deuteronomy 27:15‘Cursed is the person who makes a carved image or cast metal image, an abomination to the Lord, the work of the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ And all the people shall reply and say, ‘Amen.’
• Judges 17:4So when he returned the silver to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver and gave them to the silversmith, who made them into a carved image and a cast metal image, and they were in the house of Micah.
• Judges 18:24And he said, “You have taken my gods which I made, and the priest, and have gone away; what more do I have? So how can you say to me, ‘What is the matter with you?’”
• Ezekiel 8:12Then He said to me, “Do you see, son of man, what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each man in the rooms of his carved images? For they say, ‘The Lord does not see us; the Lord has abandoned the land.’”

Commentaries on Isaiah 44:13

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13The 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…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-20Verses 9-20 Image-making is described, to expose the folly of idolaters. Though a man had used part of a log for fuel, he fell down before an image made of the remainder, praying it to deliver him. Man greatly dishonours God, when he represents him after the image of man. Satan blinds the eyes of unbelievers, causing absurd reasonings in matters of religion. Whether men seek happiness in worldly things, or run into unbelief, superstition, or any false…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6-20This passage uses the form of a trial speech to press God’s argument that disgrace comes to all who trust in idols and false gods.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1313. After the smith's work in preparing the instruments comes the carpenter's work in forming the idol. rule--rather, "line" [Barnes]. with a line--rather, a "pencil," [Horsley]. Literally, "red ochre," which he uses to mark on the wood the outline of the figure [Lowth]. Or best, the stylus or graver, with which the incision of the outline is made [Gesenius]. planes--rather, "chisels" or "carving tools," for a plane would not answer for carving…Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 44:13

• Carpentry
• Carving
• Compasses
• Idol
• Idolatry
• Plane

In the dictionaries

• Carpenter
• Consider
• Fit
• Graving
• Idol
• Pleasure
• Surname
• Compass; Compasses
• Figure
• Fit, Fitly

Commentaries on Isaiah 44

• 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
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings