Isaiah Chapter 40 · Verse 19
The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.
Original Language Analysis
נָסַ֣ךְ
melteth
H5258
נָסַ֣ךְ
melteth
Strong's:
H5258
Word #:
2 of 9
to pour out, especially a libation, or to cast (metal); by analogy, to anoint a king
צוֹרֵֽף׃
and casteth
H6884
צוֹרֵֽף׃
and casteth
Strong's:
H6884
Word #:
4 of 9
to fuse (metal), i.e., refine (literally or figuratively)
בַּזָּהָ֣ב
it over with gold
H2091
בַּזָּהָ֣ב
it over with gold
Strong's:
H2091
Word #:
5 of 9
gold, figuratively, something gold-colored (i.e., yellow), as oil, a clear sky
יְרַקְּעֶ֑נּוּ
spreadeth
H7554
יְרַקְּעֶ֑נּוּ
spreadeth
Strong's:
H7554
Word #:
6 of 9
to pound the earth (as a sign of passion); by analogy to expand (by hammering); by implication, to overlay (with thin sheets of metal)
Cross References
Jeremiah 10:9Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men.Judges 17:4Yet he restored the money unto his mother; and his mother took two hundred shekels of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image: and they were in the house of Micah.
Historical Context
Babylon's religion featured elaborate idol processions and gold-covered statues. Isaiah mocks these expensive lifeless objects, contrasting them with the living God who cannot be contained in human-made forms.
Questions for Reflection
- What modern 'idols' do people carefully craft and decorate, only to serve them?
- How does this verse expose the foolishness of trusting in anything created rather than the Creator?
Analysis & Commentary
This verse satirizes idol manufacture with biting irony: a craftsman creates what people then worship. The Hebrew 'nasak' (cast/pour) describes metal-working, while overlaying with gold and silver makes an impressive but impotent object. The absurdity is intentional—worshiping what human hands made inverts the Creator-creature relationship.