Isaiah 44:19

Isa 44:19 And none considereth in his heart, neither [is there] knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten [it]: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?

Ver. 19. Shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?] This the besotted Papists do to this day, by the command of the Council of Trent. But before that Council so decreed it, Ludovicus Vives, a learned Papist, confessed that there could no other difference be found of paganish and Popish worship before images, but only this, that names and titles were altered - viz., we cry Jehovah, and they Jupiter; we, Mary, they Diana; they, Minerva, we Katharine, &c. And here I bethink me of what Luther, on the ninth commandment, writeth of a base and beastly woman: Quae ut falleret eiusmodi superstitionis quendam fatuum cultorem, pubem suam totondit, et illi porrexit, suadens quod essent capilli S. Catharinae trans mare advecti. Credidit ille cuculus, et pro reliquiis osculandos praebuit et venerandos: et ecce quid fit? coepit etiam miracula operari pubes illa turpitudinis.

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.

Hebrew, turneth.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

considereth--literally, "layeth it to heart," (Isa 42:25; Jer 12:11).

abomination--the scriptural term for an idol, not merely abominable, but the essence of what is so, in the eyes of a jealous God (Kg1 11:5, Kg1 11:7).

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

19. considereth in his heart] R.V. calleth to mind; lit. “bringeth it back to his heart,” i.e. “recalls in thought,” a somewhat rare expression (see ch. Isa_46:8; Deu_4:39; Deu_30:1; 1Ki_8:47).

part of it] See on Isa_44:16. The word rendered stock occurs again only in Job_40:20, where it seems to mean “produce.”

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.

And none considereth in his heart,.... Or, "and he does not return it to his heart" (k); he does not come to himself again, or return to his right mind, but lives and dies under the infatuation; never once revolving it in his mind, pondering within himself what he has done, or is doing, whether right or wrong:

neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say; within himself, and reason the matter in his own mind, and thus express himself:

I have burnt part of it in the fire; to warm myself with:

yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; both heated the oven, and baked bread with it; and also upon the live coals have laid kneaded dough, and baked a cake on them:

and I have roasted flesh, and eaten it; made a fire with another part of it, and roasted meat at it, and ate it with great pleasure and satisfaction:

and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? an idol, which is an abominable thing to God, and to all men of sense and goodness:

shall I fall down to the stock of a tree? or "the bud of a tree?" (l) or that which is made out of a tree of my own planting, cutting down, and hewing, part of which has been used to the above purposes; and the remaining lifeless log, shall I worship it as a god? and yet, though such reasoning might be justly expected from a man that is a reasonable creature, sottish are idolaters, that they seem to be quite deprived of their rational powers, or at least these are disused by them.

(k) "et non reducet ad cor suum", Pagninus, Montanus; "reducit", Piscator. (l) "ante id quod provenit ex abore", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "germen ligni", Forerius.

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

And none considereth in his heart - Margin, ‘Setteth to.’ He does not place the subject near his heart or mind; he does not think of it. A similar phrase occurs in Isa 46:8 : ‘Bring it again to mind.’ It is a phrase drawn from the act of placing an object near us, in order to examine it closely; and we express the same idea by the phrase ‘looking at a thing,’ or ‘looking at it closely.’ The sense is, they had not attentively and carefully thought on the folly of what they were doing - a sentiment which is as true of all sinners as it was of stupid idolaters.

An abomination - A name that is often given to an idol 2Ki 11:5, 2Ki 11:7; 2Ki 23:13. The meaning is, that an idol was abominable and detestable in the sight of a holy God. It was that which he could not endure.

Shall I fall down to the stock of a tree? - Margin, ‘That which comes of.’ The word בוּל bûl means properly “produce, increase,” and here evidently a stock or trunk of wood. So it is in the Chaldee.

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

None considereth in his heart; whereby he implies that the true cause of this, as well as of other absurd and brutish practices of sinners, is the neglect of serious and impartial consideration of things.

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

None considereth in his heart; literally, recalls it to his heart; i.e. returns to a sound way of thinking upon the subject. It is implied that the idolaters had once had it in their power to think and reason justly upon the absurdity of such conduct as that which was now habitual to them. But they had lost the power. They had suffered themselves little by little to be deluded. The stock of a tree. The marginal rendering, "that which comes of a tree," is preferable.

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

“And he will not bring it home to himself (or to his heart), and (there is) not knowledge, and (there is) not understanding to say, Half of it I have burned in the fire, and have also baked bread on its coals, I will roast flesh and eat, and the rest of it I will make to (be) an abomination, to a log of wood (or the trunk of a tree) I will cast myself down.” The essential meaning is, that they have not sense enough to describe their conduct to themselves in its true colors; if they did, they would stand amazed at its impiety and folly. In the form of expression the writer passes from the plural to the singular, (i.e., from idolaters in general to the individual idolater). The first phrase does not correspond exactly to the English lay to heart, but comprehends reflection and emotion. The construction of the last clause as an explanation or an interrogation has arisen from a wish to avoid the incongruity of making the man call himself a fool or express his resolution to perform a foolish act. But this very incongruity is absolutely necessary to the writer’s purpose, which is simply to tell what the infatuated devotee would say of his own conduct if he saw it in its true light. Instead of saying, ‘I will worship my god’, he would then say, ‘I will worship a stick of wood, a part of the very log which I have just burned, upon which I have just baked my bread, and on which I am just about to cook my dinner.’ The more revolting and absurd this language, the more completely does it suit and carry out the writer’s purpose. Hence too the use of the term ‘abomination’, (i.e., object of abhorrence), not in the worshipper’s actual belief, but as it would be if his eyes were opened.

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

Now should I make ... something disgusting to worship? Should I bow down to a block of wood?

Yahweh says that these people should be asking themselves these rhetorical questions. The questions anticipate negative answers and emphasize how foolish it would be for a person to do these things. These questions can be translated as statements. AT: "I should not now make ... something disgusting to worship. I should not bow down to a block of wood." (See: Rhetorical Question)

translationWords

worship

bow

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

And he does not give it thought [lit. and he does not return to his heart.] Half of it I burnt with fire.

and he has neither knowledge nor understanding [lit. and there is neither knowledge nor understanding] in him to say this.

to rotten wood Heb. לְבוּל עֵץ, to decay of wood.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

His heart. His intellect, which is the principal part of man.

במו=ב In. Comp. כמו=כ as (Ps. 58:10).

ויתרו And the residue thereof.

בול It is hap. leg. It means, according to some authorities, an image, or a statue. R. Moses Hakkohen compares it with בול plant (Job 40:20).

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.