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Isaiah 46:3-4

God reminds his special people that he was ‘carrying’ (looking after) them even before their birth (see Exodus 19:4). He will continue to do so all their lives.

Babylon’s gods cannot do anything

v5 ‘None is like me. None is equal to me. You cannot compare me with anyone else. v6 Rich people freely spend large sums of gold from their bags. They weigh much silver for payment. They hire a skilled worker and he shapes the metal into the image of a god. Then they humbly bend in front of their new *idol. They even *worship it. v7 They lift it upon their shoulders to carry it. Then they set it up in its place. And there it stands. It cannot move. If anyone prays to it, it cannot answer. Neither can it do anything to save them from trouble.’

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See also Isaiah 46:3-4 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Isaiah 46:3. _WHICH ARE BORNE_ BY ME _FROM THE BELLY_ - "Ye that have been borne by me from the birth"] The prophet very ingeniously, and with great force, contrasts the power of God, and his t...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    HEARKEN UNTO ME - From this view of the captive gods, the address is now turned to the Jews. The utter vanity of the idols had been set before them; and in view of that, God now addresses his own peop...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER 46 1. _Babylon Is to Fall The Babylonian idols carried by the beasts (Isaiah 46:1)_ 2. _How Jehovah carries His people (Isaiah 46:3)_ 3. _The divine reproach (Isaiah 46:5)_ 4. A ravenous bird...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    THE HELPLESS PLIGHT OF BABYLON'S GODS CONTRASTED WITH THE SAVING MIGHT OF YAHWEH. Isaiah 46:1 f. In vision the prophet sees the images of Babylon's gods (two of the most prominent are named), taken fr...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    HEARKEN. Note the two calls to hear: here, and Isaiah 46:12. See App-82. HOUSE OF JACOB. See note on Isaiah 2:5. HOUSE OF ISRAEL. See note on Isaiah 5:7. WHICH. who are borne. Reference to Pentateuc...

  • Charles Simeon's Horae Homileticae

    DISCOURSE: 945 GOD’S CARE FOR HIS PEOPLE Isaiah 46:3. _Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    HEARKEN UNTO ME— The Almighty introduces the reproof that he was about to urge with a preface, in these words, assuring the exiles, in the strongest manner, of the singular and constant care of his pr...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    3. SOVEREIGN OVER NATIONS, Chapter S 46 - 47 a. CONDEMNING THEIR GODS TEXT: Isaiah 46:1-13 1 Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth; their idols are upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: the things that ye...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: In contrast to what precedes: Babylon's idols,...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    THE CONTRAST BETWEEN JEHOVAH AND THE DEITIES OF BABYLON 1, 2. The idols of Babylon will be borne away by the conquerors amongst the spoil, the gods being powerless to save their images. I. Bel] the c...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    HEARKEN UNTO ME. — The prophet’s choice of words is singularly emphatic. The false gods are borne away as a burden. The true God bears, _i.e.,_ supports, His people. He is able to bear that burden. Ev...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    שִׁמְע֤וּ אֵלַי֙ בֵּ֣ית יַעֲקֹ֔ב וְ כָל ־שְׁא

