Isaiah 44 14

Isaiah 44:14 kjv

He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it.

Isaiah 44:14 nkjv

He cuts down cedars for himself, And takes the cypress and the oak; He secures it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a pine, and the rain nourishes it.

Isaiah 44:14 niv

He cut down cedars, or perhaps took a cypress or oak. He let it grow among the trees of the forest, or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow.

Isaiah 44:14 esv

He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it.

Isaiah 44:14 nlt

He cuts down cedars;
he selects the cypress and the oak;
he plants the pine in the forest
to be nourished by the rain.

Isaiah 44 verses

Isaiah 44 14 Meaning

Isaiah 44:14 vividly portrays the human effort and foresight involved in the creation of idols. It describes the methodical process of an idol-maker selecting and preparing various types of trees from the forest, including durable cedars, versatile cypress, and strong oaks. The passage highlights how some trees are allowed to grow strong through natural means, even being intentionally planted by man and nourished by God-given rain, all with the explicit purpose of being carved into a god. The core meaning underscores the stark contrast between the true God, the uncreated Creator and Sustainer, and man-made deities crafted from finite, earthly materials that themselves are dependent on divine provision.

Isaiah 44 14 Context

Isaiah 44:14 is embedded within a powerful polemic against idolatry (Isa 44:9-20), following a series of divine pronouncements emphasizing God's uniqueness, sovereignty, and role as the only Redeemer of Israel (Isa 44:1-8). The chapter's broader context, and indeed much of Isaiah 40-55, addresses the exiled people of Israel, assuring them of God's power and faithfulness to deliver them from Babylon. A core challenge for Israel in exile was the temptation to assimilate to the polytheistic practices of their captors or doubt the efficacy of their singular God against the pantheon of gods worshipped by surrounding nations.

This specific verse details the initial stage of idol creation: the sourcing and preparation of the raw materials. It describes the physical, laborious, and earthly origins of these "gods" – they come from the forest, nurtured by natural processes. The verses immediately preceding (44:9-11) declare the foolishness and emptiness of idol makers, while the verses following (44:15-20) describe the full process, from using part of the wood for fuel to fashioning the other part into a deity. The historical context is that of widespread idolatry in the Ancient Near East, where wooden images, often overlaid with precious metals, were common objects of worship, believed to house divine presence or power. Isaiah's sharp critique aimed to reinforce monotheistic faith, expose the irrationality of worshiping created objects, and highlight the self-delusion involved.

Isaiah 44 14 Word analysis

• He cuts down (יִכְרָת - yiḵrāt): This verb signifies a decisive and deliberate act of felling or severing. It highlights human agency in disrupting the natural order for a specific purpose, directly challenging the notion of idols having any supernatural origin. It is the beginning of the manufacturing process.

• cedars (אֲרָזִים - ʾărāzîm): Cedars, especially from Lebanon, were highly valued for their grandeur, strength, durability, and aromatic qualities. They were prestigious timber used for temples (including Solomon's) and palaces. Using them for idols shows a significant investment of valuable resources into a false god, adding to the irony of the situation.

• for himself (לוֹ - lô): This dative pronoun is crucial. It underscores that the maker's intent and personal interest drive the process. The idol is conceived for human benefit/purpose, not an independent, divine entity. The idol exists for the human maker, not the other way around.

• or he takes a cypress tree (תִּרְזָה - tīrzâ): This term often refers to a cypress, holm tree, or ilex. It represents a different kind of useful timber, perhaps more readily available or easier to work with than cedar, yet still a sturdy choice for crafting. Its inclusion demonstrates the varied efforts and resources deployed by idol makers, covering different tree types.

• and an oak (וְאַלּוֹן - wəʾallôn): The oak is known for its strength, longevity, and dense wood. Oaks were frequently associated with sacred groves or places of pagan worship in the Ancient Near East (e.g., under every green tree). Its presence here highlights that common and often symbolically pagan trees are also part of the idol-making raw material, emphasizing the mundane source.

