Isaiah 42:17

Isa 42:17 They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye [are] our gods.

Ver. 17. They shall be greatly ashamed.] Heb., Be ashamed with shame; because disappointed and defeated, as the Papists oft have been when they have fought against Protestants, in that Bellum Hussiticum in Germany especially; and yet Bellarmine hath the face to say that the Catholics were never yet worsted by the heretics, as they call us, in a set battle.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

17. They shall be turned back — It is true, many of the heathen will remain blind, but those who are “turned back” to the truth as originally given to all shall be greatly ashamed; or, ashamed with shame; that is, utterly mortified at their stupidity in ever having worshipped idols.

Sec. 3. GOD’S CONTROVERSY WITH ISRAEL, Isa_42:17 to Isa_44:5.

The controversy with heathendom closed. Its period is from Abraham’s call ideally to the last triumph of Messiah. The message is now again to Israel. It began in Isa_1:2, and has been scatteringly resumed ever since.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

turned back . . . ashamed--disappointed in their trust; the same phrase occurs in Psa 35:4.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(17) They shall be greatly ashamed . . .—Manifestly the winding up of a section. The foretold victories of Cyrus shall bring shame and confusion on the worshippers of the idols which he, the representative of a purer faith, should overthrow.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

17. The confusion of the idolaters, through the “revelation of the glory of God” (ch. Isa_40:5), the Babylonians being those specially referred to (cf. ch. Isa_46:1); they shall be utterly ashamed (as ch. Isa_41:11).

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

They shall be turned back,.... Either from their former course, from their idolatry and their idols, and be converted, and turn to the living God; or it may be understood of such Gentiles as were not converted, when others were, who should be put to flight, and should fly to the rocks and mountains to hide and cover them from the wrath of God; for this phrase is used of the overthrow of enemies, of their being obliged to turn their backs and flee:

they shall be greatly ashamed that trust in graven images; as converted persons when they come to be convinced of the folly of their idolatrous practices are; and if not converted, yet are confounded when they find their idols cannot help and assist them, nor deliver them out of their trouble:

that say to the molten images, ye are our gods; as the Israelites did to the molten calf made by Aaron; and the stupidity of the one and the other is much alike; this of the Gentiles, and that of the Israelites.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

They shall be turned back - The phrases, to be turned back, and to be suffused with shame, are frequently used in the Scriptures to denote a state of disappointment in regard to an object of trust or confidence, and especially of those who had trusted in idols (see Psa 35:4; Psa 70:3; Psa 97:7; compare the notes at Isa 1:29; Isa 19:9; Isa 37:27; see also Eze 16:52). The sense here is, that they should find no such protection in their idol-gods as they had hoped, and that they should be covered with conscious guilt forever, having trusted in them and given to them the homage which was due to the true God.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

This may be understood either,

1. Of the converted Gentiles; who shall be turned back from their former sinful course, and shall sincerely grieve, and be ashamed that they did trust, &c., as the word may be rendered; that they should ever be guilty of such wickedness and madness to worship and trust in idols. Or rather,

2. Of those Gentiles who, when their brethren embraced the true God and Christ, persisted obstinately in their idolatrous courses, who shall be confounded and destroyed; for this phrase of being turned back is generally used in Scripture in a bad sense; or of them who are overthrown, or put to flight in battle, as Psa 9:3; 35:4; 70:2,3, &c. And the like I may say of being ashamed, or confounded, or put to shame, especially where this phrase is joined with the other, as it is in the two places of the Psalms last quoted.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

They shall be turned back, etc. While the people of God are led by God"s hand through new paths, and are illumined with abundant light, and have their difficulties smoothed away from before them. their idolatrous oppressors will be "turned back" or suffer defeat, and be put to shame, finding no help from their idols, whose powerlessness will be openly shown, to the utter confusion of their votaries.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

In connection with this, the following v. declares what effect this double manifestation will produce among the heathen. "They fall back, are put deeply to shame, that trust in molten images, that say to the molten image, Thou art our God." Bōsheth takes the place of an inf. intens.; cf., Hab 3:9. Jehovah's glorious acts of judgment and salvation unmask the false gods, to the utter confusion of their worshippers. And whilst in this way the false religions fall, the redemption of Israel becomes at the same time the redemption of the heathen. The first half of this third prophecy is here brought to a close.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

“They are turned back, they shall be ashamed with shame (i.e., utterly ashamed), those trusting in the graven image, those saying to the molten image, Ye are our gods.” This verse describes the effect to be produced by the expected changes on the enemies of God and the worshippers of idols. They are turned back, utterly defeated, foiled in their malignant opposition. Nor is this all; for they are yet to be utterly ashamed, confounded, disappointed, and disgraced. In the last clause it is plain that the graven and molten image are separated only by the parallelism, because the address at the end is in the plural form, not ‘thou art’, but ‘ye are our gods’.

Joseph Addison Alexander, The Prophecies of Isaiah (1846–1847; New York: Scribner, 1870–1878) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

General Information:

Yahweh continues speaking.

They will be turned back, they will be completely put to shame

Rejecting those who worship idols is spoken of as if it is forcing them to turn back and move the opposite direction. This can be stated in active form. AT: "I will reject them and put them to shame" (See: Metaphor and Active or Passive)

translationWords

turn

shame

trust

image

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

They shall be turned back, etc., for I have the power to do as I like, not so the idols.

מסכה Molten images. The plural פסלי images must be supplied from the preceding phrase, because of the pronoun אַתֶּם ye which follows.

Ibn Ezra on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009” (CC BY 4.0); and “Commentary of Ibn Ezra on Isaiah - trans. by M. Friedlander, 1873” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.