Isaiah 41:7

41:7 The craftsman encourages the metalsmith,

the one who wields the hammer encourages ¹  the one who pounds on the anvil.

He approves the quality of the welding, ² 

and nails it down so it won’t fall over.”

Isaiah 46:7

46:7 They put it on their shoulder and carry it;

they put it in its place and it just stands there;

it does not ³  move from its place.

Even when someone cries out to it, it does not reply;

it does not deliver him from his distress.

Isaiah 46:1

The Lord Carries His People

46:1 Bel ⁴  kneels down,

Nebo ⁵  bends low.

Their images weigh down animals and beasts. ⁶ 

Your heavy images are burdensome to tired animals. ⁷ 

Isaiah 5:3-4

5:3 So now, residents of Jerusalem, ⁸ 

people ⁹  of Judah,

you decide between me and my vineyard!

5:4 What more can I do for my vineyard

beyond what I have already done?

When I waited for it to produce edible grapes,

why did it produce sour ones instead?

[41:7]  ¹ tn The verb “encourages” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[41:7]  ² tn Heb “saying of the welding, ‘It is good.’”

[46:7]  ³ tn Or perhaps, “cannot,” here and in the following two lines. The imperfect forms can indicate capability.

[46:1]  ⁴ sn Bel was the name of a Babylonian god. The name was originally associated with Enlil, but later was applied to Marduk. See HALOT 132 s.v. בֵּל.

[46:1]  ⁵ sn Nebo is a variation of the name of the Babylonian god Nabu.

[46:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “their images belong to animals and beasts”; NIV “their idols are borne by beasts of burden”; NLT “are being hauled away.”

[46:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “your loads are carried [as] a burden by a weary [animal].”

[5:3]  ⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[5:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “men,” but in a generic sense.