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Isaiah Chapter 46 The Idols of Babylon and the One True God

 

Chapter XLVI

The ruin of Babylon and her idols, ver. 1 - 2. God's love and faithfulness to the Jews. ver. 3 - 4. Idols not to be compared with God, ver. 5 - 8. for power, knowledge, and sure salvation, ver. 9 - 13.

1 Bel - The chief idol of the Babylonians, called by profane historians Jupiter Belus. Boweth - As the Babylonians used to bow down to him to worship, so now he bows down to the victorious Persians. Nebo - Another of the famous idols, which used to deliver oracles. Their idols - Were taken and broken, and the materials of them, gold, silver, and brass, were carried upon beasts into Persia. Your carriages - O ye Persians, to whom he turns his speech.

2 They - The Babylonians. Together - The Babylonians and their idols together, neither could help the other. Deliver - The Babylonians could not deliver their idols.

3 Carried - Whom I have nourished, ever since you were a people, and came out of Egypt; and that as tenderly, as parents bring up their own children.

7 Remove - He can stir neither hand nor foot to help his people.

8 Bring it - Think of this again and again, ye who have been guilty of this foolish sin.

10 Declaring - Foretelling from the beginning of the world, future events which should happen in succeeding ages, even to the end of the world.

11 A bird - Cyrus, called a bird for his swiftness, and ravenous for his fierceness, and victoriousness over his enemies.

13 I bring - Tho' you are unrighteous, I will shew myself a righteous and faithful God, making good my promise of delivering you out of Babylon after seventy years. It - My work of saving you from the Babylonish captivity. Will place - I will bring my people to Zion, and save them from all their enemies. My glory - In whom I will once again glory as my people.

John Wesley Explanatory Notes