The smith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint.
The blacksmith uses tongs to work in the hot coals, and shapes the metal with hammers, working with all the strength of his arms. But he gets hungry and his strength gives out; he doesn't drink water and becomes weak and faint.
The writer is showing how even skilled craftsmen become tired and weak while making idols, highlighting the irony that exhausted humans are creating objects they then worship as gods.
📚 Historical Context
Isaiah is describing the idol-making process in ancient Babylon, where skilled metalworkers would forge gods from precious metals. This passage is part of Isaiah's powerful critique of idolatry during the Babylonian exile period (6th century BC). The prophet is pointing out the absurdity that weary, frail humans would craft objects and then bow down to worship them as divine.
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