46:1–2 Before Isaiah turns to Babylon itself he exposes the real reason for its weakness: its gods are totally ineffective. Bel or “lord” (the same root as “Baal”) is Marduk, chief god of the city itself and head of the Babylonian pantheon (cf. Jer. 50:2). Nebo is Marduk’s son and god of wisdom and writing, whose main temple was at Borsippa, 10 miles (16 km) down the Euphrates from Babylon. A prominent feature of Babylonian worship involved processions carrying the images of these gods from city to city and in Babylon itself, especially at the New Year Festival. These were occasions of great celebrity, color, and pride. But the prophet exposes the unreality of this. What kind of god needs to be carried on beasts of burden? After all, Yahweh carries his lambs (Isa. 40:11), an idea picked up here in 46:3–4. This is not so much a specific prophecy of what will happen when Cyrus enters Babylon, because his policy was to affirm the national gods (cf. Ezra 1:2), but rather an exposure of the emptiness of a religion whose gods are simply part of the natural order.

Marduk and Nebo are part of a tottering empire: far from being able to save it, they are themselves engulfed in its ruin. They are no saviors but rather serve as visible evidence of the empire’s downfall. The stooping and bowing that was part of the ritual of their worshipers now becomes a demonstration of their own ineffectiveness. The pagans believed there were actual deities behind these idols, but in fact they were human inventions, with no power to create or save.

46:3–4 Polemic against idolatry is never merely for its own sake, and in anticipation of chapter 48 God calls on his people to learn the lessons themselves. They must examine their history and see if there was ever a time in which they carried their God. In fact, from the very beginning he has carried them. Indeed, he carried them before they were a nation; from the womb he has watched over them (reminiscent of Psalm 139). This carrying continues until old age and the end of life. He has made them, and he will save them. The repetition of “I” in Isaiah 46:4 underlines the fact that it is Yahweh and no one else who creates, carries, or listens. The failure of other gods to do these things—or indeed anything at all—has been emphasized from chapter 40 onward.

46:5 The logical conclusion is that there is no other god equal or even in any way comparable to Yahweh. Indeed, there are no other gods at all. If gods such as Marduk and Nebo are simply man-made objects, there is no way in which they can be compared to the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

46:6–7 As before (40:19–20; 41:6–7; 44:9–20), the prophet emphasizes the foolishness of comparing Yahweh to other gods by means of another exposé of the contradictions and futility of idol worship. Making an idol is a complete waste of resources, both financial wealth and skilled workmanship. Why should humans bow to something that is not only less than God but less than themselves? Again the theme of carrying is introduced, a reminder of the pomp and show of the religious processions. The idols are incapable of movement, hearing, or speaking; above all, they cannot save. Such are the gods of the city of the world.

46:8 Israel is reluctant to believe in God’s intervention by Cyrus, in spite of the long history of Yahweh’s faithfulness; the people are looking instead for a restoration of the Davidic monarchy. Thus Yahweh calls them to remember his help in the past, to trust him now, and to persevere in that trust (unlike faithless Ahaz in 7:9). Not to do so is to continue to be “transgressors” and to dishonor God.

46:9 This trusting is the way of wisdom; it is exemplified throughout their whole history, including that of the patriarchs, the exodus, the monarchy, and beyond. Indeed, it goes back further than that: the “former things of old” go back to creation itself. Yahweh is the only God; the futility of other gods has been abundantly exposed.

46:10–11 The claim of the incomparability of Yahweh is established by a number of participles showing that his calling of Cyrus is not an isolated act but characteristic of his ways throughout history. The emphasis is first on his word, shown by “declaring” and “saying.” This indicates not only that the whole course of history is known to him but that he reveals his purposes and establishes what he has predicted. The second is the specific call of Cyrus, who will have the ruthlessness of a bird of prey—yet Cyrus is no mindless killing machine but a “man of my counsel.” The affirmations of verse 11 show the complete identity between what God says and what he does, along with the assurance that his promises will be kept.

46:12–13 These truths about God are a challenge as well as a comfort: there is rebuke for the “stubborn of heart.” This is no mere lapse of faith but a settled disbelief, as in the Kadesh-barnea episode in Exodus 17:1–7. This event is highlighted again in Psalm 95:7–8, which appeals to God’s people not to harden their hearts. Such an attitude leads to people who are “far from righteousness” and who reject the goodness of the covenant Lord. Yet God’s righteousness is the only way of salvation, and it will not be thwarted. Only in Zion will that salvation come to fruition and the glory of the Lord be revealed. Yet, if we are to enjoy these blessings, we must not harden our hearts and thus forfeit those promises.

47:1 Having exposed the idolatry at the heart of Babylon, the prophet now turns to the city itself: her luxurious and hedonistic lifestyle has turned to dust and ashes. Far from sitting on a throne, she is now sprawled on the ground. This echoes Isaiah 14:15, in which the king of Babylon is brought down to Sheol. The ancient name “Chaldeans” shows that Babylon has remained unchanged throughout her history.

47:2 This fall is reflected in a drastic change of status and lifestyle. The work of grinding flour at millstones is considered an abject form of slavery (Ex. 11:5). This menial and backbreaking work is paralleled by the humiliation of exposure: instead of luxurious garments, they would go semi-naked. The rivers are probably irrigation ditches, where other demeaning work would take place.

