Isaiah 40:19 kjv
The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.
Isaiah 40:19 nkjv
The workman molds an image, The goldsmith overspreads it with gold, And the silversmith casts silver chains.
Isaiah 40:19 niv
As for an idol, a metalworker casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it.
Isaiah 40:19 esv
An idol! A craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts for it silver chains.
Isaiah 40:19 nlt
Can he be compared to an idol formed in a mold,
overlaid with gold, and decorated with silver chains?
Isaiah 40 19 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 40:18 | To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare to him? | Idolatry condemnation |
| Isa 40:20 | An idolator chooses for himself a model, one that does not rot; he seeks skillful hands to make a statue fixed fast, so it may not be moved. | Human-made idols |
| Jer 10:14 | Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols; for his molten image is a falsehood, and there is no breath in them. | No breath in idols |
| Psa 115:4-7 | Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear; they have noses, but do not smell; they have hands, but do not feel; they have feet, but do not walk; they make no sound in their throat. Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them. | Idols' lack of life/senses |
| Psa 135:15-18 | The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear; neither is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them. | Human craftsmanship of idols |
| Hab 2:18-19 | What profit does the idol give, when its maker has fashioned it, the metal image, a teacher of lies, although its maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols? Woe to him who says to what is made of wood, “Awake!” to a silent stone, “Arise!” Can this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all within it. | Futility of idols |
| Acts 17:29 | Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image form of by art and thought of man. | Divine likeness rejected |
| Rom 1:22-23 | Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, and birds and animals and creeping things. | Exchanging God for images |
| Rev 14:11 | And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name. | Punishment for idol worship |
| 1 Cor 6:18-20 | Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. | Glorifying God, not idols |
| Ex 20:3-5 | "You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me..." | First and Second Commandments |
| Deut 4:39 | Know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the LORD himself is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath; there is not another. | God's sovereignty |
| Isa 44:9-20 | Detailed account of the futility of making idols. | Extensive idol critique |
| Isa 45:20 | "...There is no other God besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me." | God's uniqueness |
| Hos 8:4-6 | They made them kings, but not by me. They set up princes, but I knew it not. Of their silver and gold they made them idols not to be cut off. Your calf is turned out, O Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will it be till they are pure? | False worship and idols |
| Psa 96:5 | For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. | Lord made heavens |
| Jer 10:10 | But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth trembles, and the nations cannot endure his indignation. | True God, living God |
| Gal 4:8 | Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are no gods. | No gods by nature |
| 1 Thes 1:9 | ...and to turn from idols to serve the living and true God... | Turn from idols |
| Rev 21:8 | But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death. | Idolaters' eternal fate |
Isaiah 40 verses
Isaiah 40 19 Meaning
This verse declares the power and ultimate triumph of God over all creation, specifically condemning the practice of idolatry by contrasting the living God with lifeless idols. It emphasizes that idols are made by human hands and cannot offer true sustenance or power.
Isaiah 40 19 Context
Isaiah 40 is a chapter of comfort and powerful reassurance for the people of Judah in exile. It proclaims that God's sovereignty and power are supreme, surpassing all human limitations and pagan deities. The surrounding verses (18-20) specifically address the practice of idolatry, a prevalent temptation for the Israelites, especially when surrounded by pagan cultures. God is presenting Himself as the true, living, and all-powerful Creator, in stark contrast to the lifeless, man-made idols that the surrounding nations worshipped. The prophet challenges the people to recognize the utter foolishness of comparing God to anything they could fashion with their hands, emphasizing the emptiness and impotence of idols.
Isaiah 40 19 Word Analysis
- כֵּן (ken): This Hebrew adverb means "so," "thus," or "in this way." It serves to introduce the subsequent description of the idol's fabrication and the resulting action.
- תַּפְעִימוּ (taphiyymu): The root is פעמ (pa'am), which relates to striking, hammering, or stamping. This word implies the intricate crafting or shaping of the idol, suggesting skilled craftsmanship involved in its creation. It suggests a careful, deliberate action to give form.
- לֵב (lev): Meaning "heart," this word here is used idiomatically. In Hebrew thought, the "heart" is the seat of the intellect and will. Therefore, "lest he move it from its place" means "so that it might not be moved," indicating stability was a desired quality for the idol, but paradoxically, its stability is achieved through human effort.
- וּלְמוֹט (uv'lmot): This is a conjugation of the root מלט (molot) which means "to be moved," "to stumble," or "to waver." Here, it signifies an unwillingness or an inability for the idol to be moved or to shift from its intended position. The construction "lest it be moved" reinforces the idea that its immobility is due to its construction, not inherent power.
Words-group analysis:
- "Thus shall you say to them,": This phrase establishes a direct address, a mandate from God to His people, instructing them on how to respond to the allure of idolatry and those who practice it. It’s a divine commission to articulate truth against falsehood.
- "lest you move it": This idiom highlights the fixed nature of idols due to their manufacture, contrasting with the active, uncontainable nature of the living God. The immobility is a consequence of its artificiality.
- "from its place": This signifies that the idol is bound by its physical location, entirely dependent on human hands to be positioned. It has no agency or power to move itself.
Isaiah 40 19 Bonus Section
The contrast drawn here is fundamental to monotheism. Idols represent an attempt to control or contain the divine within physical boundaries. God, however, transcends all limitations. The emphasis on an idol’s need to be fixed lest it be moved underscores the absolute dependency of idols on human intervention, a clear sign of their lack of true power or life. This echoes the earlier verses of Isaiah 40 which describe God as the everlasting Creator who "gives power to the faint" and "strengthens the powerless," showcasing His active, life-giving nature, directly opposed to the inertness of idols. The message remains relevant in confronting any form of idolatry today, whether it involves physical images or abstract concepts that usurp God's rightful place in our lives, such as wealth, power, or self-sufficiency.
Isaiah 40 19 Commentary
The prophet Isaiah delivers a divine directive: to articulate the stark difference between the God of Israel and the idols of surrounding nations. The verse meticulously describes the artificiality of idols—crafted with skill and then set in place, not by divine power, but by human hands to ensure their immobility. This immobility is a testament to their lifelessness and powerlessness. Unlike these fabricated objects, the true God is dynamic, active, and universally present. He is not confined to a shrine or a specific location, as He is the Creator of all space and time. To worship idols is to ascribe stability and substance to mere matter, mistaking human craft for divine power, and fundamentally misunderstanding the nature of true divinity. This passage serves as a powerful theological argument against idolatry, underscoring the vanity of relying on anything created over the uncreated Creator.