Isaiah 40:19

The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.

The workman {H2796} melteth {H5258} a graven image {H6459}, and the goldsmith {H6884} spreadeth {H7554} it over with gold {H2091}, and casteth {H6884} silver {H3701} chains {H7577}.

An image made by a craftsman, which a goldsmith overlays with gold, for which he then casts silver chains?

To an idol that a craftsman casts and a metalworker overlays with gold and fits with silver chains?

The image, a workman hath cast it, and the goldsmith overlayeth it with gold, and casteth for it silver chains.

Isaiah 40:19 from the King James Version (KJV) vividly illustrates the absurdity and futility of idolatry, contrasting human efforts to create gods with the incomparable majesty of the true God, as introduced in the preceding verses of Isaiah 40.

Context

This verse is part of the "Book of Comfort" (Isaiah 40-66), which delivers a powerful message of hope and restoration to Israel after their exile. Chapter 40 opens with a declaration of God's coming glory and the ephemeral nature of humanity. Verses 18-20 specifically challenge the notion that God can be compared to anything, especially man-made idols. Isaiah 40:19 details the elaborate and costly process involved in crafting such an idol, highlighting the irony that something requiring so much human effort and skill could then be worshipped as divine. This passage sets the stage for further condemnations of idolatry throughout Isaiah, such as in Isaiah 44:9-20.

Key Themes

  • The Futility of Idolatry: The verse powerfully exposes the emptiness of worshipping objects fashioned by human hands. Despite the craftsmanship and precious materials, the idol remains lifeless and powerless, a stark contrast to the living God.
  • Misdirected Human Effort: It highlights the immense labor, skill, and resources invested in creating something utterly worthless from a spiritual perspective. The "workman" and "goldsmith" pour their expertise into a creation that cannot hear, see, or save.
  • God's Incomparability: By describing what idols are, the passage implicitly emphasizes what God is not. He is not manufactured, confined, or dependent on human skill. This reinforces the core question of Isaiah 40:18, "To whom then will ye liken God?"

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew terms used in this verse underscore the human agency in creating these false gods:

  • The "graven image" (Hebrew: pesel, פֶּסֶל) refers to a carved or chiseled idol, often of wood or stone, which is then overlaid.
  • "Melteth" (Hebrew: nasak, נָסַךְ) can also imply casting, indicating the initial formation of the idol, perhaps from metal.
  • The "goldsmith" (Hebrew: tsoreph, צֹרֵף) is a skilled artisan, emphasizing the human craftsmanship involved. The phrase "spreadeth it over with gold" describes the process of beating out thin sheets of gold to adorn the image, giving it a superficial appearance of value and divinity.
  • "Casteth silver chains" (Hebrew: רְתֻקוֹת כֶּסֶף יִצּוֹק) suggests the creation of adornments or perhaps even means to secure the idol in place, further highlighting the human effort to make something immobile appear powerful.

Practical Application

While literal idol worship of statues may seem less prevalent in many modern societies, the principle of Isaiah 40:19 remains profoundly relevant. Idolatry, in essence, is placing ultimate trust, devotion, or value in anything other than the one true God. This can manifest in:

  • Materialism: Obsession with wealth, possessions, or status, pouring our energy into acquiring things that ultimately cannot satisfy or save.
  • Self-Worship: Elevating one's own desires, opinions, or achievements above God's will.
  • Intellectualism/Ideologies: Placing absolute faith in human reason, scientific advancements, or political systems as ultimate saviors or sources of truth.
  • Comfort/Security: Prioritizing personal comfort and security over obedience or sacrifice for God's kingdom.

This verse calls believers to examine their own lives: What "images" do we craft with our time, energy, and resources? Where do we truly place our hope and trust? The message is to worship only the God who cannot be made by human hands, the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, who alone is worthy of all praise and devotion. As John 4:24 states, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Jeremiah 10:9

    Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple [is] their clothing: they [are] all the work of cunning [men].

  • Isaiah 46:6

    They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, [and] hire a goldsmith; and he maketh it a god: they fall down, yea, they worship.

  • Isaiah 46:7

    They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, [one] shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble.

  • Judges 17:4

    Yet he restored the money unto his mother; and his mother took two hundred [shekels] of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image: and they were in the house of Micah.

  • Habakkuk 2:18

    What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?

  • Habakkuk 2:19

    Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it [is] laid over with gold and silver, and [there is] no breath at all in the midst of it.

  • Exodus 32:2

    And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which [are] in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring [them] unto me.

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