Teks -- Isaiah 44:12 (NET)

44:12 A blacksmith works with his tool and forges metal over the coals. He forms it with hammers; he makes it with his strong arm. He gets hungry and loses his energy; he drinks no water and gets tired.

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per frasa)

Wesley: Isa 44:12 - Faint

This is mentioned as an evidence of great zeal and industry in carrying on this work; so that they forget or neglect to eat and drink.

JFB: Isa 44:12 - tongs

Rather, "prepareth (to be supplied) an axe," namely, with which to cut down the tree designed as the material of the idol. The "smith" (Hebrew, "workman in iron") here answers to the "carpenter" (Hebrew, "workman in wood"). "He worketh it (the axe, not the idol, which was wood, not metal) in the coals," &c. The axe was wrought, not cast. The smith makes the axe for the carpenter.

JFB: Isa 44:12 - hungry . . . drinketh no water

So eager is he to expedite his work while the iron is hot. If the god were worth anything, it would not let him grow "faint" with hunger and thirst. Williams, the missionary, states that the South Sea islanders when they make an idol abstain from food and drink.

Clarke: Isa 44:12

The smith with the tongs, etc. "The smith cutteth off a portion of iron"- מעצד meatstsed , Participium Pihel of עצד atsad , to cut; still used in that sense in the Arabic. See Simonis Lex. Hebrews The Septuagint and Syriac take the word in this form: but they render it sharpeneth the iron. See Castell. Lex. in voce

The sacred writers are generally large and eloquent upon the subject of idolatry; they treat it with great severity, and set forth the absurdity of it in the strongest light. But this passage of Isaiah, Isa 44:12-20, far exceeds any thing that ever was written upon the subject, in force of argument, energy of expression, and elegance of composition. One or two of the apocryphal writers have attempted to imitate the prophet, but with very ill success; Wisd. 13:11-19; 15:7, etc.; Baruch 6, NAB (editor's note: some translations treat this as Letter to Jeremiah), especially the latter, who, injudiciously dilating his matter, and introducing a number of minute circumstances, has very much weakened the force and effect of his invective. On the contrary a heathen author, in the ludicrous way, has, in a line or two, given idolatry one of the severest strokes it ever received: -

Olim truncus eram ficulnus, inutile lignum

Cum faber incertus, scamnum faceretn

Priapum, Maluit esse Deum. Deus inde ego

Horat. Satyr, lib. 1. sat. viii

"Formerly I was the stump of a fig tree, a useless log; when the carpenter, after hesitating whether to make me a god or a stool, at last determined to make me a god. Thus I became a god!

From the tenth to the seventeenth verse, a most beautiful strain of irony is carried on against idolatry. And we may naturally think that every idolater, who either read or heard it, must have been for ever ashamed of his own devices. - L.

Calvin: Isa 44:12 - The worker in iron // Even hungry

12.The worker in iron With good reason does the Apostle here draw up a long description, in order to shake off the stupidity and madness of superstitious people, if they can at all be awakened, or, at least, to prevent the Jews from indulging in similar folly who were surrounded on all sides by innumerable worshippers of false gods; for he gives a minute and homely enumeration, which makes it exceedingly evident that they are frantic and outrageous, he might otherwise have condemned this wickedness in a single word or in a few words; but this catalogue points out the fact, as it were, with the finger, and places it before our eyes, he details the tools and labors and industry and care of workmen, so as almost to bring it actually before us. Men who have their errors deeply rooted by nature in their hearts are more deeply affected in this manner than by simple doctrine; for they cannot be roused from their lethargy but by loud and continual cries. Every part must be delivered to them, and broken into small fragments, and even chewed and put into the mouth, as they do with infants, that they may receive the doctrine, which would otherwise appear to them strange and uncommon.

