Ésaïe 44:19

19 Nul ne rentre en soi-même, et n'a de connaissance ni d'intelligence, pour dire: J'en ai brûlé la moitié au feu; j'ai cuit du pain sur les charbons; j'en ai rôti ma viande et l'ai mangée; et avec le reste je ferais une abomination! J'adorerais un morceau de bois!

Ésaïe 44:19 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 44:19

And none considereth in his heart
Or, "and he does not return it to his heart" F11; he does not come to himself again, or return to his right mind, but lives and dies under the infatuation; never once revolving it in his mind, pondering within himself what he has done, or is doing, whether right or wrong: neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say;
within himself, and reason the matter in his own mind, and thus express himself: I have burnt part of it in the fire;
to warm myself with: yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof;
both heated the oven, and baked bread with it; and also upon the live coals have laid kneaded dough, and baked a cake on them: and I have roasted flesh, and eaten it;
made a fire with another part of it, and roasted meat at it, and ate it with great pleasure and satisfaction: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination?
an idol, which is an abominable thing to God, and to all men of sense and goodness: shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?
or "the bud of a tree?" F12 or that which is made out of a tree of my own planting, cutting down, and hewing, part of which has been used to the above purposes; and the remaining lifeless log, shall I worship it as a god? and yet, though such reasoning might be justly expected from a man that is a reasonable creature, sottish are idolaters, that they seem to be quite deprived of their rational powers, or at least these are disused by them.


FOOTNOTES:

F11 (wbl la byvy alw) "et non reducet ad cor suum", Pagninus, Montanus; "reducit", Piscator.
F12 (Ue lwbl) "ante id quod provenit ex abore", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "germen ligni", Forerius.

Ésaïe 44:19 In-Context

17 Puis du reste de ce bois, il fait un dieu, son idole; il l'adore, il se prosterne, il le prie et dit: Délivre-moi, car tu es mon dieu!
18 Ils ne connaissent et ne comprennent rien; car on a couvert leurs yeux pour ne pas voir, et leur cœur pour ne pas comprendre.
19 Nul ne rentre en soi-même, et n'a de connaissance ni d'intelligence, pour dire: J'en ai brûlé la moitié au feu; j'ai cuit du pain sur les charbons; j'en ai rôti ma viande et l'ai mangée; et avec le reste je ferais une abomination! J'adorerais un morceau de bois!
20 Il se repaît de cendres; son cœur abusé l'égare; il ne délivrera pas son âme, et ne dira pas: N'est-ce pas un mensonge que je tiens dans ma main?
21 O Jacob, ô Israël, souviens-toi de ceci! Car tu es mon serviteur; je t'ai formé pour être mon serviteur. Israël, ne m'oublie pas!
The Ostervald translation is in the public domain.