Discovery BoxPsalms 115:4-8
Context115:4 Their 1 idols are made of silver and gold –
they are man-made. 2
115:5 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see,
115:6 ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell,
115:7 hands, but cannot touch,
feet, but cannot walk.
They cannot even clear their throats. 3
115:8 Those who make them will end up 4 like them,
as will everyone who trusts in them.
Psalms 135:15-18
Context135:15 The nations’ idols are made of silver and gold,
they are man-made. 5
135:16 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see,
135:17 and ears, but cannot hear.
Indeed, they cannot breathe. 6
135:18 Those who make them will end up 7 like them,
as will everyone who trusts in them.
Isaiah 40:19-20
Context40:19 A craftsman casts 8 an idol;
a metalsmith overlays it with gold
and forges silver chains for it.
40:20 To make a contribution one selects wood that will not rot; 9
he then seeks a skilled craftsman
to make 10 an idol that will not fall over.
Isaiah 41:7
Context41:7 The craftsman encourages the metalsmith,
the one who wields the hammer encourages 11 the one who pounds on the anvil.
He approves the quality of the welding, 12
and nails it down so it won’t fall over.”
Isaiah 42:17-18
Context42:17 Those who trust in idols
will turn back and be utterly humiliated, 13
those who say to metal images, ‘You are our gods.’”
42:18 “Listen, you deaf ones!
Take notice, 14 you blind ones!
Isaiah 44:9-20
Context44:9 All who form idols are nothing;
the things in which they delight are worthless.
Their witnesses cannot see;
they recognize nothing, so they are put to shame.
44:10 Who forms a god and casts an idol
that will prove worthless? 15
44:11 Look, all his associates 16 will be put to shame;
the craftsmen are mere humans. 17
Let them all assemble and take their stand!
They will panic and be put to shame.
44:12 A blacksmith works with his tool 18
and forges metal over the coals.
He forms it 19 with hammers;
he makes it with his strong arm.
He gets hungry and loses his energy; 20
he drinks no water and gets tired.
44:13 A carpenter takes measurements; 21
he marks out an outline of its form; 22
he scrapes 23 it with chisels,
and marks it with a compass.
He patterns it after the human form, 24
like a well-built human being,
and puts it in a shrine. 25
44:14 He cuts down cedars
and acquires a cypress 26 or an oak.
He gets 27 trees from the forest;
he plants a cedar 28 and the rain makes it grow.
44:15 A man uses it to make a fire; 29
he takes some of it and warms himself.
Yes, he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
Then he makes a god and worships it;
he makes an idol and bows down to it. 30
44:16 Half of it he burns in the fire –
over that half he cooks 31 meat;
he roasts a meal and fills himself.
Yes, he warms himself and says,
‘Ah! I am warm as I look at the fire.’
44:17 With the rest of it he makes a god, his idol;
he bows down to it and worships it.
He prays to it, saying,
‘Rescue me, for you are my god!’
44:18 They do not comprehend or understand,
for their eyes are blind and cannot see;
their minds do not discern. 32
44:19 No one thinks to himself,
nor do they comprehend or understand and say to themselves:
‘I burned half of it in the fire –
yes, I baked bread over the coals;
I roasted meat and ate it.
With the rest of it should I make a disgusting idol?
Should I bow down to dry wood?’ 33
his deceived mind misleads him.
He cannot rescue himself,
nor does he say, ‘Is this not a false god I hold in my right hand?’ 35
Isaiah 46:5-7
Context46:5 To whom can you compare and liken me?
Tell me whom you think I resemble, so we can be compared!
46:6 Those who empty out gold from a purse
and weigh out silver on the scale 36
hire a metalsmith, who makes it into a god.
They then bow down and worship it.
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 37 move from its place.
Even when someone cries out to it, it does not reply;
it does not deliver him from his distress.
Jeremiah 10:3-5
Context10:3 For the religion 38 of these people is worthless.
They cut down a tree in the forest,
and a craftsman makes it into an idol with his tools. 39
10:4 He decorates it with overlays of silver and gold.
He uses hammer and nails to fasten it 40 together
so that it will not fall over.
10:5 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.” 41
Jeremiah 10:8-9
Context10:8 The people of those nations 42 are both stupid and foolish.
Instruction from a wooden idol is worthless! 43
10:9 Hammered-out silver is brought from Tarshish 44
and gold is brought from Uphaz 45 to cover those idols. 46
They are the handiwork of carpenters and goldsmiths. 47
They are clothed in blue and purple clothes. 48
They are all made by skillful workers. 49
Jeremiah 10:14-15
Context10:14 All these idolaters 50 will prove to be stupid and ignorant.
