They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but themselves are gone into captivity.
Isaiah 46:2 belongs to the announcement of deliverance from the Babylonian exile, contrasting powerless idols with the Lord who will free his people. It depicts the idols of Babylon stooping and bowing down together, unable to carry or rescue the burden laid on them by those who bear them, and themselves being carried into captivity.
The word rendered themselves means the persons themselves. The Hebrew margin gives an alternate reading meaning their soul for the word rendered themselves, showing that soul can refer to the persons themselves.
The verse stands in a section that declares God to be the one Creator, Redeemer and Saviour, the source of all life and power. The chapter to which the verse belongs presents the uniqueness of God and his ability to declare the end from the beginning, showing that he alone is God.
Isaiah 46:2 belongs to the announcement of deliverance from the Babylonian exile, contrasting powerless idols with the Lord who will free his people. It depicts the idols of Babylon stooping and bowing down together, unable to carry or rescue the burden laid on them by those who bear them, and themselves being carried into captivity.
The word rendered themselves means the persons themselves. The Hebrew margin gives an alternate reading meaning their soul for the word rendered themselves, showing that soul can refer to the persons themselves.
The verse stands in a section that declares God to be the one Creator, Redeemer and Saviour, the source of all life and power. The chapter to which the verse belongs presents the uniqueness of God and his ability to declare the end from the beginning, showing that he alone is God.