44:15 A man uses it to make a fire; 1
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. 2
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?’ 3
49:5 So now the Lord says,
the one who formed me from birth 4 to be his servant –
he did this 5 to restore Jacob to himself,
so that Israel might be gathered to him;
and I will be honored 6 in the Lord’s sight,
for my God is my source of strength 7 –
1 tn Heb “and it becomes burning [i.e., firewood] for a man”; NAB “to serve man for fuel.”
2 tn Or perhaps, “them.”
3 tn There is no formal interrogative sign here, but the context seems to indicate these are rhetorical questions. See GKC 473 §150.a.
4 tn Heb “from the womb” (so KJV, NASB).
5 tn The words “he did this” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the infinitive construct of purpose is subordinated to the previous statement.
6 tn The vav (ו) + imperfect is translated here as a result clause; one might interpret it as indicating purpose, “and so I might be honored.”
7 tn Heb “and my God is [perhaps, “having been”] my strength.” The disjunctive structure (vav [ו] + subject + verb) is interpreted here as indicating a causal circumstantial clause.