New King James Version
Isaiah 37:19
19and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them.
Isaiah 37:19 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them.
- New International Version (NIV)They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands.
- English Standard Version (ESV)and have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed.
- New Living Translation (NLT)And they have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire and burned them. But of course the Assyrians could destroy them! They were not gods at all—only idols of wood and stone shaped by human hands.
Context of Isaiah 37:19
17Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. 18Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. 20Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord, You alone.” 21Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria,
Read all of Isaiah 37Isaiah 37:19 word by word
וְנָתֹ֥ן אֶת־אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֖ם בָּאֵ֑שׁ כִּי֩ לֹ֨א אֱלֹהִ֜ים הֵ֗מָּה כִּ֣י אִם־מַעֲשֵׂ֧ה יְדֵֽי־אָדָ֛ם עֵ֥ץ וָאֶ֖בֶן וַֽיְאַבְּדֽוּם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And have castנָתַןnâthan · to give: throwH5414
- their godsאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- into the fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784
- but the workמַעֲשֶׂהma‛ăώeh · deed: workH4639
- of men’sאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
- handsיָדyâd · handH3027
- woodעֵץ‛êts · tree: woodH6086
- and stoneאֶ֫בֶן'eben · stoneH68
- therefore they have destroyedאָבַד'âbad · to perishH6
Cross-references for Isaiah 37:19
- Isaiah 10:9Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus?
- Isaiah 36:18Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, “The Lord will deliver us.” Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria?
- Isaiah 46:1Bel bows down, Nebo stoops; Their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle. Your carriages were heavily loaded, A burden to the weary beast.
- Exodus 32:20Then he took the calf which they had made, burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made the children of Israel drink it.
- 2 Samuel 5:21And they left their images there, and David and his men carried them away.
- Isaiah 40:19The workman molds an image, The goldsmith overspreads it with gold, And the silversmith casts silver chains.
- Isaiah 41:7So the craftsman encouraged the goldsmith; He who smooths with the hammer inspired him who strikes the anvil, Saying, “It is ready for the soldering”; Then he fastened it with pegs, That it might not totter.
- Isaiah 44:9Those who make an image, all of them are useless, And their precious things shall not profit; They are their own witnesses; They neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed.
- Psalms 115:4Their idols are silver and gold, The work of men’s hands.
- Jeremiah 10:3For the customs of the peoples are futile; For one cuts a tree from the forest, The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax.
- Hosea 8:6For from Israel is even this: A workman made it, and it is not God; But the calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces.
Commentaries on Isaiah 37:19
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 19And have cast their gods into the fire - This appears to have been the usual policy of the Assyrians and Babylonians. It was contrary to the policy which the Romans afterward pursued, for they admitted the gods of other nations among their own, and even allowed them to have a place in the Pantheon. Their design seems not to have been to alienate the feelings of the vanquished, but to make them feel that they were a part of the same people. They supposed…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 14-20When Hezekiah received Sennacherib’s boastful threat, he went back to the temple and prayed for help. His prayer was different from Ahaz’s reaction to danger decades earlier (see Isaiah 7).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1919. cast ... gods into ... fire--The policy of the Assyrians in order to alienate the conquered peoples from their own countries was, both to deport them elsewhere, and to destroy the tutelary idols of their nation, the strongest tie which bound them to their native land. The Roman policy was just the reverse.Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 37:19
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 37
- 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
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries