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His deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?" /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="/vmenus/isaiah/44-20.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmc/isaiah/44-20.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Bible</a> > <a href="/isaiah/">Isaiah</a> > <a href="/isaiah/44.htm">Chapter 44</a> > Verse 20</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div><div id="ad1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad20.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/isaiah/44-19.htm" title="Isaiah 44:19">◄</a> Isaiah 44:20 <a href="/isaiah/44-21.htm" title="Isaiah 44:21">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#audio" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Audio Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Cross </a> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Study Bible"> Study </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Heb </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/isaiah/44.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/isaiah/44.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />Such a person feeds on ashes; a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, &#8220Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?&#8221<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/isaiah/44.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />The poor, deluded fool feeds on ashes. He trusts something that can’t help him at all. Yet he cannot bring himself to ask, “Is this idol that I’m holding in my hand a lie?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/isaiah/44.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/isaiah/44.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />He feeds on ashes. His deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/isaiah/44.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, <i>Is there</i> not a lie in my right hand?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/isaiah/44.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />He feeds on ashes; A deceived heart has turned him aside; And he cannot deliver his soul, Nor say, “<i>Is there</i> not a lie in my right hand?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/isaiah/44.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has misled him. And he cannot save himself, nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/isaiah/44.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, &#8220Is there not a lie in my right hand?&#8221<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/isaiah/44.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/isaiah/44.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver his soul, and he cannot say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/isaiah/44.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />That kind of man (the idolater) feeds on ashes [and is satisfied with ashes]! A deceived mind has led him astray, so that he cannot save himself, or ask, “Is this thing [that I am holding] in my right hand not a lie?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/isaiah/44.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />He feeds on ashes. His deceived mind has led him astray, and he cannot rescue himself, or say, “Isn’t there a lie in my right hand? ”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/isaiah/44.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />He feeds on ashes. His deceived mind has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself, or say, &#8220Isn&#8217t there a lie in my right hand?&#8221 <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/isaiah/44.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />He feedeth on ashes; a deceived heart hath turned him aside; and he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/isaiah/44.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />How can anyone be stupid enough to trust something that can be burned to ashes? No one can save themselves like that. Don't they realize that the idols they hold in their hands are not really gods? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/isaiah/44.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/isaiah/44.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />They eat ashes because they are deceived. Their own misguided minds lead them astray. They can't rescue themselves or ask themselves, "Isn't what I hold in my right hand a false god?"<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/isaiah/44.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />It makes as much sense as eating ashes. His foolish ideas have so misled him that he is beyond help. He won't admit to himself that the idol he holds in his hand is not a god at all. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/isaiah/44.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />He tends ashes. A deceived mind has lead him astray. It cannot be his life, nor can he say, "There's a lie in my right hand." <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/isaiah/44.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />He feeds on ashes. His deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, ?Is not this thing in my right hand a lie??<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/isaiah/44.