Isaiah 44:11

44:11 Look, all his associates ¹  will be put to shame;

the craftsmen are mere humans. ² 

Let them all assemble and take their stand!

They will panic and be put to shame.

Isaiah 45:8

45:8 O sky, rain down from above!

Let the clouds send down showers ³  of deliverance!

Let the earth absorb it ⁴  so salvation may grow, ⁵ 

and deliverance may sprout up ⁶  along with it.

I, the Lord, create it. ⁷ 

[44:11]  ¹ tn The pronoun “his” probably refers to the one who forms/casts an idol (v. 10), in which case it refers to the craftsman’s associates in the idol-manufacturing guild.

[44:11]  ² sn The point seems to be this: If the idols are the mere products of human hands, then those who trust in them will be disappointed, for man-made gods are incapable of helping their “creators.”

[45:8]  ³ tn Heb “let the clouds drip with”; KJV “let the skies pour down.”

[45:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “open up” (so NASB); NIV, NLT “open wide.”

[45:8]  ⁵ tc The plural verb should be emended to a singular form. The vav (ו) ending is probably virtually dittographic (note the yod at the beginning of the following word).

[45:8]  ⁶ tc The Hiphil verb form (תַצְמִיחַ, tatsmiakh) should probably be emended to a Qal (תִצְמַח, titsmakh). The יח sequence at the end of the form is probably due to dittography (note the following יַחַד, yakhad).

[45:8]  ⁷ tn The masculine singular pronominal suffix probably refers back to יָשַׁע (yasha’, “salvation”).