Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 44:11

Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed: and the workmen, they [are] of men: let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; [yet] they shall fear, [and] they shall be ashamed together.

11. all his fellows ] The word denotes the members of a guild, and is understood by A.V. of the gang of craftsmen employed in the making of the idol. It should rather be interpreted as the “adherents,” the clientle of the false god himself, as in R.V. marg., “all that join themselves thereto.” Cf. Hos 4:17 (“associated with idols”) and 1Co 10:20. are of men ] belong to the category of men (Isa 40:17), and how can men produce a god? Duhm, changing the vowel-points, renders: “Behold all the spells (cf. ch. Isa 47:9; Isa 47:12) are put to shame, and as for enchantments (cf. ch. Isa 3:3), they are of men;” an allusion to the magical process by which, in all systems of idolatry, the manufactured image is transformed into a fetish, the residence of a divinity. Similarly Cheyne ( Introd. p. 301).

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Behold, all his fellows – All that are joined in making, and in worshipping it, are regarded as the fellows, or the companions ( chaberayn) of the idol-god (see Hos 4:17 – Ephraim is joined to idols). They and the idols constitute one company or fellowship, intimately allied to each other.

Shall be, ashamed – Shall be confounded when they find that their idols cannot aid them.

And the workmen – The allusion to the workmen is to show that what they made could not be worthy of the confidence of people as an object of worship.

They are of men – They are mortal people; they must themselves soon die. It is ridiculous, therefore, for them to attempt to make a god that can defend or save, or that should be adored.

Let them all be gathered together – For purposes of trial, or to urge their claims to the power of making an object that should be adored (see the note at Isa 41:1).

Let them stand up – As in a court of justice, to defend their cause (see the note at Isa 41:21).

They shall fear – They shall be alarmed when danger comes. They shall find that their idol-gods cannot defend them.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 11. His fellows] chaberaiv: but abadaiv, his servants or worshippers, is the reading of one of De Rossi’s MSS., and of the Chaldee.

And the workmen, they are of men – “Even the workmen themselves shall blush”] I do not know that any one has ever yet interpreted these words to any tolerably good sense: vecharashim hemmah meadam. The Vulgate and our translators, have rendered them very fairly, as they are written and pointed in the text: Fabri enim sunt ex hominibus. “And the workmen they are of men.” Out of which the commentators have not been able to extract any thing worthy of the prophet. I have given another explanation of the place; agreeable enough to the context, if it can be deduced from the words themselves. I presume that adam, rubuit, may signify erubuit, to be red through shame, as well as from any other cause; though I cannot produce any example of it in that particular sense; and the word in the text I would point meoddam; or if any one should object to the irregularity of the number, I would read meoddamim. But I rather think that the irregularity of the construction has been the cause of the obscurity, and has given occasion to the mistaken punctuation. The singular is sometimes put for the plural. See Ps 68:31; and the participle for the future tense, see Isa 40:11. – L.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

All his fellows; either,

1. The workmen, as it follows, who in this work are companions or partners with him, by whose cost and command the work is done. Or,

2. Those who any way assist and encourage him in this work, and join with him in worshipping the image which he maketh.

They are of men; they are of mankind, and therefore cannot possibly make a god. Or, they are of the meanest sort of men; for so the Hebrew word adam sometimes signifies.

They shall be ashamed together; though all combine together, and stand up with all their might to maintain the cause of their false gods, they shall be filled with fear and confusion, when God shall plead his cause against them.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

11. his fellowsthe associatesof him who makes an idol; or of the idol (see Deu 7:26;Psa 115:8; Hos 4:17).

they are of menTheyare mortal men themselves; what better, then, can the idol be thanits maker?

gathered together . . . standupas in a court of justice, to try the issue between God andthem (see on Isa 41:1; Isa41:21).

yetwrongly inserted inEnglish Version. The issue of the trial shall be, “theyshall fear,” &c.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed,…. Either such who join with them in the worship of the molten graven image, or god formed, when they find it is profitable for nothing; so the Targum,

“behold all their worshippers shall be confounded;”

or their fellow workmen, who took their several parts in making the image, and so must be conscious of the vanity and unprofitableness of it, and ashamed when upbraided with it:

and the workmen they are of men; or, “of Adam” b; they are the sons of Adam, fallen men, sinful, frail, mortal creatures; they are not so much as of the angels in heaven, but of men on earth, and so very unfit to be makers of a god:

let them be gathered together; workmen and worshippers, as Demetrius, and the craftsmen or shrine makers, with others at Ephesus:

let them stand up; and plead for their gods, and say all they can in the behalf of them:

yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together; the light of the Gospel breaking forth in the ministry of the apostles and others, the minds of many were enlightened to see the folly of worshipping idols, which brought them, and the makers of them, into contempt; who not being able to withstand the evidence and force of arguments brought against them, were covered with shame, and filled with fear, lest, should the Gospel still get further ground, their trade of idol making would come to nothing; or lest the vengeance of heaven should fall upon them for their idolatrous practices.

