John Gill Commentary Isaiah 46

Ver. 1 Bel bows down, Nebo stoops
These are names of the Isaiah 46:2

They stoop, they bow together
Either the beasts under their burdens, or other idols besides those mentioned; or rather the Babylonians themselves, who were obliged to submit to the conquerors:

they could not deliver the burdens ;
the idols could not save themselves from being laid as burdens upon the beasts, any more than they could save their worshippers: so the Targum understands this and the preceding clause of them;``they are cut off, and cut to pieces together, they could not deliver those that carried them;'' or else the Babylonians are designed, who could not save their gods from being used in this shameful manner:

but themselves are gone into captivity ,
or "their souls" ^F13 ; what were as dear to them as their own souls, their idols; to whom also souls may be ascribed by way of derision, being inanimate as well as irrational; and it is not unusual for idols to be said to be carried captive; hence those words of Tertullian, "manent et simulachra caplira": or rather the Babylonians, who went into captivity themselves, and so could not save their idols: thus they who had led captive the Jews are led captive themselves; and thus it will be with mystical Babylon, (Revelation 13:10) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F13: (Mvpnw) "et animae eorum", V. L. Munster, Pagninus, Montanus, Cocceius.

And Obadiah the son of Shemaiah
Called Abda the son of Shammua, (Nehemiah 11:17)

the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun ;
who was Ethan, another of the singers in the time of David:

and Berechiah the son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, that dwelt in the
villages of the Netophathites ;
the villages about Netophah, which was in the tribe of Judah, (1 Chronicles 2:54) , (Nehemiah 7:26) whichmay be understood either of Elkanah, the ancestor of Berechiah, whose dwelling was there; or of Berechiah,and must be rendered,

who had dwelt there ;
for now he dwelt at Jerusalem.

Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob
The Jews, the descendants of Jacob: and all the remnant of the house of Israel ;
those that remained of the ten tribes that had been carried captive long ago. These may, in a spiritual sense, design those who are Israelites indeed; the household of the God of Jacob; the chosen of God, and called; the remnant according to the election of grace: which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb :
here the Lord distinguishes himself from the idols of the Babylonians; they were laid as burdens upon beasts, and bore and carried by them; but the Lord is born and carried by none, but bears and carries his people.

The allusion is to tender parents that have compassion on their children as soon as born, and take care of them, and bear them in their bosoms, and carry them in their arms; and may have respect, in the literal sense, to the infant state of the Jews, both as a church and commonwealth, when the Lord took pity on them, and care of them, and bore them as a father bears his son; and bore with their manners too, and carried them all the days of old through the wilderness to Canaan's land; see (Numbers 11:12) (Deuteronomy 1:31) (Acts 13:18) (Isaiah 63:9) .

It may be applied to the care of God in the preservation of men by his providence, especially his own people, whose God he is from their mother's belly; who takes them under his protection as soon as born, and carries them through every state of infancy, youth, manhood, and old age, and never leaves nor forsakes them; see (Psalms 22:10) (Psalms 71:5Psalms 71:6Psalms 71:17Psalms 71:18) (48:14) ,

and with great propriety may be applied to regenerate persons, who, as soon as born again, are regarded by the Lord in a very visible, tender, and compassionate manner; he "bears" them in his bosom, and on his heart; he bears them in his arms; he puts his everlasting arms underneath them; he bears with them, with all their weakness and infirmities, their peevishness and frowardness; he bears them up under all their afflictions, and sustains all their burdens; he bears them through and out of all their troubles and difficulties: he "carries" them, in like manner, in his bosom, and in his arms; he "carries" them into his house, the church, which is the nursery for them, where they are nursed and fed, and have the breasts of consolation drawn out to them; he carries on the good work of grace in them; he carries them through all their trials and exercises safe to heaven and eternal happiness; for they are poor, weak, helpless creatures, like newly born babes, cannot go alone, but must be bore up and carried.

And even to your old age I am he
The same he ever was, the eternal and unchangeable Jehovah; the same in his love and affections; in his sympathy and care; in his power and protection; in his promises, truth, and faithfulness to his people, in their last days, as at the first moment of their conversion; and therefore they are safe; see (Psalms 102:27) (Malachi 3:6) :

and even to hoar hairs will I carry you
^F14 ; which is doing more than the most tender parent does, or can, or need to do! God will not leave his people in the decline of life, when pressing infirmities are upon them, and they stand in as much need as ever of being bore up, supported, and carried:

wherefore it follows, I have made ;
these persons, not merely as creatures, but as new creatures; they are formed for myself; they are my sons and daughters, the works of my hands: I have an interest in them, therefore I will bear, even I will carry :
from the first of their regeneration, to their entrance into glory; (See Gill on Isaiah 46:3);

And will deliver you ;
out of all affliction; out of all temptations; out of the hand of every enemy; from a final and total falling away; from a body of sin and death; from death eternal, and wrath to come; and even at last from the grave and all corruption.

FOOTNOTES:

• F14: This seems to express more than old age, as Ben Melech observes hence the Jews say, a man sixty years old is come to old age, and one of seventy to hoary hairs.

To whom will you liken me ?
&c.] Was it lawful that any likeness might be made, which yet is forbidden, (Exodus 20:4) what likeness could be thought of? is there any creature in heaven or earth, among all the angels or sons of men, to whom God can be likened, who has done such works of power, and acts of grace, as to care and provide not only for the house of Israel, from the beginning of their state to the close of it, but for all his creatures from the beginning of life to the end thereof, yea, from the beginning of the world to the end of it, and has shown such special grace and goodness to his chosen people, in such a kind and tender manner?

And make me equal ;
or any equal to him in power and goodness, since all are but worms, dust, and ashes, as the small dust of the balance, yea, as nothing in comparison of him.

And compare me, that we may be like ?
which is impossible to be done; for what comparison or likeness can there be between the Creator and a creature, between an infinite, immense, and eternal Being, possessed of all perfections, and a finite, frail, imperfect one? see (Isaiah 40:18) . To pretend to frame a likeness of such a Being, is to act the absurd and stupid part the Heathens do, described in the following verses.