Every goldsmith will be disgraced by the idol he made.
For the image he forges is merely a sham. 51
There is no breath in any of those idols. 52
10:15 They are worthless, mere objects to be mocked. 53
When the time comes to punish them, they will be destroyed.
Jeremiah 15:19-20
Context15:19 Because of this, the Lord said, 54
“You must repent of such words and thoughts!
If you do, I will restore you to the privilege of serving me. 55
If you say what is worthwhile instead of what is worthless,
I will again allow you to be my spokesman. 56
They must become as you have been.
You must not become like them. 57
15:20 I will make you as strong as a wall to these people,
a fortified wall of bronze.
They will attack you,
but they will not be able to overcome you.
For I will be with you to rescue you and deliver you,” 58
says the Lord.
Jeremiah 51:17
Context51:17 All idolaters will prove to be stupid and ignorant.
Every goldsmith will be disgraced by the idol he made.
For the image he forges is merely a sham.
There is no breath in any of those idols.
Daniel 5:23
Context5:23 Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. You brought before you the vessels from his temple, and you and your nobles, together with your wives and concubines, drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone – gods 59 that cannot see or hear or comprehend! But you have not glorified the God who has in his control 60 your very breath and all your ways!
Habakkuk 2:18-20
Context2:18 What good 61 is an idol? Why would a craftsman make it? 62
What good is a metal image that gives misleading oracles? 63
Why would its creator place his trust in it 64
and make 65 such mute, worthless things?
2:19 The one who says to wood, ‘Wake up!’ is as good as dead 66 –
he who says 67 to speechless stone, ‘Awake!’
Can it give reliable guidance? 68
It is overlaid with gold and silver;
it has no life’s breath inside it.
2:20 But the Lord is in his majestic palace. 69
The whole earth is speechless in his presence!” 70
Acts 17:29
Context17:29 So since we are God’s offspring, we should not think the deity 71 is like gold or silver or stone, an image 72 made by human 73 skill 74 and imagination. 75
Romans 1:21-23
Context1:21 For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts 76 were darkened. 1:22 Although they claimed 77 to be wise, they became fools 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings 78 or birds or four-footed animals 79 or reptiles.
[115:4] 1 tn The referent of the pronominal suffix is “the nations” (v. 2).
[115:4] 2 tn Heb “the work of the hands of man.”
[115:7] 3 tn Heb “they cannot mutter in their throats.” Verse 5a refers to speaking, v. 7c to inarticulate sounds made in the throat (see M. Dahood, Psalms [AB], 3:140-41).
[115:8] 4 tn Heb “will be.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a prayer, “may those who make them end up like them.”
[135:15] 5 tn Heb “the work of the hands of man.”
[135:17] 6 tn Heb “indeed, there is not breath in their mouth.” For the collocation אַף אֵין (’af ’en, “indeed, there is not”) see Isa 41:26. Another option is to take אַף as “nose” (see Ps 115:6), in which case one might translate, “a nose, [but] they have no breath in their mouths.”
[135:18] 7 tn Heb “will be.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a prayer, “may those who make them end up like them.”
[40:19] 8 tn Heb “pours out”; KJV “melteth.”
[40:20] 9 tn The first two words of the verse (הַמְסֻכָּן תְּרוּמָה, hamsukan tÿrumah) are problematic. Some take מְסֻכָּן as an otherwise unattested Pual participle from סָכַן (sakhan, “be poor”) and translate “the one who is impoverished.” תְּרוּמָה (tÿrumah, “contribution”) can then be taken as an adverbial accusative, “with respect to a contribution,” and the entire line translated, “the one who is too impoverished for such a contribution [i.e., the metal idol of v. 19?] selects wood that will not rot.” However, מְסֻכָּן is probably the name of a tree used in idol manufacturing (cognate with Akkadian musukkanu, cf. H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena [SBLDS], 133). מְסֻכָּן may be a scribal interpretive addition attempting to specify עֵץ (’ets) or עֵץ may be a scribal attempt to categorize מְסֻכָּן. How an idol constitutes a תְּרוּמָה (“contribution”) is not entirely clear.
[40:20] 10 tn Or “set up” (ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); KJV, NASB “to prepare.”
[41:7] 11 tn The verb “encourages” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
[41:7] 12 tn Heb “saying of the welding, ‘It is good.’”
[42:17] 13 tn Heb “be ashamed with shame”; ASV, NASB “be utterly put to shame.”
[42:18] 14 tn Heb “look to see”; NAB, NCV “look and see”; NRSV “look up and see.”
[44:10] 15 tn The rhetorical question is sarcastic. The sense is, “Who is foolish enough…?”
