John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 46

Bel hath bowed down. Isaiah continues the same subject, for we do not need to trouble ourselves about the division of chapters, which have not always been accurately divided. Instead, we should examine the statements themselves, which agree with each other in the way I have pointed out. Yet if anyone prefers to view this as the beginning of a new discourse, because immediately afterward he prophesies concerning the destruction of Babylon, I will not greatly quarrel with him.

Nebo is cast down. “Bel” and “Nebo” were idols that were worshipped by the Babylonians, and probably were their chief patrons, as idolaters always have some particular gods under whose protection, above all others, they consider themselves to be placed. It may be conjectured that this “Nebo” was a kind of inferior god that was added to the chief god “Bel,” much like Mercury was to Jupiter. Under their names, he also includes the rest of the idols and declares that all the superstitions and false worship of the Gentiles will be overthrown when God will lay low and triumph over their worshippers, because it will then be manifest that he is the righteous avenger of his Church.

Their idols shall be on the beasts. Because the Babylonians had haughtily boasted of the protection of false gods, the Prophet rebukes that vain confidence, because the God of Israel will not only bring utter ruin on that wicked nation but also will cast down and treat their gods disdainfully. The reason he says that they will be burdens for “beasts” is that they will be laid on wagons and removed from one place to another, and will even be huddled together without any respect, just as the wagoners think proper. This is what is meant by “being cast down,” for the robbers will collect into a large heap those gods that formerly occupied an elevated station.

Indeed, there can be no doubt that this was fulfilled when the Persians and Medes took Babylon by storm, for when the monarchy was removed, these idols were taken away as a part of the booty.

But Isaiah, though he predicted this, looked further—that is, to the coming of Christ, who was to overturn and destroy all false worship. For when his kingdom has been established, all idols immediately fall to the ground, and it is impossible for false religion and superstition to exist alongside the knowledge of him. By his brightness he dispels all darkness, so as to leave no room for false gods or superstitions, for, as Paul says,

“What hath Christ to do with Belial? What hath light to do with darkness?”
(2 Corinthians 6:14–15).

At the same time, it should be observed that the Prophet had his eye on the time when the Jews were held in captivity. For they saw the Babylonians offer incense to idols and ascribe supreme power to them, as if the government of affairs depended on them, while the God of the Jews was treated with scorn, as if he could not defend his people or as if he cared nothing about them. For this reason, he shows that there will be such a great revolution that the gods of the Babylonians, which were elevated so high, will be laid low, and God, who appeared to be low, will rise up and avenge his people.

They could not withdraw themselves from the burden. he ridicules the vanity of such gods as these, which have neither strength nor motion, and cannot defend or support themselves; in short, they need the help of beasts of burden to carry them.

There is, therefore, an implied contrast between idols and the true God, who has no need of anything whatever.

I interpret these words as applying to beasts. The Prophet heightens the disgrace by saying that they were a heavy burden to the beasts themselves, which would willingly have thrown them off. Consequently, the false gods, besides being of no use to their worshippers, also wearied the beasts.

And their soul hath gone into captivity. This is a Hebrew mode of expression, by which he ridicules those gods which have neither “soul” nor understanding.

He speaks ironically, therefore, against useless and mute idols when he says that they will be carried into captivity along with their soul.

But we must see if these things cannot be turned back against the true God, whose ark, by which He gave testimony of His presence, was taken by the Philistines; for in this way it appeared as if the Lord were a captive (1 Samuel 4:11).

This objection may be easily answered. Although the Lord intended that the ark should be a testimony of His presence, He forbade the Jews to fix their whole and exclusive attention upon it, but commanded them to raise their eyes to heaven and there to seek and adore God.

He wished to be always worshipped in a spiritual manner (John 4:24), and the ark was not adored instead of God but was a symbol by which the people were led upwards, as by the hand, to God. The Gentiles, on the other hand, fixed their attention on their idols and attributed to them divine power.

It might even have been said that the Philistines were eventually punished for their wickedness and acknowledged that they had to deal with the true God (1 Samuel 5:6).

But that would not have been a sufficient answer, because the Lord sometimes permitted His ark to be treated with derision, as is evident from other passages of the history.

The true solution, therefore, is that the Lord, though He interacts with us by symbols and sacraments, yet wishes to be sought in heaven.

To this must be added that He had openly declared, by memorable predictions, that He was not dragged as a captive by conquerors, but that of His own accord He exposed His sanctuary to the mockery of enemies in order to punish the sins of His people.

Nor could the Jews, when the Temple had been thrown down and burnt, and when the holy vessels were carried to Babylon, doubt that the same God whom they had worshipped was the author of this punishment, since He had so frequently threatened by His prophets what then happened.

Hear me. Here the Prophet beautifully points out the vast difference between the true God and idols. Having previously said that the Babylonian gods must be drawn on wagons and carts, because they consist of dead matter, he now ascribes a widely different office to the God of Israel, namely, that he carries his people, like a mother, who carries the child in her womb, and afterwards carries it in her bosom.

He addresses the Jews, so that they may return an answer from their experience; for this should have powerfully affected them, when they actually felt that he bore them and their burdens. He, therefore, makes use of a highly appropriate contrast, and concludes from the preceding statements: Acknowledge that I am the true God, and that I differ widely from idols, which are useless and dead weights.

For you have known and experienced my power by constant benefits, which I have not ceased to bestow upon you from the womb. God is not only powerful in himself, but diffuses his power through all the creatures, so that we feel his strength and energy.

