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 kneels down, Nebo bends low. Their images weigh down animals and beasts. Your heavy images are burdensome to tired animals. Together they bend low and kneel down; they are unable to rescue the images; they themselves head off into captivity. 3“Listen to me, O family of Jacob, all you who are left from the family of Israel, you who have been carried from birth, you who have been supported from the time you left the womb. 4Even when you are old, I will take care of you, even when you have gray hair, I will carry you. I made you and I will support you; I will carry you and rescue 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 36:18Hezekiah is misleading you when he says, “The Lord will rescue us.” Has any of the gods of the nations rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria?
• Isaiah 37:12Were the nations whom my predecessors destroyed – the nations of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden in Telassar – rescued by their gods?
• Isaiah 44:17With the rest of it he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships it. He prays to it, saying, ‘Rescue me, for you are my god!’
• Isaiah 45:20Gather together and come! Approach together, you refugees from the nations! Those who carry wooden idols know nothing, those who pray to a god that cannot deliver.
• Judges 18:17The five men who had gone to spy out the land broke in and stole the carved image, the ephod, the personal idols, and the metal image, while the priest was standing at the entrance to the gate with the six hundred fully armed men.
• 2 Samuel 5:21The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men picked them up.
• Jeremiah 43:12He will set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt. He will burn their gods or carry them off as captives. He will pick Egypt clean like a shepherd picks the lice from his clothing. He will leave there unharmed.
• Jeremiah 48:7“Moab, you trust in the things you do and in your riches. So you too will be conquered. Your god Chemosh will go into exile along with his priests and his officials.

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