Isaías 41:24

24 He aquí, vosotros nada sois, y vuestra obra es vana; abominación es el que os escoge.

Isaías 41:24 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 41:24

Behold, ye are of nothing
Not as to the matter of them, for they were made of gold, silver, brass but as to the divinity of them: there was none in them, they were of no worth and value; they could do nothing, either good or evil, either help their friends, or hurt their enemies; yea, they were less than nothing; for the words may be rendered by way of comparison, "behold, ye are less than nothing"; {a}. (See Gill on Isaiah 40:17); and your work of nought;
the workmanship bestowed on them, in casting or carving them, was all to no purpose, and answered no end; or the work they did, or pretended to do, their feigned oracles, and false predictions: or, "worse than nothing": some render it, "worse than a viper" ^F2; a word like this is used for one, ( Isaiah 49:5 ) and so denotes the poisonous and pernicious effects of idolatry: an abomination is he that chooseth you;
as the object of his worship; he is not only abominable, but an abomination itself to God, and to all men of sense and religion; for the choice he makes of an idol to be his god shows him to be a man void of common sense and reason, and destitute of all true religion and godliness, and must be a stupid sottish creature. The Targum is,

``an abomination is that which ye have chosen for yourselves, or in which ye delight;''

meaning their idols. This is the final issue of the controversy, and the judgment passed both upon the idols and their worshippers.

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 (Nyam Mta) "vos minus quam nihil [estis]", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
F2 (epam) "pejus [opere] viperae", Junius & Tremellius; "pejus [est opere] basilisci", Piscator.

Isaías 41:24 In-Context

22 Que expongan y nos declaren lo que ha de suceder. En cuanto a los hechos anteriores, declarad lo que fueron, para que los consideremos y sepamos su resultado, o bien, anunciadnos lo que ha de venir.

23 Declarad lo que ha de venir después, para que sepamos que vosotros sois dioses. Sí, haced algo bueno o malo, para que nos desalentemos y temamos a una.

24 He aquí, vosotros nada sois, y vuestra obra es vana; abominación es el que os escoge.

25 Del norte levanté a uno, y ha venido; del nacimiento del sol invocará mi nombre, y vendrá sobre los gobernantes, como sobre lodo, como el alfarero pisotea el barro.

26 ¿Quién lo anunció desde el principio, para que supiéramos, o desde tiempos antiguos, para que dijéramos: Tiene razón? Ciertamente no había quien lo anunciara, sí, no había quien lo proclamara, ciertamente no había quien oyera vuestras palabras.