Isaiah 46:1

The Lord Carries His People

46:1 Bel ¹  kneels down,

Nebo ²  bends low.

Their images weigh down animals and beasts. ³ 

Your heavy images are burdensome to tired animals. ⁴ 

Isaiah 15:2

15:2 They went up to the temple, ⁵ 

the people of Dibon went up to the high places to lament. ⁶ 

Because of what happened to Nebo and Medeba, ⁷  Moab wails.

Every head is shaved bare,

every beard is trimmed off. ⁸ 

[46:1]  ¹ 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]  ² sn Nebo is a variation of the name of the Babylonian god Nabu.

[46:1]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Heb “your loads are carried [as] a burden by a weary [animal].”

[15:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “house.”

[15:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “even Dibon [to] the high places to weep.” The verb “went up” does double duty in the parallel structure.

[15:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “over [or “for”] Nebo and over [or “for”] Medeba.”

[15:2]  ⁸ sn Shaving the head and beard were outward signs of mourning and grief.