44.15
The Book of Isaiah 44.15 · Fuel for the fire, and a god too44.15Fuel for the fire, and a god too
The same wood serves two purposes. Some warms him and bakes his bread, and some becomes the god he bows to.
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וְהָיָה1
wə-hāyâ
And it becomesand it was
לְאָדָם2
lə-ʾāḏām
for a man
לְבָעֵר3
lə-ḇāʿēr
to burnfor burning
. וַיִּקַּח4
wa-yyiqqaḥ
And he takesand he took
מֵהֶם5
mēhem
some of itfrom them
וַיָּחָם6
wa-yyāḥām
and warms himselfand he is warm
; אַף־7
ʾap̄-
evenalso
יַשִּׂיק8
yaśśîq
he kindles
וְאָפָה9
wə-ʾāp̄â
and bakesand he bakes
לָחֶם10
lāḥem
bread
. אַף־11
ʾap̄-
He evenalso
יִפְעַל־12
yip̄ʿal-
makeshe makes
אֵל13
ʾēl
a god
וַיִּשְׁתָּחוּ14
wa-yyištāḥû
and bows downand he bows down
; עָשָׂהוּ15
ʿāśāhû
he makes ithe made it
פֶסֶל16
p̄esel
an idolcarved image
וַיִּסְגָּד־17
wa-yyisgāḏ-
and prostrates himselfand he worships
לָמוֹ׃18
lāmô
to itto them
. And it becomes for a man to burn. He takes some of it and warms himself; he even kindles and bakes bread. He even makes a god and bows down; he makes it an idol and prostrates himself to it.
And it becomes for a man to burn. He takes some of it and warms himself; he even kindles and bakes bread. He even makes a god and bows down; he makes it an idol and prostrates himself to it.
44.16
The Book of Isaiah 44.16 · Half of it he burns in the fire44.16Half of it he burns in the fire
The punchline of the whole satire: one log, two uses. Half cooks his dinner and half becomes his god.
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Half of it he burns in the fire; over half of it he eats meat. He roasts a roast and is full, and he warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire!”
Now the punchline arrives in one verse. The wood is “for a man to burn”: he warms himself, he lights a fire and bakes bread, and also (ʾap̄, “even”) “he makes a god and bows down; he makes it an idol and prostrates himself before it”. Fuel and deity from the same log, in the same breath.