Isaiah 46:6 kjv
They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and hire a goldsmith; and he maketh it a god: they fall down, yea, they worship.
Isaiah 46:6 nkjv
They lavish gold out of the bag, And weigh silver on the scales; They hire a goldsmith, and he makes it a god; They prostrate themselves, yes, they worship.
Isaiah 46:6 niv
Some pour out gold from their bags and weigh out silver on the scales; they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god, and they bow down and worship it.
Isaiah 46:6 esv
Those who lavish gold from the purse, and weigh out silver in the scales, hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; then they fall down and worship!
Isaiah 46:6 nlt
Some people pour out their silver and gold
and hire a craftsman to make a god from it.
Then they bow down and worship it!
Isaiah 46 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah 46:5 | "To whom will you liken me, and make them equal, and compare me, that we may be alike?" | Direct prelude to verse 6 |
| Isaiah 45:18-19 | "For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it, who established it, not in vain did he create it; he formed it to be inhabited—" | God as Creator and establisher |
| Psalm 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..." | Similar critique of idols |
| Jeremiah 10:14-15 | "But man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idol, for his cast image is false, and there is no spirit in them. They are worthless, dooming themselves at their futility." | Description of worthless idols |
| Isaiah 44:9-20 | Extended passage detailing the futility of idol worship. | Polemic against idols |
| Romans 1:19-20 | "For what can be known about God is evident to them, because God has shown it to them." | God's invisible attributes known through creation |
| Revelation 13:14 | "and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth..." | Deception by false powers |
| 1 Corinthians 8:4 | "Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that ‘an idol has no real existence in the world,’..." | Idols have no reality |
| Psalm 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..." | Parallels description of idols |
| John 8:31-32 | "So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'" | God's truth versus deceptive appearances |
| Acts 17:24 | "The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by hands..." | God's transcendence over human creations |
| Isaiah 41:4 | "Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord, the first and with the last; I am he." | God's eternal power and foreknowledge |
| Hebrews 13:8 | "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." | God's unchanging nature |
| Isaiah 43:10-11 | "'You are my witnesses,' declares the Lord, 'and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.'" | God as unique and Savior |
| John 10:30 | "I and the Father are one." | Unity of God's being |
| Ephesians 1:11 | "in him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will." | God works according to His will |
| Deuteronomy 18:14 | "For these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to soothsayers and to diviners. But as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do this." | Prohibition against divination |
| Isaiah 8:19-20 | "And when they say, 'Inquire of the mediums and the wizards who chirp and mutter,' should not a people inquire of their God? Should one inquire of the dead on behalf of the living?" | Condemnation of consulting spirits |
| Proverbs 30:8 | "...give me neither poverty nor riches, but feed me with food convenient for me." | Seeking God's provision |
| Romans 9:20 | "But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, 'Why have you made me like this?'" | God's sovereignty over creation |
| Philippians 2:10-11 | "...that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." | Universal confession to God |
Isaiah 46 verses
Isaiah 46 6 Meaning
This verse is a declaration of God's sovereign power over creation and destiny, contrasting His immutable truth with the worthless idols of the nations. It highlights God's actions from eternity past ("from of old," "from ancient times") and His unfolding plan for the future, all of which are certain to be fulfilled.
Isaiah 46 6 Context
This verse is found in the latter part of Isaiah, often referred to as "Deutero-Isaiah" (chapters 40-55), a section that shifts focus from judgment on Judah to comfort and restoration. God, speaking through Isaiah, addresses the exiled people in Babylon. He contrasts His own eternal power and certainty with the futility and man-made nature of the idols worshipped by surrounding nations, particularly Babylon. The Babylonian idols were often elaborately crafted statues of their gods, carried in processions and treated as powerful deities. Isaiah is exposing their powerlessness and the folly of relying on them. This message was crucial for the Israelites in exile, assuring them that their God was not limited by their geographic location or by the false gods of their captors.
Isaiah 46 6 Word analysis
They (Hebrew: הֵ֫מָּה, hemmah): Pronoun, referring to the idols previously mentioned or implied, particularly those of Babylon.
carry (Hebrew: נָשָׂא, nasa): A versatile verb, here signifying the act of bearing or transporting. In the context of idols, it implies humans bearing the idols in religious processions, highlighting their inanimate nature and dependence on human effort for movement and prominence. This contrasts with the true God who carries His people.
it (Hebrew: אוֹתוֹ, oto): Direct object pronoun, referring to the idol (singular or collective sense).
upon (Hebrew: עַל, al): Preposition indicating position or location.
their (Hebrew: מֶתְנִים, methenayim): Possessive pronoun referring to the idols' owners or worshippers.
weary (Hebrew: יָגֵעַ, yagea): Adjective or participle, meaning tired, fatigued, or labored. It describes the state of the people who exert effort to carry their gods.
and (Hebrew: וְ, ve): Conjunction.
they (Hebrew: הֵ֫מָּה, hemmah): Pronoun, referring again to the idols themselves.
lift (Hebrew: יָרִים, yarim): Verb meaning to raise or lift up. Used here in parallel with "carry," further emphasizing the physical effort required to move these deities.
it (Hebrew: אוֹתוֹ, oto): Direct object pronoun, referring to the idol.
and (Hebrew: וְ, ve): Conjunction.
it (Hebrew: אוֹתוֹ, oto): Direct object pronoun, referring to the idol.
shall not (Hebrew: לֹא, lo): Negation.
be (Hebrew: יִהְיֶה, yihyeh): Future tense of the verb "to be."
able (Hebrew: יָכוֹל, yakhol): Verb meaning to be able, capable.
to (Hebrew: לְ, le): Preposition.
deliver (Hebrew: הִצִּיל, hitzil): Verb meaning to rescue, save, or deliver. The point is that these idols, despite being "carried," cannot perform the essential function of delivering those who carry them.
Phrase Group Analysis: The structure "they carry it upon their weary... and they lift it... and it cannot deliver" creates a powerful indictment. The repetition of "carry" and "lift" underscores the physical effort and the ultimate futility. The chain of actions—carrying, lifting—is immediately contrasted by the inability to perform the very purpose for which a god is supposed to exist: to deliver.
Isaiah 46 6 Bonus section
The concept of God carrying His people is a recurring and comforting theme throughout the Old Testament (e.g., Exodus 19:4, Deuteronomy 32:11). Isaiah 46:4 states, "I am he who supports you from the womb, and I will carry you even when you are old." This directly contrasts with the idols being carried by the weary. The passage functions as a theological statement that differentiates the God of Israel from the pagan deities of the ancient Near East, particularly highlighting His active, sustaining role in the lives of His people versus the passive, man-made nature of idols. It prefigures the New Testament theme of Christ carrying His cross and bearing the burdens of His people.
Isaiah 46 6 Commentary
This verse is a sharp critique of idolatry, contrasting the inanimate idols of the nations with the living, active God of Israel. The gods of paganism required strenuous effort to be moved, often carried by priests or worshippers who were themselves weary from the exertion. These idols, laboriously transported and lifted, were utterly incapable of saving or delivering their followers. This vividly illustrates their impotence. The prophet highlights that while human beings expend energy and become "weary" in serving and moving their false gods, the true God of Israel is the one who carries His people and delivers them. The inability of the idols to "deliver" them underscores their utter worthlessness as deities, serving only to emphasize the power and self-sufficiency of the Lord.