• and he strengthens them for himself (וְאָמַּץ־לוֹ - wəʾāmatz-lô): The Hebrew verb ʾāmatz can mean "to be strong," but here with the dative lô, it means to "make strong for oneself" or "to choose/select as strong for oneself." This implies a discerning selection of resilient or suitable trees, indicating the idol maker’s care and intentionality in procuring the best possible materials for what will be a 'god.' It shows conscious planning and effort.

• among the trees of the forest (בַּעֲצֵי־יָעַר - baʿătzei-yāʿar): This phrase emphasizes the ordinary and natural source of the idol's material. The wood is not from some mystical, sacred grove but from an everyday forest, grounding the idol's origin in the earthly and commonplace, reinforcing its created, non-divine status.

• he plants a pine tree (אֹרֶן - ʾōren): The word ʾōren typically denotes a pine or fir tree, valued for its timber. The act of planting demonstrates remarkable foresight and long-term planning for future idol-making. It illustrates sustained commitment, as the maker invests time in cultivating the raw material for a "god" that does not exist.

• and the rain makes it grow (וְגֶשֶׁם יְגַדֵּל - wəgešem yəgaddēl): This is a pivotal phrase that delivers a profound irony. The rain, a natural phenomenon provided by the true God, is essential for the growth of the very tree that will eventually be carved into a false god. This explicitly states the idol's fundamental dependence on divine provision for its existence as raw material, making its subsequent elevation to deity an ultimate absurdity.

• Words-group analysis

  • "He cuts down cedars... takes a cypress tree and an oak... plants a pine tree": This cumulative listing demonstrates a broad and comprehensive approach to material sourcing. It shows a spectrum of activities, from harvesting already grown, mature, and valued trees (cedar, oak, cypress) to planting new ones (pine) specifically for future use. This underscores the extent of human foresight, labor, and sustained effort involved in preparing the raw material for idols, stretching across generations or seasons. It depicts the mundane, human-driven supply chain of these "divinities."
  • "for himself / for himself": The repetition of "for himself" frames the entire process as self-serving and human-centric. The creation of idols is fundamentally an act driven by human desires, choices, and purposes, emphasizing that these "gods" owe their very conception and existence to humanity, not to an external, sovereign power. They are created to serve the human idea of divinity, not true divinity itself.
  • "among the trees of the forest; he plants a pine tree, and the rain makes it grow": This pairing directly contrasts human effort with divine provision. While humans cut, select, and even plant, the fundamental growth of the wood itself remains entirely dependent on natural processes like rain, which are orchestrated by the true God. This highlights the inherent contradiction: the material for the human-made god owes its existence and vitality to the unmade, true God, rendering the idol powerless and ultimately beholden to the One it presumptuously tries to replace.

Isaiah 44 14 Bonus section

The mention of specific tree types (cedars, cypress, oak, pine) may subtly allude to their traditional uses or cultural associations beyond their general wood properties. Cedars often symbolized national pride or powerful leaders (Eze 31), which might connect to idols representing national gods or potent forces. Oaks were commonly associated with ancient sacred groves, making their inclusion here a direct jab at pre-existing pagan practices of venerating specific trees or places as divine. The detailed process from raw tree in the forest, even one that had to be planted and nourished by rain, serves to psychologically prepare the reader for the later dramatic revelation in verse 19, where parts of the same tree are used for both domestic fire and a god. This emphasizes the profound spiritual blindness and moral perversion involved in elevating an object with such mundane beginnings to divine status.

Isaiah 44 14 Commentary

Isaiah 44:14, stripped of all supernatural pretense, lays bare the utterly earthly and dependent origins of man-made idols. It details the painstaking human effort and long-term planning involved in simply procuring the raw material. The idol-maker doesn't wait for a miraculous tree to appear; he engages in ordinary forestry—cutting down, taking, and even planting. The choice of noble (cedar) and common (cypress, oak, pine) trees further mocks the idol, as if a higher quality wood could somehow impart more divinity. The most stinging indictment, however, comes with the observation that even the growth of the trees, selected or planted for idol construction, relies on the rain, a gift from the very God whom the idol-maker rejects. The verse exposes the foundational absurdity of worshipping something that not only needs human hands for its form but relies on the Creator God for its very existence. It's a testament to human blindness, creating objects from nature's bounty—God's provision—and then assigning them divine status.