Even hungry He describes the eagerness by which superstitious persons are impelled to fashion gods; for they burn with such ardor that they cannot observe any limit or measure. Their lust, like a gad-fly, drives them on, and causes them to rush forward with such fury that we may justly compare that zeal to the love of a harlot, as we have formerly said. They apply to it their whole force both of body and of mind. This is what he means by the arm of his strength; ¹⁷⁹ as if he had said, “All the strength of their arms is applied to it; they work against their natural inclinations, and scarcely take as much as is necessary for the support of life; in a word, they spare no labor or expense to make the gods whom they have desired.

Although he describes the constancy of toil, by saying that they do not slacken their labor when they are hungry, but endure hunger and thirst rather than relinquish their work, ¹⁸⁰ yet we may appropriately extend the observation to all the efforts of inconsiderate zeal. We see how the fervent devotion, as they call it, of unbelievers, is their own executioner; but the more laboriously they toil for their own destruction, the more base and shameful is our slothfulness, by which we defraud God of his lawful worship.

TSK: Isa 44:12 - The smith // the tongs // he is

The smith : Isa 40:19, Isa 41:6, Isa 41:7, Isa 46:6, Isa 46:7; Exo 32:4, Exo 32:8; Jer 10:3-11

the tongs : or, an axe

he is : Hab 2:13

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per Ayat)

Poole: Isa 44:12 - Both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers // He is hungry, and his strength faileth; he drinketh no water, and is faint

Both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers first he makes the metal soft and pliable, by putting it among burning coals, and then he taketh it out, and beateth it into what form he pleaseth. It must be here noted, that some of these images were made of brass and iron, as others were of gold and silver, Dan 5:4 .

He is hungry, and his strength faileth; he drinketh no water, and is faint: this is mentioned, either,

1. As an argument of the vanity of idols, which cannot relieve their poor workmen, when they are ready to faint away through hunger, and thirst, and weariness. Or,

2. As an evidence of great zeal and industry in carrying on this work, so that they forget or neglect to eat and drink when their necessities require it. This I prefer,

1. Because it suits best with the next foregoing clause, he worketh with the strength of his arms , i.e. fervently, and putting forth all his might in the work.

2. Because the prophet in this, and in the next following verses, is only describing the mechanical part, or the matter of images, and the art and labour of the workmen in making them; and afterwards proceeds to the theological consideration of the thing, and the confutation of these practices, as we shall see.

Haydock: Isa 44:12 - File

File. Hebrew mahatsad, (Haydock; Jeremias x. 3.) "to make an ax, with," &c. This is the remote cause of the idol.

Gill: Isa 44:12 - The smith with the tongs // and fashioneth it with hammers // and worketh it with the strength of his arms // yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth; he drinketh no water, and is faint

The smith with the tongs,.... Or, "the worker of iron" ^c; the blacksmith, who had a concern in making of idols, for some were made of iron, Dan 5:4, or in making plates to cover them, or nails to fasten them with, or instruments which the carpenter made use of in cutting down trees, and fitting the wood for an image; such as the axe or hatchet, or plane, and which some think is here meant, by the word translated "tongs", but is rendered an "axe", Jer 10:3 and is used for that, or an hatchet, or a plane, by the Misnic ^d writers; so the Targum renders it,

"the smith out of iron makes an axe or hatchet:''

"both worketh in the coals"; he puts his iron in the coals, and blows upon them, and so makes it soft and malleable, and then takes it out:

and fashioneth it with hammers: beats it with hammers upon the anvil, and puts it into what form he pleases:

and worketh it with the strength of his arms; uses his utmost strength to bring it into a form he is desirous of:

yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth; he drinketh no water, and is faint; he works at it with all his might and main, is earnest at it, and is eagerly desirous of finishing his work; he works till he is hungry and thirsty, and for want of food is ready to faint and sink; and yet will not give himself time to eat and drink, being so intent upon his work: or the sense is, though he is hungry and thirsty, and faints for want of provisions, yet the god he is making, or has made, cannot supply him with any: this is said to expose the folly of idol making, and of idol worship.