1Bel bows down, Nebo stoops; their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle; the things you carried have become a load, a burden to the weary. 2They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but they themselves have gone into captivity. 3Listen to me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, who were carried by Me from the belly, who were sustained from the womb; 4even to your old age, I am He; and to the gray hairs I will bear you. I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you. 5To whom will you compare Me, and make Me equal; and compare Me, that we may be alike? 6They pour gold out of the bag, and weigh silver out on the measuring rod, and hire a goldsmith; and he makes it into a god; they prostrate themselves, yea, they bow down. 7They carry it on the shoulder, they carry it and set it in its place, and it stands; it shall not move from its place. Yes, one shall cry unto it, yet it cannot answer, nor save him out of his trouble. 8Remember this, and be a man; refresh the memory of your heart, you who rebel. 9Remember the former things from a long time ago; for I am the Mighty God, and there is no other; I am God, and no one else is like Me, 10declaring the end from the beginning, and from antiquity things which are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure; 11calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes my counsel from a distant land. Indeed, I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have formed it; I will also do it. 12Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted, who are far from righteousness; 13I bring near My righteousness. It shall not be far off, and My salvation shall not delay. And I will place salvation in Zion, My glory for Israel.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 BABYLON'S IDOLS COULD NOT SAVE THEMSELVES, MUCH LESS HER. BUT GOD CAN AND WILL SAVE ISRAEL: CYRUS IS HIS INSTRUMENT. (
Isa 46:1-
Isa 46:13)
Bel--the same as the Phśnician Baal, that is, lord, the chief god of Babylon; to it was dedicated the celebrated tower of Babylon, in the center of one of the two parts into which the city was divided, the palace being in the center of the other. Identical with the sun, worshipped on turrets, housetops, and other high places, so as to be nearer the heavenly hosts (Saba) (
Jer 19:13;
Jer 32:29;
Zeph 1:5). GESENIUS identifies Bel with the planet Jupiter, which, with the planet Venus (under the name Astarte or Astaroth), was worshipped in the East as the god of fortune, the most propitious star to be born under (see on
Isa 65:11). According to the Apocryphal book, Bel and the Dragon, Bel was cast down by Cyrus.
boweth . . . stoopeth--falleth prostrate (
Isa 10:4;
1Sam 5:3-4;
Ps 20:8).
Nebo--the planet Mercury or Hermes, in astrology. The scribe of heaven, answering to the Egyptian Anubis. The extensive worship of it is shown by the many proper names compounded of it: Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuzar-adan, Nabonassar, &c.
were upon--that is, were a burden (supplied from the following clause) upon. It was customary to transport the gods of the vanquished to the land of the conquerors, who thought thereby the more effectually to keep down the subject people (
1Sam 5:1, &c.;
Jer 48:7;
Jer 49:3;
Dan 11:8).
carriages--in the Old English sense of the things carried, the images borne by you: the lading (
Acts 21:15), "carriages," not the vehicles, but the baggage. Or, the images which used to be carried by you formerly in your solemn processions [MAURER].
were heavy loaden--rather, are put as a load on the beasts of burden [MAURER]. HORSLEY translates, "They who should have been your carriers (as Jehovah is to His people,
Isa 46:3-
Isa 46:4) are become burdens" (see on
Isa 46:4).
2 deliver--from the enemies' hands.
burden--their images laid on the beasts (
Isa 46:1).
themselves--the gods, here also distinguished from their images.
3 in contrast to what precedes: Babylon's idols, so far from bearing its people safely are themselves borne off, a burden to the laden beast; but Jehovah bears His people in safety even from the womb to old age (
Isa 63:9;
Deut 32:11;
Ps 71:6,
Ps 71:18). God compares Himself to a nurse tenderly carrying a child; contrast Moses' language (
Num 11:12).
4 old age--As "your"--"you"--"you," are not in the Hebrew, the sentiment is more general than English Version, though of course it includes the Jews from the infancy to the more advanced age of their history (
Isa 47:6).
I am he--that is the same (
Ps 102:27;
John 8:24;
Heb 13:8).
I will bear . . . carry--Not only do I not need to be borne and carried Myself, as the idols (
Isa 46:1).
5 (
Isa 40:18,
Isa 40:25).
6 (
Isa 40:19-
Isa 40:20;
Isa 41:7.) They lavish gold out of their purses and spare no expense for their idol. Their profuseness shames the niggardliness of professors who worship God with what cost them nothing. Sin is always a costly service.
7 cry . . . can . . . not . . . save-- (
Isa 45:20, with which contrast
Isa 45:19).
8 show yourselves men--Renounce the childishness of idolatry as shown in what precedes (
1Cor 14:20;
1Cor 16:13;
Eph 4:14). In order to be manly we must be godly; for man was made "in the image of God," and only rises to his true dignity when joined to God; virtue is derived from the Latin vir, "a man."
bring . . . to mind--rather, "lay it to heart."
transgressors--addressed to the idolaters among the Jews.
9 former--namely, proofs of the sole Godship of Jehovah, from predictions fulfilled, and interpositions of God in behalf of Israel (
Isa 45:5).
10 (
Isa 45:21;
Isa 41:22-
Isa 41:23;
Isa 44:26).
yet--not in the Hebrew. Translate, "What had not been done" [HORSLEY].
do all my pleasure-- (
Isa 53:10;
Rom 9:19).
11 ravenous bird--Cyrus so called on account of the rapidity of his marches from the distant regions of Persia to pounce on his prey (see on
Isa 41:2;
Isa 41:25;
Jer 49:22;
Ezek 17:3). The standard of Cyrus, too, was a golden eagle on a spear (see the heathen historian, XENOPHON, 7, where almost the same word is used, aetos, as here, ayit).
executeth my counsel-- (
Isa 44:28;
Isa 45:13). Babylon represents, mystically, the apostate faction: the destruction of its idols symbolizes the future general extirpation of all idolatry and unbelief.
purposed . . . also do it-- (
Isa 43:13).
12 stout-hearted--stubborn in resisting God (
Ps 76:5;
Acts 7:51).
far from righteousness-- (
Isa 59:9;
Hab 2:4).
13 near--antithetical to "far" (
Isa 46:12;
Isa 51:5;
Isa 56:1;
Isa 61:10-
Isa 61:11;
Rom 10:6-
Rom 10:8).
righteousness--answering to "salvation" in the parallel clause; therefore it means here, "my righteous deliverance"; righteous, because proving the truth of God's promises, and so contrived as to not compromise, but vindicate, His righteousness (
Isa 42:21;
Rom 3:26).
Zion . . . my glory--rather, "I will give salvation in Zion; to Israel (I will give) my glory" [HORSLEY]. (
Isa 63:11;
Ps 14:7;
Luke 2:32).