Study notes

Isaiah 46

Introducing IsaiahWho wrote it, when, why, and what to look for as you read

40:1–48:22 Section

At the end of chapter 39 Isaiah made an announcement about Babylon. The Babylonian government would take control of the southern kingdom. The Babylonian armies would force many people from the southern kingdom to leave their land. They would be forced to live in exile in Babylon.

Chapters 40 to 48 record messages of comfort to those people living in exile in Babylon. These messages were recorded as poems, prophecies and songs of praise. They were also recorded as arguments between God and others in a courtroom.

These messages make three things very clear. They make clear who God is, what false gods are and who God’s people were. First, God is the one true God who created everything and has always existed. No one and nothing is equal to God. Second, false gods are objects made by people and they have no power at all. False gods can’t tell people what’s going to happen or save people from their troubles. Third, the people of Jacob’s family line were God’s servants. God chose them to be witnesses to others that he is God.

God’s love for Jacob’s family line was strong and tender. God described himself as a shepherd who carried his people like lambs close to his heart. But his people complained that God had treated them badly. They thought that the exile showed that God didn’t care about them. God explained that they had gone into exile because of their sins. But he announced a new thing that he would do. He would bring his people back to Judah from Babylon. He would use the king of Persia as his tool to make this happen. That king would be named Cyrus.

God talked about someone called God’s servant in chapter 42. In many ways this servant is what the people of Israel were to be. By obeying God’s laws, they were to live in ways that were holy and just. They were to teach other nations about God and how to worship and honour him. In this way they would be a light for the Gentiles. New Testament writers showed how Jesus served God in these ways as well (Matthew 12:15–21). They understood that the poem about this servant was a prophecy about Jesus.

46:1

  • Marduk-bel was the most important god in the Babylonian group of gods. Bel, similar to Baal, meant lordship.

  • Nebo (Nabu, Nebu), the patron god of Babylonian scribes, was believed to be the son of Marduk-bel.

  • Instead of being celebrated at a Babylonian festival, people would transport these gods on ox carts and discard them, as the Babylonian people rejected them.

46:1–2

This taunt was against the self-contradiction of Babylonian religion.

A taunt is a mocking song or speech. In this passage, the prophet makes fun of Babylon’s beliefs. The message shows that their religion does not make sense.

46:3

  • the remnant of the house of Israel: This refers to the survivors after Jerusalem's destruction in 586 BC.

  • The Lord, the Creator of humanity, cares for and carries his people, unlike the Babylonian idols that need carrying.

  • sustained from the womb, carried along since birth: The Lord chose Israel even before it became a nation (see also Isaiah 49:5).

46:8–13

Many exiles felt hopeless and doubted God's promise to rescue them. God addressed this doubt.

46:10

God knows the future before it happens; he controls all events, and his actions match his words (Isaiah 41:4, 26). He is the first and the last (Isaiah 44:6; 48:12).

46:12

Formerly, Israel cared little for doing right (literally righteousness; see also Isaiah 58:2; 59:9).

46:13

  • The good news for Israel was that God was coming to make things right (literally I will bring my righteousness near; see Isaiah 40:9; 51:5).

  • adorn Israel with My splendor: Unlike a craftsman who gives material splendor to an idol (Isaiah 44:13), the Lord gives true dignity to his people.

Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources