Isaiah 46

Isaiah 46:1–7 Idols Have No Power

Isaiah compares powerless idols to the true and living God, who possesses all power. Bel and Nebo—two pagan gods—are so powerless that they have to be carried into captivity on the backs of beasts of burden (46:1–2, 7). In contrast, the Lord Himself carries His covenant people: “The remnant of the house of Israel, who were carried . . . I will carry . . . I will carry and rescue” (46:3–4).

Isaiah 46:3

borne by me from the belly. The Hebrew verb ‘ms, translated here “borne,” sometimes refers to a beast of burden laden with a heavy load.

Isaiah 46:4–5

from the womb . . . to your old age. God carries and supports us from the womb until we are old, meaning all the days of our lives (see also Psalm 71:16–18, 21).

Isaiah 46:4

I will carry . . . I will carry. These verbs are the same as those in 53:4, which states that the Messiah has “carried our pains.”

Isaiah 46:5

To whom will you liken Me . . . that we may be alike? Teaching through questioning and at the same time presenting a parallelism, God instructs that there is no one that is His equal and no one like Him.

Isaiah 46:7

They lift it upon the shoulder; they carry it. Isaiah again shows how ludicrous it is to worship a false god because the human creates the false god (46:6), then lifts it, carries it, and sets it in place, and in the end the false god “does not answer” and cannot save [the human] from his trouble.” This is the exact opposite of God, who creates us, preserves and carries us, and who also responds to our prayers.

Isaiah 46:8–13 The Lord Will Accomplish All His Purposes

The Lord testifies that He is God (“I am God,” 46:9), that there is “no other God,” and that “there is none like Me” (46:9). He is omniscient (“declaring the end from the beginning,” 46:10) and omnipotent (“My counsel will stand, and I will do that which I desire,” 46:10; see also verse 11). Because He is both omniscient and omnipotent, He will accomplish all of His purposes.

Isaiah 46:10

Declaring the end from the beginning. God knows everything (1 John 3:20) and can therefore declare the end from the beginning, through His own mouth or through the mouths of His prophets.

Isaiah 46:11

bird of prey from the east. Probably a reference to King Cyrus, who came from the east and conquered many lands (including Palestine) with swiftness, like a bird of prey.

Isaiah 46:13

I will give salvation in Zion, My glory to Israel. These words recall the gathering of Israel to Zion: “And the glory of the Lord shall be there” (Doctrine and Covenants 45:67).