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />He feeds on ashes; his deceived mind misleads him. He cannot rescue himself, nor does he say, 'Is this not a false god I hold in my right hand?' <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/isaiah/44.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />He feeds on ashes. A deceived heart has turned him aside; and he can't deliver his soul, nor say, "Isn't there a lie in my right hand?"<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/isaiah/44.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/isaiah/44.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />He feeds on ashes. A deceived heart has turned him aside; and he can’t deliver his soul, nor say, “Isn’t there a lie in my right hand?” <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/isaiah/44.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />Feeding on ashes, the heart is deceived, "" It has turned him aside, "" And he does not deliver his soul, nor says: “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/isaiah/44.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> Feeding on ashes, the heart is deceived, It hath turned him aside, And he delivereth not his soul, nor saith: 'Is there not a lie in my right hand?'<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/isaiah/44.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />He fed upon ashes: a deceived heart turned him away, and he shall not deliver his soul, and he shall not say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/isaiah/44.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />Part thereof is ashes: his foolish heart adoreth it, and he will not save his soul, nor say: Perhaps there is a lie in my right hand. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/isaiah/44.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />Part of it is ashes. His foolish heart adores it. And he will not liberate his soul, and he will not say, “Perhaps there is a lie in my right hand.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/isaiah/44.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />He is chasing ashes! A deluded mind has led him astray; He cannot save himself, does not say, “This thing in my right hand—is it not a fraud?” <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/isaiah/44.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />He feeds on ashes; a deluded mind has led him astray, and he cannot save himself or say, “Is not this thing in my right hand a fraud?”<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/isaiah/44.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />Their imagination is dull; they are surely gone astray, and cannot deliver themselves, nor say, Our right hand has wrought falsehood.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/isaiah/44.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />Their heart is feeding on ashes and straying, it is going astray, and they are not saving their soul and they are not saying: "Our right hand has wrought falsehood!"<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/isaiah/44.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />He striveth after ashes, A deceived heart hath turned him aside, That he cannot deliver his soul, nor say: 'Is there not a lie in my right hand?'<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/isaiah/44.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />Know thou that their heart is ashes, and they err, and no one is able to deliver his soul: see, ye will not say, <i>There is a</i> lie in my right hand.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/isaiah/44-20.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xv9bHT-nr9s?start=9893" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/isaiah/44.htm">The LORD has Chosen Israel</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">19</span>And no one considers in his heart, no one has the knowledge or insight to say, “I burned half of it in the fire, and I baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make something detestable with the rest of it? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?” <span class="reftext">20</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/7462.htm" title="7462: rō·‘eh (V-Qal-Prtcpl-ms) -- A primitive root; to tend a flock; i.e. Pasture it; intransitively, to graze; generally to rule; by extension, to associate with.">He feeds on</a> <a href="/hebrew/665.htm" title="665: ’ê·p̄er (N-ms) -- Ashes. From an unused root meaning to bestrew; ashes.">ashes.</a> <a href="/hebrew/2048.htm" title="2048: hū·ṯal (V-Hofal-Perf-3ms) -- To deceive, mock. A primitive root; to deride; by implication, to cheat.">His deluded</a> <a href="/hebrew/3820.htm" title="3820: lêḇ (N-ms) -- A form of lebab; the heart; also used very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything.">heart</a> <a href="/hebrew/5186.htm" title="5186: hiṭ·ṭā·hū (V-Hifil-Perf-3ms:: 3ms) -- A primitive root; to stretch or spread out; by implication, to bend away; used in a great variety of application.">has led him astray,</a> <a href="/hebrew/3808.htm" title="3808: wə·lō- (Conj-w:: Adv-NegPrt) -- Not. Or lowi; or loh; a primitive particle; not; by implication, no; often used with other particles.">and he cannot</a> <a href="/hebrew/5337.htm" title="5337: yaṣ·ṣîl (V-Hifil-Imperf-3ms) -- To strip, plunder, deliver oneself, be delivered, snatch away, deliver. ">deliver</a> <a href="/hebrew/853.htm" title="853: ’eṯ- (DirObjM) -- Apparent contracted from 'owth in the demonstrative sense of entity; properly, self."