47:3 The nakedness in view here is not merely physical but implies that Babylon’s pretensions will be exposed for what they truly are. The emperor has no clothes. There will be no exceptions made, for this judgment is just and God will allow no one to thwart his purposes. If people remain stubbornly defiant, the only possible outcome is judgment. This is an inevitable corollary of God’s unique claims as Creator and Savior.

47:4 This somewhat surprising interjection of praise is entirely appropriate in context. The overthrow of Babylon is for the sake of Israel (cf. Isa. 14:1–2); this verse reminds us of the nature of the God who carries out this judgment. He is the “Redeemer,” the next of kin who rescues a widowed bride and frees the slaves. He has the power to do so because he controls the hosts of heaven, with every power in the universe at his disposal. He is the “Holy One of Israel,” enthroned above the seraphim.

47:5 The proud empire that lords over the nations will go into oblivion, and her authority will disappear as if it had never been. Her reputation and prestige will vanish, and darkness will fall over her. This is the fate not merely of the literal city but ultimately of the world city, echoing the prophecy of chapter 24.

47:6 Babylon, like Assyria before her (10:5–11), has been used by God to punish his people for their unbelief and godless lifestyles. Yet Babylon exceeds its mandate and shows merciless cruelty far in excess of what was demanded. Especially reprehensible is its treatment of the vulnerable and its lack of compassion. Of course, all war involves suffering, but a lack of mercy makes this all the more intolerable.

47:7 Yet it is not cruelty but arrogance that receives the strongest condemnation. Babylon assumes she is in charge of world events and will never be deposed. She thinks she is accountable to no one, godlike in her power. Habakkuk later wrestles with this same attitude on Babylon’s part and finds comfort in the absolute sovereignty of God in his holy temple (Hab. 2:20).

47:8–9 The key to Babylon’s attitude is that she thinks only of herself and her pretensions of divinity. “I am,” a parody of the divine name, is used by Tyre (Ezek. 28:2) and Nineveh (Zeph. 2:15), showing the ultimate pride of the human heart, which can be traced back to the words of the Serpent: “You will be like God” (Gen. 3:5). Babylon loves luxury but will be reduced to the unthinkable vulnerability of a childless widow. Such is the fate of someone who thinks she is above the fate of ordinary mortals. Security and hope will vanish. This will transpire with astonishing rapidity. Such is indeed true of Cyrus’s conquest of Babylon but is true also of all God’s judgments—as, for example, with the rich man who looked only to amassing further wealth and was called to judgment that very night (Luke 12:20). Babylon’s “sorceries” and “enchantments” will not save her, a warning anticipating the fuller treatment of Isaiah 47:12–15.

47:10 Babylon lives in a world of false security, believing there is no higher power to which she is accountable, relying on her own wisdom and knowledge. Such wisdom has turned out to be “earthly, unspiritual, demonic” (James 3:15). Wisdom and knowledge are good gifts of God, but when used in a spirit of arrogance they become destructive and unaccountable. This is closely related to the theme of idolatry, for pride in learning is itself an idol. Such thinking leaves no room for a God who made heaven and earth; it is an attitude that says, “There is no one besides me.”

47:11 The end result is that “evil” (Hb. raʾah) will engulf Babylon. This is the same word translated “wickedness” in Isaiah 47:10. They have chosen evil, and evil is what they will get. None of their magical arts will be able to prevent this, nor will any sacrifice provide a ransom for their sins, for they have passed the point of no return. They will neither see the evil coming nor be able to take any measures to prevent it.

47:12 The section began with the futility of the Babylonian gods and ends with a denunciation of Babylonian magic, which was part of the whole complex package of idolatry, concentrated on controlling the future. “Stand fast” is likely ironic and implies “Well, go ahead and see if all your magic works,” as Yahweh had challenged the gods in 41:21–24. “Enchantments” suggests spells such as casting horoscopes and divining, while “sorceries” are probably the incantations used against enemies. Again, the issue regards whose word will prevail. Will it be the word of Yahweh or the incantations of Babylonian astrologers? Now that the empire is at its last gasp, this is the time for the pagan priests to show their muscle and drive away the invader.

47:13 Polytheism is essentially a worldview of unrelenting complexity because of the multitude of gods staking out their own territory. Thus devotion to such religion inevitably becomes burdensome as it produces no results and cannot ultimately save its devotees. “Dividing” the heavens refers to the Babylonian method of separating the heavens into segments or “houses” in order to track the motions of the heavenly bodies and thus attempt to predict events on earth. Again the issue revolves around who can control and thus predict the events of history.

47:14–15 Here the prophet reveals the outcome of magical activities to be complete destruction, like stubble burned in a fire; a similar picture occurs in Malachi 4:1. There is probably an ironic reference to Isaiah 44:16–17, in which the idolater takes part of the same tree from which he has carved an idol and uses it to make a fire to warm him. None of those with whom Babylon has traded over the years will come to her rescue—no one will save her. This section is indeed a fitting conclusion to the whole thrust of chapters 40–47, which is the incomparability of Yahweh, Creator and Savior, and the futility of idols.