[44:11] 16 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] 17 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.”
[44:12] 18 tn The noun מַעֲצָד (ma’atsad), which refers to some type of tool used for cutting, occurs only here and in Jer 10:3. See HALOT 615 s.v. מַעֲצָד.
[44:12] 19 tn Some English versions take the pronoun “it” to refer to an idol being fashioned by the blacksmith (cf. NIV, NCV, CEV). NLT understands the referent to be “a sharp tool,” which is then used by the carpenter in the following verse to carve an idol from wood.
[44:12] 20 tn Heb “and there is no strength”; NASB “his strength fails.”
[44:13] 21 tn Heb “stretches out a line” (ASV similar); NIV “measures with a line.”
[44:13] 22 tn Heb “he makes an outline with the [?].” The noun שֶׂרֶד (shered) occurs only here; it apparently refers to some type of tool or marker. Cf. KJV “with a line”; ASV “with a pencil”; NAB, NRSV “with a stylus”; NASB “with red chalk”; NIV “with a marker.”
[44:13] 23 tn Heb “works” (so NASB) or “fashions” (so NRSV); NIV “he roughs it out.”
[44:13] 24 tn Heb “he makes it like the pattern of a man”; NAB “like a man in appearance.”
[44:13] 25 tn Heb “like the glory of man to sit [in] a house”; NIV “that it may dwell in a shrine.”
[44:14] 26 tn It is not certain what type of tree this otherwise unattested noun refers to. Cf. ASV “a holm-tree” (NRSV similar).
[44:14] 27 tn Heb “strengthens for himself,” i.e., “secures for himself” (see BDB 55 s.v. אָמֵץ Pi.2).
[44:14] 28 tn Some prefer to emend אֹרֶן (’oren) to אֶרֶז (’erez, “cedar”), but the otherwise unattested noun appears to have an Akkadian cognate, meaning “cedar.” See H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena (SBLDS), 44-45. HALOT 90 s.v. I אֹרֶן offers the meaning “laurel.”
[44:15] 29 tn Heb “and it becomes burning [i.e., firewood] for a man”; NAB “to serve man for fuel.”
[44:15] 30 tn Or perhaps, “them.”
[44:16] 31 tn Heb “eats” (so NASB); NAB, NRSV “roasts.”
[44:18] 32 tn Heb “for their eyes are smeared over so they cannot see, so their heart cannot be wise.”
[44:19] 33 tn There is no formal interrogative sign here, but the context seems to indicate these are rhetorical questions. See GKC 473 §150.a.
[44:20] 34 tn Or perhaps, “he eats on an ash heap.”
[44:20] 35 tn Heb “Is it not a lie in my right hand?”
[46:6] 36 tn Heb “the reed,” probably referring to the beam of a scales. See BDB 889 s.v. קָנֶה 4.c.
[46:7] 37 tn Or perhaps, “cannot,” here and in the following two lines. The imperfect forms can indicate capability.
[10:3] 38 tn Heb “statutes.” According to BDB 350 s.v. חֻקָּה 2.b it refers to the firmly established customs or practices of the pagan nations. Compare the usage in Lev 20:23; 2 Kgs 17:8. Here it is essentially equivalent to דֶּרֶךְ (derekh) in v. 1, which has already been translated “religious practices.”
[10:3] 39 sn This passage is dripping with sarcasm. It begins by talking about the “statutes” of the pagan peoples as a “vapor” using a singular copula and singular predicate. Then it suppresses the subject, the idol, as though it were too horrible to mention, using only the predications about it. The last two lines read literally: “[it is] a tree which one cuts down from the forest; the work of the hands of a craftsman with his chisel.”
[10:4] 40 tn The pronoun is plural in Hebrew, referring to the parts.
[10:5] 41 tn Heb “And it is not in them to do good either.”
[10:8] 42 tn Or “Those wise people and kings are…” It is unclear whether the subject is the “they” of the nations in the preceding verse, or the wise people and kings referred to. The text merely has “they.”
[10:8] 43 tn Heb “The instruction of vanities [worthless idols] is wood.” The meaning of this line is a little uncertain. Various proposals have been made to make sense, most of which involve radical emendation of the text. For some examples see J. A. Thompson, Jeremiah (NICOT), 323-24, fn 6. However, this is probably a case of the bold predication that discussed in GKC 452 §141.d, some examples of which may be seen in Ps 109:4 “I am prayer,” and Ps 120:7 “I am peace.”
[10:9] 44 tc Two Qumran scrolls of Jeremiah (4QJera and 4QJerb) reflect a Hebrew text that is very different than the traditional MT from which modern Bibles have been translated. The Hebrew text in these two manuscripts is similar to that from which LXX was translated. This is true both in small details and in major aspects where the LXX differs from MT. Most notably, 4QJera, 4QJerb and LXX present a version of Jeremiah about 13% shorter than the longer version found in MT. One example of this shorter text is Jer 10:3-11 in which MT and 4QJera both have all nine verses, while LXX and 4QJerb both lack vv. 6-8 and 10, which extol the greatness of God. In addition, the latter part of v. 9 is arranged differently in LXX and 4QJerb. The translation here follows MT which is supported by 4QJera.
[10:9] 45 tn This is a place of unknown location. It is mentioned again in Dan 10:5. Many emend the word to “Ophir” following the Syriac version and the Aramaic Targum. Ophir was famous for its gold (cf. 1 Kgs 9:28; Job 28:16).
[10:9] 46 tn The words “to cover those idols” are not in the text but are implicit from the context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[10:9] 47 tn The words “They are” are not in the text. The text reads merely, “the work of the carpenter and of the hands of the goldsmith.” The words are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[10:9] 48 tn Heb “Blue and purple their clothing.”
[10:9] 49 sn There is an ironic pun in this last line. The Hebrew word translated “skillful workers” is the same word that is translated “wise people” in v. 7. The artisans do their work skillfully but they are not “wise.”
[10:14] 50 tn Heb “Every man.” But in the context this is not a reference to all people without exception but to all idolaters. The referent is made explicit for the sake of clarity.
[10:14] 51 tn Or “nothing but a phony god”; Heb “a lie/falsehood.”
[10:14] 52 tn Heb “There is no breath in them.” The referent is made explicit so that no one will mistakenly take it to refer to the idolaters or goldsmiths.
[10:15] 53 tn Or “objects of mockery.”
[15:19] 54 tn Heb “So the
[15:19] 55 tn Heb “If you return [ = repent], I will restore [more literally, ‘cause you to return’] that you may stand before me.” For the idiom of “standing before” in the sense of serving see BDB 764 s.v. עָמַד Qal.1.e and compare the usage in 1 Kgs 10:8; 12:8; 17:1; Deut 10:8.
[15:19] 56 tn Heb “you shall be as my mouth.”
[15:19] 57 tn Heb “They must turn/return to you and you must not turn/return to them.”
[15:20] 58 sn See 1:18. The
[5:23] 60 tn Aram “in whose hand [are].”
[2:18] 61 tn Or “of what value.”
[2:18] 62 tn Heb “so that the one who forms it fashions it?” Here כִּי (ki) is taken as resultative after the rhetorical question. For other examples of this use, see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 73, §450.
[2:18] 63 tn Heb “or a metal image, a teacher of lies.” The words “What good is” in the translation are supplied from the previous parallel line. “Teacher of lies” refers to the false oracles that the so-called god would deliver through a priest. See J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 126.
[2:18] 64 tn Heb “so that the one who forms his image trusts in it?” As earlier in the verse, כִּי (ki) is resultative.
[2:19] 66 tn Heb “Woe [to] the one who says.” On the term הוֹי (hoy) see the note on the word “dead” in v. 6.
[2:19] 67 tn The words “he who says” in the translation are supplied from the previous parallel line.
[2:19] 68 tn Though the Hebrew text has no formal interrogative marker here, the context indicates that the statement should be taken as a rhetorical question anticipating the answer, “Of course not!” (so also NIV, NRSV).
[2:20] 69 tn Or “holy temple.” The
[2:20] 70 tn Or “Be quiet before him, all the earth!”
[17:29] 71 tn Or “the divine being.” BDAG 446 s.v. θεῖος 1.b has “divine being, divinity” here.
[17:29] 72 tn Or “a likeness.” Again idolatry is directly attacked as an affront to God and a devaluation of him.
[17:29] 73 tn Grk “by the skill and imagination of man,” but ἀνθρώπου (anqrwpou) has been translated as an attributive genitive.
[17:29] 74 tn Or “craftsmanship” (cf. BDAG 1001 s.v. τέχνη).
[17:29] 75 tn Or “thought.” BDAG 336 s.v. ἐνθύμησις has “thought, reflection, idea” as the category of meaning here, but in terms of creativity (as in the context) the imaginative faculty is in view.
[1:22] 77 tn The participle φάσκοντες (faskonte") is used concessively here.
[1:23] 78 tn Grk “exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God in likeness of an image of corruptible man.” Here there is a wordplay on the Greek terms ἄφθαρτος (afqarto", “immortal, imperishable, incorruptible”) and φθαρτός (fqarto", “mortal, corruptible, subject to decay”).
[1:23] 79 sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 106:19-20.