></a> <a href="/hebrew/5315.htm" title="5315: nap̄·šōw (N-fsc:: 3ms) -- From naphash; properly, a breathing creature, i.e. Animal of vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense.">himself</a> <a href="/hebrew/3808.htm" title="3808: wə·lō (Conj-w:: Adv-NegPrt) -- Not. Or lowi; or loh; a primitive particle; not; by implication, no; often used with other particles.">or</a> <a href="/hebrew/559.htm" title="559: yō·mar (V-Qal-Imperf-3ms) -- To utter, say. A primitive root; to say.">say,</a> <a href="/hebrew/3808.htm" title="3808: hă·lō·w (Adv-NegPrt) -- Not. Or lowi; or loh; a primitive particle; not; by implication, no; often used with other particles.">“Is not</a> <a href="/hebrew/3225.htm" title="3225: bî·mî·nî (Prep-b:: N-fsc:: 1cs) -- Right hand. From yaman; the right hand or side of a person or other object; locally, the south.">this thing in my right hand</a> <a href="/hebrew/8267.htm" title="8267: še·qer (N-ms) -- Deception, disappointment, falsehood. From shaqar; an untruth; by implication, a sham.">a lie?”</a> </span><div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/1-21.htm">Romans 1:21-23</a></span><br />For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. / Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, / and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/10-14.htm">Jeremiah 10:14-15</a></span><br />Every man is senseless and devoid of knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols. For his molten images are a fraud, and there is no breath in them. / They are worthless, a work to be mocked. In the time of their punishment they will perish.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/115-4.htm">Psalm 115:4-8</a></span><br />Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. / They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; / they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_corinthians/8-4.htm">1 Corinthians 8:4-6</a></span><br />So about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world, and that there is no God but one. / For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many so-called gods and lords), / yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we exist. And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we exist.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/2-27.htm">Jeremiah 2:27-28</a></span><br />say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ They have turned their backs to Me and not their faces. Yet in the time of trouble, they say, ‘Rise up and save us!’ / But where are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them rise up in your time of trouble and save you if they can; for your gods are as numerous as your cities, O Judah.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/135-15.htm">Psalm 135:15-18</a></span><br />The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. / They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; / they have ears, but cannot hear; nor is there breath in their mouths. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_corinthians/10-19.htm">1 Corinthians 10:19-20</a></span><br />Am I suggesting, then, that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? / No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be participants with demons.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hosea/4-12.htm">Hosea 4:12</a></span><br />My people consult their wooden idols, and their divining rods inform them. For a spirit of prostitution leads them astray and they have played the harlot against their God.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/deuteronomy/4-28.htm">Deuteronomy 4:28</a></span><br />And there you will serve man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_kings/17-15.htm">2 Kings 17:15</a></span><br />They rejected His statutes and the covenant He had made with their fathers, as well as the decrees He had given them. They pursued worthless idols and became worthless themselves, going after the surrounding nations that the LORD had commanded them not to imitate.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/acts/17-29.htm">Acts 17:29-30</a></span><br />Therefore, being offspring of God, we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by man’s skill and imagination. / Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/habakkuk/2-18.htm">Habakkuk 2:18-19</a></span><br />What use is an idol, that a craftsman should carve it—or an image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. / Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’ or to silent stone, ‘Arise!’ Can it give guidance? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, yet there is no breath in it at all.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_john/5-21.htm">1 John 5:21</a></span><br />Little children, keep yourselves from idols.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/16-19.htm">Jeremiah 16:19-20</a></span><br />O LORD, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of distress, the nations will come to You from the ends of the earth, and they will say, “Our fathers inherited nothing but lies, worthless idols of no benefit at all. / Can man make gods for himself? Such are not gods!”