Who are carried from the womb. This is a very expressive metaphor, by which God compares himself to a mother who carries a child in her womb. He speaks of the past time, when he began to give them testimonies of his grace. Yet the words might be taken as meaning simply that God kindly nourished that people, like an infant taken from its mother’s womb, and carried it in his bosom, as the Psalmist says, I was cast upon you from the womb, you are my God from my mother’s belly (Psalms 22:10).

But as God did not only begin to act as the father and nurse of his people from the time when they were born, but also begat them (James 1:18) spiritually, I do not object to extending the words so far as to mean, that they were brought, as it were, out of the bowels of God into a new life and the hope of an eternal inheritance.

If it is objected that God is everywhere called a Father (Jeremiah 31:9; Malachi 1:6), and that this title is more appropriate to him, I reply, that no figures of speech can describe God’s extraordinary affection towards us; for it is infinite and various. So, if all that can be said or imagined about love were brought together into one, it would still be surpassed by the greatness of the love of God. By no metaphor, therefore, can his incomparable goodness be described. If you understand it simply to mean that God, from the time that he begot them, gently carried and nourished them in his bosom, this will agree admirably with what we find in the Song of Moses, He bore them, and carried them, as an eagle carries her young on her wings (Deuteronomy 32:11).

In a word, the intention of the Prophet is to show that the Jews, if they do not choose to forget their descent, cannot arrive at any other conclusion than that they were not begotten in vain, and that God, who has manifested himself to be both their Father and their Mother, will always assist them. Likewise, they have known his power by uninterrupted experience, so that they should not pay homage to idols.

All the remnant of the house of Israel. By calling them a remnant he means, as we previously remarked, that the greater part had been alienated from the Church by their revolt, so that the hope of deliverance belonged only to a very small number. For this reason he demands a hearing from them; for unbelievers, no less than pagan nations, were utterly deaf to his voice.

Now, although the people were so far from being in their unbroken strength that their dispersion had left but a small number behind, yet God bids them consider how wonderfully they have been preserved until now, so that they may not doubt that he will from now on act towards them, as he has acted until now, the part of both father and mother.

And when he demands that they listen to him, he shows that the true and indeed the only remedy for our distresses and calamities is to hang on his mouth, and to be attentive to the promises of grace. For then we will have sufficient courage to bear every affliction; but if not, the way is opened for despair, and we should not expect anything else than destruction.

And even to old age. Here I explain the conjunction ו (vau) to mean therefore; and the reasoning should be carefully observed, for he argues thus: “I have begotten and brought you forth;” and again, “Even when you were little children, I carried you in my arms, and therefore I will be the guardian of your life until the end.” David also reasons in this way:

“Thou art he who brought me out of the womb; I trusted in thee while I hung on my mother’s breasts; I was cast upon thee from my birth; thou art my God from my mother’s womb” (Psalms 22:10).

He therefore promises that he will always be a Father to the Jews. From this we see that we should cherish assured confidence of salvation from the time that the Lord has once begun it in us, for he wishes to continue his work until the end. “The Lord,” says David, “will complete what he hath begun;” and again,

“O Lord, thy loving-kindness is eternal, and thou wilt not forsake the works of thy hands” (Psalms 138:8).

I am the same. The Hebrew word הוא (hu) is, in my opinion, very emphatic, though some interpreters translate it simply as the demonstrative pronoun He; but it means that God is always “the same” and like himself, not only in his essence, but with respect to us, so that we ourselves will feel that he is the same.

When he says, “Even to old age,” it might be thought absurd, for we should become full-grown men after having been carried by God from infancy. But if anyone examines it properly, it will be found that we never make such great progress as not to need to be upheld by the strength of God; for otherwise, the most perfect man would stumble every moment, as David also testifies:

“Forsake me not in the time of old age, withdraw not from me when my strength faileth” (Psalms 71:9).

I have made and will carry. He again argues in the same manner. God does not regard what we deserve, but continues his grace toward us; and therefore we should draw confidence from it: “You did create us, not only that we might be human beings, but that we might be your children; and therefore you will continue until the end to exercise continually toward us the care of a father and of a mother.”

To whom will ye liken and compare me? Here the Prophet introduces the Lord remonstrating with the Jews because they distrusted and doubted His power and, in short, because they put Him on a level with idols, and even placed idols above Him. When they saw the Babylonians enjoy prosperity, they thought that their hope was gone, that the remembrance of the covenant had faded away, and they hardly believed that God was in heaven or took any concern about them. On this account, the Lord complains that they ascribed some power to idols, and thus they cast His power into the shade. This subject was previously discussed in connection with the forty-second, forty-third, and following chapters, and therefore it is unnecessary to repeat observations on each word.

In order that they may not estimate the power of God by the present condition of things, He bids them raise their minds higher. In like manner, when we see the Papists enjoy prosperity, if we should entertain doubts whether or not they possessed the true religion, we would need to be dissuaded by the same exhortation, for this would be to compare God with idols.

And we ought carefully to observe this circumstance, the forgetfulness or disregard of which has led many commentators absurdly to weaken this statement by supposing that the Prophet merely attacks superstitious persons who ascribe some divine power to wood or stone, because this degrades the glory of God by comparing Him to dead things. But I have no doubt that He reproves that sinful and wicked conclusion by which the people, when they were weighed down by adversity, imagined that God was favorable to the Babylonians; for, if He had been favorable to them, it would follow that He approves of idolatry, and thus His honor would have been conveyed to dumb creatures. We may likewise draw from this a general doctrine: that God is robbed of His glory when He is compared to dumb and senseless things, as Paul also applies the passage appropriately (Acts 17:29).