Discovery BoxIsaiah 44:15-20 
Context44:15 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
44:16 Half of it he burns in the fire –
over that half he cooks 3 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. 4
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?’ 5
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?’ 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 Heb “eats” (so NASB); NAB, NRSV “roasts.”
4 tn Heb “for their eyes are smeared over so they cannot see, so their heart cannot be wise.”
5 tn There is no formal interrogative sign here, but the context seems to indicate these are rhetorical questions. See GKC 473 §150.a.
6 tn Or perhaps, “he eats on an ash heap.”
7 tn Heb “Is it not a lie in my right hand?”
