John Gill Commentary


John Gill Commentary
"And none calleth to mind, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?" — Isaiah 44:19 (ASV)
And none considereth in his heart Or, "and he does not return it to his heart" F11 ; he does not come to himself again, or return to his right mind, but lives and dies under the infatuation; never once revolving it in his mind, pondering within himself what he has done, or is doing, whether right or wrong: neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say ; within himself, and reason the matter in his own mind, and thus express himself:
I have burnt part of it in the fire ; to warm myself with: yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof ; both heated the oven, and baked bread with it; and also upon the live coals have laid kneaded dough, and baked a cake on them: and I have roasted flesh, and eaten it ; made a fire with another part of it, and roasted meat at it, and ate it with great pleasure and satisfaction:
and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination ? an idol, which is an abominable thing to God, and to all men of sense and goodness: shall I fall down to the stock of a tree ? or "the bud of a tree?" F12 or that which is made out of a tree of my own planting, cutting down, and hewing, part of which has been used to the above purposes; and the remaining lifeless log, shall I worship it as a god? and yet, though such reasoning might be justly expected from a man that is a reasonable creature, sottish are idolaters, that they seem to be quite deprived of their rational powers, or at least these are disused by them.