Vv 1-13: "Bel, bow down!" The great ct between Yahweh and the
gods of Assyria. (Note: Cyrus prayed to the same gods as did the
Babylonians!).
BEL: A Babylonian god (cp Baal), usually identified
with Marduk or Merodach, the chief deity of the Babylonians (ISBE).
NEBO: "The name of a Babylonian deity mentioned only in
Isa 46:1... Nebo was the tutelary deity of the ancient city of Borsippa, some 15
miles ssw of Babylon. He achieved great popularity throughout Mesopotamia and
the surrounding regions during the 1st millennium BC. The name of this god
appears as an element in at least three Babylonian names mentioned in the OT:
the great king Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian official Nebushazban, and the
military commander Nebuzaradan" (ABD).
STOOPS LOW: Nebo, always pictured as straight as an
arrow, is caused by God to "stoop": cp fate of Dagon in 1Sa 5:3,4.
THE IMAGES THAT ARE CARRIED ABOUT: Cp v 7. These idols
have to be carried by their devotees; but -- by ct -- Yahweh carries His people
(Isa 46:3; Deu 1:31; 32:11) -- not the other way around!
Isa 46:3
Figure of mother and children in Isaiah: Isa 8:3,4; 11:8;
26:17,18; 28:9; 45:10,11; 46:3,4; 49:15,20-23; 54:1; 60:16; 66:11-13.
Isa 46:6
GOLD... SILVER: "Sin" is always a costly
enterprise!
Isa 46:10
MY PURPOSE WILL STAND, AND I WILL DO ALL THAT I PLEASE:
The irresistible Assyrian invasion (Isa 8:7,8; 10:5,6), the futility of all
statecraft to cope with the situation (Isa 8:9,11,12; 30:1-5), the catastrophic
overthrow and sensational deliverance (Isa 14:25; 17:11-14; 30:30,31; etc). And,
furthermore, the "pleasure" of the LORD in rendering salvation through Christ
(Isa 53:10,11).
Isa 46:11
A BIRD OF PREY... FROM A FAR-OFF LAND: Sennacherib
himself: Since God "called" him, God could also defeat him.
Isa 46:13
MY SALVATION WILL NOT BE DELAYED: "Though it linger,
wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay" (Hab 2:3), a
contemporary.