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    Isaiah 44:1; Isaiah 45:1; Isaiah 46:1; Isaiah 47:1; Isaiah 48:1...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    GOD'S SALVATION SHALL NOT TARRY Isaiah 46:1-13 Here is a startling contrast! Babylon is broken up. An invading army of stern monotheists have slain the idolatrous priests at their altars and are enga...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    This chapter and the next contain the prophecy of the fall of Babylon. This one describes the failure of the gods. It opens with a graphic picture of the idols being hurried away for safety, carried o...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    Hearken to me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are (e) borne [by me] from the birth, which are carried from the womb: (e) He shows the difference between the idols...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _By my. Vulgate may have read a me ab, (Calmet) instead of a meo. Hebrew and Septuagint, "taken from the womb," (Haydock) and treated with the utmost tenderness. (Calmet)_...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    The Lord having, in the preceding verses, shown the wretchedness of idols, utterly unable to help themselves, and consequently incapable of helping others; in these blessed words, calls upon his peopl...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    3._Hear me. _Here the Prophet beautifully points out the vast difference between the true God and idols. Having formerly said that the Babylonian gods must be drawn on waggons and carts, because they...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 46, 47, AND 48. In Chapter s 46, 47, the application is made to Babylon and to her idols, but still as pleading for Israel as beloved of God; for governmental...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    HEARKEN UNTO ME, O HOUSE OF JACOB,.... The Jews, the descendants of Jacob: AND ALL THE REMNANT OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL; those that remained of the ten tribes that had been carried captive long ago. Th...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne [by me] from the belly, which are carried from the womb: Ver. 3. _Which are borne by me from the belly._...

  • Jonathan Edwards' Notes On The Scriptures

    Isa. 46:1-7. Bel and Nebo, the gods of Babylon, were first carried by men on their shoulders, verse 7, and then afterwards when Babylon was destroyed they were carried by the beasts. When the Medes an...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _Hearken, &c., all the remnant of the house of Israel_ All that remain of the twelve tribes. He terms them a _remnant_, either because the ten tribes were already carried into captivity by Shalmaneser...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    THE FALL OF BABYLON'S IDOLS...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    Hearken unto Me, O house of Jacob and all the remnant of the house of Israel, all those whom the Lord has chosen to be his own peculiar people, WHICH ARE BORNE BY ME FROM THE BELLY, WHICH ARE CARRIED...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    1-4 The heathen insulted the Jews, as if their idols Bel and Nebo were too hard for Jehovah. But their worshippers cannot help them; both the idols and the idolaters are gone into captivity. Let not...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    ALL THE REMNANT OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL; fitly so called, with respect either, 1. To all the tribes of Israel, ten of which were now lost and gone; or, 2. To the state of the Jews at their return from...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Isaiah 46:3 Listen H8085 (H8798) house H1004 Jacob H3290 remnant H7611 house H1004 Israel H3478 upheld H6006 ...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    WHILE THE GODS OF THE NATIONS HAVE TO BE BORNE BY MAN AND BEAST, YAHWEH HIMSELF IN CONTRAST BEARS HIS PEOPLE (ISAIAH 46:3). Isaiah 46:3 “Listen to me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the h...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Israel exhorted to remember the power of God and powerlessness of idols. CHARACTERS: God. CONCLUSION: False gods will certainly fail the worshippers when they have most need of them. It is...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Isaiah 46:1. _Bel_ or Baal. See on Numbers 32:38. It is understood that the name is derived from Belus; the history is involved in obscurity. The priests every night prepared him a voluptuous supper,...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Bel boweth down_ BEL AND NEBO Bel and Nebo are the Jupiter and Mercury of the Babylonian pantheon (they are represented by these planets), and were the supreme deities in Babylon at this time. Bel...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    ISAIAH—NOTE ON ISAIAH 46:1 The Lord will humiliate the idols of human self-worship and will demonstrate that he is the one true God. ⇐...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    ISAIAH—NOTE ON ISAIAH 46:3 BORNE BY ME. While the idols must be carried, the God of Israel carries his people. THE REMNANT. Those who survived the Babylonian captivity. from before your birth

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION ISAIAH 46:1, ISAIAH 46:2 THE FALL OF THE GODS OF BABYLON. Among the direct consequences of the victories of Cyrus will be

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Isaiah chapter 46. Now in Isaiah 46:1-13 we get a short contrast between God, the true and the living eternal God that created the heavens and the earth, and the false gods that these people were wors...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    Deuteronomy 1:31; Deuteronomy 32:11; Deuteronomy 32:12; Exodus 19:4;...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    Carried — Whom I have nourished, ever since you were a people, and came out of Egypt; and that as tenderly, as parents bring up their own children....

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