44.19
The Book of Isaiah 44.19 · Should I bow to a block of wood?44.19Should I bow to a block of wood?
He never stops to think. If he did, he would hear how ridiculous his own words sound.
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וְלֹא־1
wə-lōʾ-
And does not
יָשִׁיב2
yāšîḇ
bring backhe returns
it
אֶל־3
ʾel-
to
לִבּוֹ4
libbô
his heart
, וְלֹא5
wə-lōʾ
and noand not
דַעַת6
daʿaṯ
knowledge
וְלֹא־7
wə-lōʾ-
and noand not
תְבוּנָה8
təḇûnâ
understanding
לֵאמֹר9
lēʾmōr
to say
, חֶצְיוֹ10
ḥeṣyô
half of it
שָׂרַפְתִּי11
śārap̄tî
I burned
בְמוֹ־12
bə-mô-
in
אֵשׁ13
ʾēš
the fire
, וְאַף14
wə-ʾap̄
and also
אָפִיתִי15
ʾāp̄îṯî
I baked
לֶחֶם16
leḥem
bread
עַל־17
ʿal-
on
גֶּחָלָיו18
geḥālāyw
its coals
; אֶצְלֶה19
ʾeṣleh
I roastedI roast
בָשָׂר20
ḇāśār
meatflesh
וְאֹכֵל21
wə-ʾōḵēl
and ateand I eat
. וְיִתְרוֹ22
wə-yiṯrô
And the rest of itand its remainder
, אֶעֱשֶׂה23
ʾeʿĕśeh
should I make
it
לְתוֹעֵבָה24
lə-ṯôʿēḇâ
into an abominationfor an abomination
? אֶסְגּוֹד׃25
ʾesgôḏ
Should I bow down
לְבוּל26
lə-ḇûl
to a block ofto the stock of
עֵץ27
ʿēṣ
woodtree
And he does not bring it back to his heart, and no knowledge and no understanding to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire, and I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and ate. And the rest of it, should I make it into an abomination? Should I bow down to a block of wood?”
And he does not bring it back to his heart, and no knowledge and no understanding to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire, and I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and ate. And the rest of it, should I make it into an abomination? Should I bow down to a block of wood?”
44.20
The Book of Isaiah 44.20 · Is this not a lie in my right hand?44.20Is this not a lie in my right hand?
The verdict. He feeds on ashes, led off course by his own heart, and never asks the one question that would free him.
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He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has led him astray. He cannot save his soul, nor say, “Is this not a lie in my right hand?”
What the man never says to himself is now said for him, step by step: half burned, bread baked, meat roasted, and the rest, “shall I make it a tôʿēḇâ?”, an abomination, “shall I bow down to a bûl of wood?”. Bûl is a lump, a block; the word appears only here with this sense in the Bible.