Isaiah 46 1

Isaiah 46:1 kjv

Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: your carriages were heavy loaden; they are a burden to the weary beast.

Isaiah 46:1 nkjv

Bel bows down, Nebo stoops; Their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle. Your carriages were heavily loaded, A burden to the weary beast.

Isaiah 46:1 niv

Bel bows down, Nebo stoops low; their idols are borne by beasts of burden. The images that are carried about are burdensome, a burden for the weary.

Isaiah 46:1 esv

Bel bows down; Nebo stoops; their idols are on beasts and livestock; these things you carry are borne as burdens on weary beasts.

Isaiah 46:1 nlt

Bel and Nebo, the gods of Babylon,
bow as they are lowered to the ground.
They are being hauled away on ox carts.
The poor beasts stagger under the weight.

Isaiah 46 verses

Isaiah 46 1 Meaning

Isaiah 46:1 proclaims the impending downfall and disgrace of Babylon's chief deities, Bel and Nebo. Far from protecting their worshipers or saving themselves, these prominent gods are depicted as utterly powerless. Their idols, heavy and lifeless, are not shown triumphantly leading an army but are ignominiously loaded onto pack animals like common cargo. These beasts, in turn, are weighed down and exhausted, underscoring the inertness and worthlessness of the supposed gods who cannot even bear themselves, let alone their devotees. The verse contrasts the expected power of gods with their absolute weakness under divine judgment.

Isaiah 46 1 Context

Isaiah chapter 46 is a direct polemic against the gods of Babylon, especially Bel (Marduk) and Nebo, emphasizing their impotence compared to Yahweh, the God of Israel. It serves as a continuation of themes found throughout Isaiah, particularly chapters 40-48, where God asserts His sovereignty as the only God who declares the end from the beginning, predicts future events (like Cyrus's conquest), and will faithfully deliver His people from exile. Historically, the Babylonian Empire had conquered Judah and taken its people into exile. The Babylonians attributed their military success to their powerful gods. This chapter shatters that illusion, depicting these supposedly mighty gods as humiliated and unable to help themselves, let alone their worshippers. This message aimed to reassure the exiled Jews that their God was still in control and would deliver them, proving His superiority over the pagan deities.

Isaiah 46 1 Word analysis

• Bel (בֵּל, Bel): The chief god of Babylon, often identified with Marduk, the patron deity of the city. He was considered the creator and ruler of the cosmos, the god who gave victory. The reference here highlights the direct confrontation between Yahweh and Babylon's supreme deity, mocking his supposed power.

• Bows down (כָּרַע, kāraʿ): This Hebrew verb denotes bending or kneeling, often under duress, worship, or in defeat. Here, it implies forced submission and humiliation rather than willing veneration, signifying the god's incapacity to stand firm.

• Nebo (נְבוֹ, Nĕḇô): The son of Bel (Marduk), the Babylonian god of wisdom, writing, and divination, revered as the patron of learning. Mentioning him alongside Bel underscores that even the intelligent and powerful offspring deity shares the same fate, further emphasizing their collective failure.

• Stoops (קָקַק, qāqaq - though more commonly translated from similar roots like shachach or gālal which also carry a sense of bending/crouching, the text here qārōaʿ likely echoes the prior kāraʿ but in a parallel, reinforcing sense of falling/bending down from weakness/weight): This word emphasizes the posture of being weighed down or collapsed. It conveys a lack of inherent power to remain upright, signifying abject defeat and physical inability.

• Their idols (עֲצַבֵּיהֶם, ʿăṣabbêhem): Literally "their pains," "their images," or "their graven images." This term implies something made from human effort that causes sorrow or uselessness, emphasizing the material and artificial nature of the objects worshipped as gods, devoid of life or inherent power.

• On animals and livestock (עַל־חַיָּה וְעַל־בְּהֵמָה, ʿal-ḥayyâ wĕʿal-bĕhēmâ): ḥayyâ generally refers to wild animals or living creatures, while bĕhēmâ denotes domesticated beasts of burden, particularly livestock. Placing "idols" on "animals" highlights the reversal: supposed gods are now mere cargo, and ignominiously transported on beasts usually designated for common freight, not sacred conveyance.

• Are borne as burdens (נְשֻׂאֹתֵיכֶם, nĕśuʾōtêkem - referring to the objects you carried/their burdens): This phrase directly highlights the physical weight and the effort required to move these cultic images. It contrasts with God who carries His people (v.3-4) versus false gods who are carried.

• On weary beasts (הַמֻּסָּעֹת, hammussāʿōt - referring to carried [past tense], also hinting at exhaustion): This implies the animals are not just carrying, but struggling under the load. It points to extreme fatigue, directly satirizing the supposed power of the gods; they exhaust the very creatures carrying them, unable to bear their own weight.

• Bel bows down, Nebo stoops: This word-group establishes a powerful, parallel imagery of collapse and humiliation. The use of two verbs with similar meanings emphasizes the totality of their downfall. It implies they are no longer majestic, but rendered powerless, unable to even maintain their upright, regal postures.

• Their idols are on animals and livestock: This phrase shifts the scene from the gods themselves collapsing to their physical representations being treated as mundane cargo. It dehumanizes and desacralizes the idols, stripping them of any venerated status and reducing them to mere material objects for transport, handled by lowly animals.

• These things you carry are borne as burdens on weary beasts: This part directly implicates the Babylonians ("you carry") and emphasizes the futility of their religious practice. Their 'gods' are not only helpless but a literal, draining burden. The 'weary beasts' heighten the sense of physical struggle and exhaustion caused by the idols, dramatically contrasting with a true God who sustains His creation.

Isaiah 46 1 Bonus section

The name 'Bel' is the Akkadian form of 'lord' or 'master' and was primarily associated with Marduk, the patron deity of Babylon, who was celebrated as having established order from chaos and having supreme authority. 'Nebo' (or Nabu) was known for wisdom, arts, and sciences. Both represented the pinnacle of Babylonian theological thought and power. The complete overthrow of these central figures, not just lesser gods, serves as an ultimate sign of Yahweh's absolute triumph. The verb "bows down" (kāraʿ) can also be used for an act of worship. Here, its use in reference to Bel signifies an involuntary, humiliating posture of defeat, subverting its sacred meaning. This passage foreshadows the complete destruction of Babylon's political and religious systems. The idea of God carrying His people (Isa 46:3-4) versus idols being carried by beasts (Isa 46:1-2) is a recurring, central contrast throughout these chapters. This satirical reversal profoundly encourages God's covenant people to abandon their misplaced fear of foreign gods and cling to the one true God who faithfully sustains them from birth to old age.

Isaiah 46 1 Commentary

Isaiah 46:1 functions as a stark and biting indictment of the Babylonian polytheistic system, a crucial message for the exiled Jews. The chapter opens with an immediate and graphic demonstration of the idols' utter helplessness: their gods are literally packed onto suffering animals, destined for a journey of no return. Bel and Nebo, the revered deities, are rendered pathetic, "bowing" and "stooping" not out of worship but under the crushing weight of their own material inertness and the judgment of a superior power. The vivid image of exhausted animals laboring under the load of "gods" underscores a profound theological point: these are not gods, but manufactured objects of no intrinsic value or power, incapable of saving themselves or their worshippers. This scene provides profound comfort to Judah by asserting Yahweh's unique power and control over even the most dominant human empires and their false deities. The true God carries His people, while false gods are carried as burdensome cargo, unable to sustain even themselves.