New Living Translation
Isaiah 44:19
19The person who made the idol never stops to reflect, “Why, it’s just a block of wood! I burned half of it for heat and used it to bake my bread and roast my meat. How can the rest of it be a god? Should I bow down to worship a piece of wood?”
Isaiah 44:19 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?
- New International Version (NIV)No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, “Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”
- English Standard Version (ESV)No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, "Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?"
- New King James Version (NKJV)And no one considers in his heart, Nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire, Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals; I have roasted meat and eaten it; And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?”
Context of Isaiah 44:19
17Then he takes what’s left and makes his god: a carved idol! He falls down in front of it, worshiping and praying to it. “Rescue me!” he says. “You are my god!” 18Such stupidity and ignorance! Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see. Their minds are shut, and they cannot think. The person who made the idol never stops to reflect, “Why, it’s just a block of wood! I burned half of it for heat and used it to bake my bread and roast my meat. How can the rest of it be a god? Should I bow down to worship a piece of wood?” 20The poor, deluded fool feeds on ashes. He trusts something that can’t help him at all. Yet he cannot bring himself to ask, “Is this idol that I’m holding in my hand a lie?” 21“Pay attention, O Jacob, for you are my servant, O Israel. I, the Lord, made you, and I will not forget you.
Read all of Isaiah 44Isaiah 44:19 word by word
וְלֹא־יָשִׁ֣יב אֶל־לִבּ֗וֹ וְלֹ֨א דַ֥עַת וְלֹֽא־תְבוּנָה֮ לֵאמֹר֒ חֶצְי֞וֹ שָׂרַ֣פְתִּי בְמוֹ־אֵ֗שׁ וְ֠אַף אָפִ֤יתִי עַל־גֶּחָלָיו֙ לֶ֔חֶם אֶצְלֶ֥ה בָשָׂ֖ר וְאֹכֵ֑ל וְיִתְרוֹ֙ לְתוֹעֵבָ֣ה אֶעֱשֶׂ֔ה לְב֥וּל עֵ֖ץ אֶסְגּֽוֹד׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And none considerethשׁוּבshûb · to return: recallH7725
- in his heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
- knowledgeדַּ֫עַתda‛ath · knowledgeH1847
- nor understandingתְּבוּנָהtâbûn tebûnâh tôbûnâh · understandingH8394
- to sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- I have burnedשָׂרַףώâraph · to burnH8313
- partחֲצִיchêtsîy · halfH2677
- of it inבְּמוֹbemô · in/at/byH1119
- the fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784
- yea, also I have bakedאָפָה'âphâh · to bakeH644
- breadלֶ֫חֶםlechem · food: breadH3899
- upon the coalsגַּחֶ֫לֶתgechel gacheleth · coalH1513
- thereof; I have roastedצָלָהtsâlâh · to roastH6740
- fleshבָּשָׂרbâώâr · fleshH1320
- and eatenאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
- and shall I makeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
- the residueיֶ֫תֶרyether · remainderH3499
- thereof an abominationתּוֹעֵבַהtô‛êbah tô‛êbah · abominationH8441
- shall I fall downסָגַדsâgad · to prostrateH5456
- to the stockבּוּלbûl · produceH944
- of a treeעֵץ‛êts · tree: woodH6086
Cross-references for Isaiah 44:19
- Isaiah 46:8“Do not forget this! Keep it in mind! Remember this, you guilty ones.
- Exodus 7:23Pharaoh returned to his palace and put the whole thing out of his mind.
- Deuteronomy 32:46he added: “Take to heart all the words of warning I have given you today. Pass them on as a command to your children so they will obey every word of these instructions.
- Ezekiel 40:4He said to me, “Son of man, watch and listen. Pay close attention to everything I show you. You have been brought here so I can show you many things. Then you will return to the people of Israel and tell them everything you have seen.”
- Haggai 1:5This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you!
- Hosea 7:2Its people don’t realize that I am watching them. Their sinful deeds are all around them, and I see them all.
- Deuteronomy 27:15‘Cursed is anyone who carves or casts an idol and secretly sets it up. These idols, the work of craftsmen, are detestable to the Lord.’ And all the people will reply, ‘Amen.’
- 1 Kings 11:5Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites.
- 2 Kings 23:13The king also desecrated the pagan shrines east of Jerusalem, to the south of the Mount of Corruption, where King Solomon of Israel had built shrines for Ashtoreth, the detestable goddess of the Sidonians; and for Chemosh, the detestable god of the Moabites; and for Molech, the vile god of the Ammonites.
Commentaries on Isaiah 44:19
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 19And none considereth in his heart - Margin, Setteth to.‘ He does not place the subject near his heart or mind; he does not think of it. A similar phrase occurs in Isaiah 46:8: Bring it again to mind.‘ It is a phrase drawn from the act of placing an object near us, in order to examine it closely; and we express the same idea by the phrase looking at a thing,‘ or looking at it closely.‘ The sense is, they had not attentively and carefully thought on the…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. 18-19closed their minds: Idol worshipers do not see the irony in using one part of a log for warmth and another part as their god.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1919. considereth--literally, "layeth it to heart," (Is 42:25; Jr 12:11). abomination--the scriptural term for an idol, not merely abominable, but the essence of what is so, in the eyes of a jealous God (1Ki 11:5, 7).Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 44:19
In the dictionaries
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
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