Isaiah 44 12

Isaiah 44:12 kjv

The smith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint.

Isaiah 44:12 nkjv

The blacksmith with the tongs works one in the coals, Fashions it with hammers, And works it with the strength of his arms. Even so, he is hungry, and his strength fails; He drinks no water and is faint.

Isaiah 44:12 niv

The blacksmith takes a tool and works with it in the coals; he shapes an idol with hammers, he forges it with the might of his arm. He gets hungry and loses his strength; he drinks no water and grows faint.

Isaiah 44:12 esv

The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint.

Isaiah 44:12 nlt

The blacksmith stands at his forge to make a sharp tool,
pounding and shaping it with all his might.
His work makes him hungry and weak.
It makes him thirsty and faint.

Isaiah 44 verses

Isaiah 44 12 Meaning

This verse describes a craftsman, a blacksmith or metalworker, laboring intently at his forge, creating an idol from metal. He uses his skill and strength to shape the raw material into a false god. The imagery highlights the futility and ultimate destruction of idolatry, emphasizing that human effort applied to false worship yields nothing of divine value.

Isaiah 44 12 Context

This verse appears in Isaiah chapter 44, which is a powerful discourse concerning idolatry and the absolute sovereignty of Jehovah. The surrounding verses (verses 9-20) meticulously describe the foolish and futile process of crafting idols from trees. Isaiah addresses the people of Israel, many of whom were either succumbing to or had been influenced by the idolatrous practices of surrounding nations, particularly during the Babylonian exile. This passage serves as a stark contrast to the living God, highlighting the manufactured, lifeless nature of idols versus the all-powerful, Creator God. The context emphasizes that true understanding and salvation come only from the LORD, not from human creations.

Isaiah 44 12 Word Analysis

• וְ־ (ve): And. A conjunction linking this verse to the preceding description.

• גַּם־ (gam): Also, even. Emphasizes that "even" this skilled craftsman is engaged in such folly.

• הַנַּחְשִׁי (ha-nachashí): The coppersmith. Refers to a worker in metals, specifically copper or brass, but broadly understood as a metalworker or smith. This occupation required skill, strength, and dedication.

• עוֹבֵד (ovéd): Works, labours. The present participle, indicating an ongoing action, emphasizing the diligence and effort expended.

• בַּפָּחַם (ba-pachám): At the coals, in the charcoal. Refers to the source of heat for the forge, the fuel used for smelting and shaping metal. This points to the intense labor and heat involved.

• וְיִצְרָהּ (ve-yitzróh): And forms it, fashions it. The waw consecutive perfect verb from יָצַר (yatzar), meaning to form, shape, create. It signifies the act of bringing something into being through deliberate craft.

• בַּכֹּחַ (ba-kóach): With strength, by strength. Highlights the physical exertion and power needed in the smith's work. It also implies the determined will and skill applied.

• וּבָרָעָב (u-va-ra'áv): And with hunger. This phrase is crucial and complex. It can mean:

  • The craftsman experiences hunger due to his labor.
  • The idol, once made, is incapable of satisfying hunger.
  • The worshipers, by dedicating resources to idols, starve themselves of true sustenance (spiritual or physical).
  • Some scholarly interpretations suggest a connection to starving oneself for worship, a pagan practice.

• כֹּח֞וֹ (kóchoh): His strength. Possessive pronoun attached to the root for strength, emphasizing that his own strength is being employed in this act.

• יָשַׁב (yáshav): Fails, makes void, ceases to be. The root ישׁב (yashav) can mean to sit, dwell, but in certain contexts with prefixes and roots, it can signify to be weak, idle, or fail. Here it strongly implies the cessation or failure of strength, meaning the effort is wasted or yields no lasting result.

• וְגַם־ (ve-gam): And also, and even. Reinforces the inclusion of another consequence or aspect.

• רָעֵב (ra'év): Hungry, starving. Repeats the concept of hunger, potentially underscoring the worker's depleted state or the idol's inability to provide sustenance.

• וְלֹא־ (ve-lo): And not. Negates the subsequent statement.

• יִשְׁתֶּה (yish-téh): He drinks. The verb from שתה (shatah), meaning to drink.

• וְעַיֵּף (ve-'ayéf): And faint, weary. Describes a state of extreme tiredness or exhaustion, the result of intense labor or lack of nourishment.

• יִגְמֹל (yig-mól): He grants, does a kindness, rewards. The verb גמל (gamal) typically means to wean, but in other contexts can mean to do a kindness, reward, or recompense. Here, it suggests the idol cannot provide any benefit or "reward."

• Group of words: "וּבָרָעָב כֹּח֞וֹ יָשַׁב וְגַם־ רָעֵב וְלֹא־ יִשְׁתֶּה וְעַיֵּף יִגְמֹל" (u-va-ra'áv kóchoh yáshav ve-gam- ra'év ve-lo- yish-téh ve-'ayéf yig-mól) - This entire phrase poetically conveys the utter powerlessness of both the craftsman and the idol. The strength spent is wasted (fails), the craftsman (or the idol itself) remains hungry and thirsty, and no relief or reward (gmol) is given even to the weary. It is a depiction of utter emptiness and lack.

Isaiah 44 12 Bonus Section

The act of a craftsman making an idol is a profound metaphor for how people can pour their energy, skills, and resources into things that ultimately provide no true sustenance or life. This verse contrasts the creator-God with the created-idol-maker. The heat of the forge and the strength required can also symbolize the intensity of human effort that can be diverted from righteous purposes. The phrase "strength fails" carries a double meaning: the craftsman's own strength fails him as he grows weary, and more significantly, the object of his labor, the idol, has no inherent strength to offer in return, making all the effort "fail" in its purpose. The idea that the idol itself is hungry and thirsty implies its inherent emptiness and inability to fulfill any divine function. This underscores the theological point that only the true God provides, sustains, and satisfies. The artisans of idols were often held in low esteem in ancient Israel, and their work was seen as deceptive. This verse is not merely descriptive but deeply condemnatory of the spiritual bankruptcy that idolatry represents.

Isaiah 44 12 Commentary

Isaiah 44:12 presents a vivid, unflinching portrayal of idolatry as the ultimate expenditure of human effort and ingenuity for naught. The detailed description of the metalworker, toiling with intense physical effort – enduring the heat of the forge, straining with all his strength – only serves to underscore the vanity of the outcome. His labor, his very life-force, is poured into crafting an object that is inherently dead and incapable of responding. The repeated emphasis on hunger, thirst, and weariness highlights the pathetic reality behind the outward show of devotion. The idol cannot nourish its maker, nor can it provide any true sustenance or reward to those who rely on it. This serves as a powerful polemic against the false gods and worship practices of Isaiah's day, contrasting them sharply with the God of Israel who is ever-present, sustaining, and able to save. The verse essentially argues that worshipping manufactured idols is akin to a man giving his strength and life to an object that is itself starving and weary, offering no solace or satisfaction. It's a commentary on misdirected devotion, where human capacity is wasted on the inanimate instead of being directed toward the Divine Sustainer.