Isaiah 46:7

Hebrew Bible

5 To whom can you compare and liken me? Tell me whom you think I resemble, so we can be compared! 6 Those who empty out gold from a purse and weigh out silver on the scale hire a metalsmith, who makes it into a god. They then bow down and worship it. 7 They put it on their shoulder and carry it; they put it in its place and it just stands there; it does not move from its place. Even when someone cries out to it, it does not reply; it does not deliver him from his distress. 8 Remember this, so you can be brave. Think about it, you rebels! 9 Remember what I accomplished in antiquity. Truly I am God, I have no peer; I am God, and there is none like me,

Jeremiah 10:5

Hebrew Bible

3 For the religion of these people is worthless. They cut down a tree in the forest, and a craftsman makes it into an idol with his tools. 4 He decorates it with overlays of silver and gold. He uses hammer and nails to fasten it together so that it will not fall over. 5 Such idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field. They cannot talk. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them because they cannot hurt you. And they do not have any power to help you.” 6 I said, “There is no one like you, Lord. You are great, and you are renowned for your power. 7 Everyone should revere you, O King of all nations, because you deserve to be revered. For there is no one like you among any of the wise people of the nations nor among any of their kings.

 Notes and References

"... Isaiah 46:6–7 portrays a procession in which idols are being carried around because they cannot move of their own accord. In the LXX it appears as a plus. Ziegler points to the occurrence of the same verb in the Greek version of Jeremiah 10:9, a verse that similarly speaks of motionless idols of silver and gold made by human hands ... Compare also Jeremiah 10:5 ... It is unclear, though, whether in LXX Isaiah and LXX Jeremiah the verbs in the sense of “to go” refer to the same group. In LXX Jeremiah 10:9 the subject is the images themselves who do not go forward, but remain in the same place. In LXX Isaiah 46:7, by contrast, [they] may refer to the carriers of the images, who do proceed in the procession. This difference could invalidate the connection between the two Greek texts. Nevertheless, one could also posit that LXX Isaiah 46:7 likewise pertains to the idols, who move because they are carried by humans ..."

Vorm-Croughs, Mirjam van der The Old Greek of Isaiah: An Analysis of its Pluses and Minuses (p. 415) Society of Biblical Literature, 2014

 User Comments

Do you have questions or comments about these texts? Please submit them here.