b “ipsi ex Adamo, sive ex hominibus”, Munster, Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

11. Lo, all his companions shall be ashamed. Not only does he attack the workers and makers of idols, but he likewise attacks generally all their worshippers, because they are so dull and stupid, that as soon as the trunk of a tree has received some new shape, they look upon it as containing the power of God. He means that not only shall the framers of idols be punished for their effrontery, but likewise all who have entangled themselves in the same superstitions; for it is right that they who share the same guilt should be subjected to the same punishment. Nor can they, on the other hand, plead any excuse; for they see that their idols, which proceeded from the hand of men, are dumb and vain, so far is it from being possible that they are gods.

Though they all assemble. Whatever conspiracy may be entered into by wicked men, yet, when they shall come to the judgment-seat of God, they must be ashamed. Nor is it without cause that the Prophet threatens against them trembling and shame, because wicked men usually are haughty and insolent, and look on all other men with scorn. They boast of their vast numbers, as the Papists in the present day despise our small numbers, and swell with insolence, and with amazing presumption attack God and his doctrine. In this passage, therefore, Isaiah appeals to the consciences of wicked men; because, although they are actuated by the most inveterate obstinacy and rebellion, yet sometimes they are constrained to tremble, when they ask themselves, “What are we doing?” and inquire into the reason of their actions; for they have nothing that is firm or solid, on which they can safely rest. They are bold so long as they are hurried on by their rage, but when they come to themselves, and take some leisure for reflection, they are terrified and dismayed; so that we need not be alarmed at their rage and pride and vast numbers, for they shall quickly pass away. Let us not therefore be moved by the conspiracies and displays and pride and rage and schemes of the Papists, since we know that all those things tend to their shame and destruction; for the more haughtily they swell and exalt themselves against God, the heavier shall be their fall, and the deeper their disgrace.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

(11) Behold, all his fellows . . .The noun has a half-technical sense, as describing a member of a religious guild or fraternity, such as were attached to heathen temples. In this sense Ephraim was joined to idols (Hos. 4:17). In Hos. 6:9, the noun is used for the company of priests.

Let them stand up.The words gain in vividness when we remember that the challenge is addressed to the guild of idol-makers. They are but men; how can they make a god?

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

Isa 44:11 Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed: and the workmen, they [are] of men: let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; [yet] they shall fear, [and] they shall be ashamed together.

Ver. 11. Behold all his fellows. ] His fellow fools.

Shall be ashamed. ] They may be, well enough, of their madness: they shall be, sure enough, of their disappointments.

And the workmen, they are of men. ] Not of angels or the heavenly virtues, saith Oecolampadius, but vile varlets.

Let them all be gathered together. ] As were, at Ephesus, Demetrius and his associates. Act 19:24-25

Yet they shall fear. ] As Tullus Hostilius did with his new gods Pavor and Pallor: as Papists do with their Valentine, Antony, Sebastian, &c., whom they worship as the senders of such and such diseases.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

all his: Isa 1:29, Isa 42:17, Isa 45:16, 1Sa 5:3-7, 1Sa 6:4, 1Sa 6:5, Psa 97:7, Jer 2:26, Jer 2:27, Jer 10:14, Jer 51:17

let them all: Isa 41:5-7, Jdg 6:29-32, Jdg 16:23-30, 1Ki 18:19-29, 1Ki 18:40, Dan 3:1-7, Dan 5:1-6, Act 19:24-34, Rev 19:19-21

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

44:11 Behold, all his {q} fellows shall be ashamed: and the workmen, they [are] of men: let them all be gathered together, let them {r} stand up; [yet] they shall fear, [and] they shall be ashamed together.

(q) That is, who in any way consent either to the making or worshipping.

(r) Signifying, that the multitude will not then save the idolaters, when God will take vengeance, although they excuse themselves by it among men.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

All the companions of the craftsman who makes an idol, other idolaters, will be put to shame, namely, idol worshippers as well as idol makers. The reason is that the makers of these gods are mere men. Rather than God creating man, man creates gods (cf. Rom 1:23). This makes man superior to his gods. The fact that there are many people in this group of idol makers and worshippers does not change the fact that all of them will be ashamed by the impotence of their gods.

Isa 44:12-17 describe the construction of an idol, which process witnesses to the inability of idols to do anything. This whole section bristles with sarcasm.

". . . man’s nature, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols." [Note: Calvin, Institutes . . ., 1.11.8 (1:108).]

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)