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_kings/18-26.htm">1 Kings 18:26-29</a></span><br />And they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound, and no one answered as they leaped around the altar they had made. / At noon Elijah began to taunt them, saying, “Shout louder, for he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or occupied, or on a journey. Perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened!” / So they shouted louder and cut themselves with knives and lances, as was their custom, until the blood gushed over them. ...</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">He feeds on ashes: a deceived heart has turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?</p><p class="hdg">feedeth</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/job/15-2.htm">Job 15:2</a></b></br> Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind?</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/102-9.htm">Psalm 102:9</a></b></br> For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping,</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/proverbs/14-15.htm">Proverbs 14:15</a></b></br> The simple believeth every word: but the prudent <i>man</i> looketh well to his going.</p><p class="hdg">a deceived</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/1_kings/22-20.htm">1 Kings 22:20-23</a></b></br> And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/job/15-31.htm">Job 15:31</a></b></br> Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/hosea/4-12.htm">Hosea 4:12</a></b></br> My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused <i>them</i> to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.</p><p class="hdg">is there</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/isaiah/28-15.htm">Isaiah 28:15-17</a></b></br> Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: … </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/jeremiah/16-19.htm">Jeremiah 16:19</a></b></br> O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and <i>things</i> wherein <i>there is</i> no profit.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/habakkuk/2-18.htm">Habakkuk 2:18</a></b></br> What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/psalms/147-16.htm">Ashes</a> <a href="/isaiah/30-28.htm">Astray</a> <a href="/isaiah/40-8.htm">Dead</a> <a href="/isaiah/19-13.htm">Deceived</a> <a href="/isaiah/44-17.htm">Deliver</a> <a href="/isaiah/19-13.htm">Deluded</a> <a href="/isaiah/41-25.htm">Dust</a> <a href="/isaiah/37-10.htm">False.</a> <a href="/isaiah/40-11.htm">Feedeth</a> <a href="/isaiah/18-6.htm">Feeding</a> <a href="/proverbs/15-14.htm">Feeds</a> <a href="/isaiah/44-19.htm">Fire</a> <a href="/isaiah/40-11.htm">Food</a> <a href="/isaiah/44-5.htm">Hand</a> <a href="/isaiah/44-19.htm">Heart</a> <a href="/isaiah/43-17.htm">Lie</a> <a href="/isaiah/43-26.htm">Mind</a> <a href="/proverbs/28-10.htm">Misleads</a> <a href="/isaiah/43-26.htm">Right</a> <a href="/isaiah/40-10.htm">Safe</a> <a href="/isaiah/44-17.htm">Save</a> <a href="/isaiah/42-1.htm">Soul</a> <a href="/genesis/31-36.htm">Striveth</a> <a href="/isaiah/43-14.htm">Turned</a> <a href="/isaiah/27-1.htm">Twisted</a> <a href="/isaiah/8-21.htm">Unable</a> <a href="/isaiah/43-19.htm">Way</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/isaiah/58-5.htm">Ashes</a> <a href="/isaiah/47-10.htm">Astray</a> <a href="/isaiah/59-10.htm">Dead</a> <a href="/jeremiah/3-20.htm">Deceived</a> <a href="/isaiah/46-2.htm">Deliver</a> <a href="/isaiah/47-10.htm">Deluded</a> <a href="/isaiah/47-1.htm">Dust</a> <a href="/isaiah/57-4.htm">False.</a> <a href="/hosea/12-1.htm">Feedeth</a> <a href="/jeremiah/17-16.htm">Feeding</a> <a href="/hosea/12-1.htm">Feeds</a> <a href="/isaiah/47-14.htm">Fire</a> <a href="/isaiah/49-9.htm">Food</a> <a href="/isaiah/45-1.htm">Hand</a> <a href="/isaiah/46-8.htm">Heart</a> <a href="/isaiah/50-11.htm">Lie</a> <a href="/isaiah/44-21.htm">Mind</a> <a href="/matthew/22-16.htm">Misleads</a> <a href="/isaiah/45-1.htm">Right</a> <a href="/isaiah/46-2.htm">Safe</a> <a href="/isaiah/45-20.htm">Save</a> <a href="/isaiah/51-23.htm">Soul</a> <a href="/isaiah/45-9.htm">Striveth</a> <a href="/isaiah/45-22.htm">Turned</a> <a href="/isaiah/59-6.htm">Twisted</a> <a href="/isaiah/46-2.htm">Unable</a> <a href="/isaiah/47-10.htm">Way</a><div class="vheading2">Isaiah 44</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/isaiah/44-1.htm">God comforts the church with his promises</a></span><br><span class="reftext">7. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/isaiah/44-7.htm">The vanity of idols</a></span><br><span class="reftext">9. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/isaiah/44-9.htm">And folly of idol makers</a></span><br><span class="reftext">21. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/isaiah/44-21.htm">He exhorts to praise God for his redemption and omnipotence</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/isaiah/44.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/isaiah/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/isaiah/44.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>He feeds on ashes.</b><br>This phrase symbolizes the futility and emptiness of idolatry. In the ancient Near Eastern context, ashes often represented worthlessness and desolation. Feeding on ashes suggests a spiritual diet that lacks nourishment and substance, highlighting the emptiness of worshiping idols. This imagery is consistent with other biblical passages that describe the futility of idol worship, such as <a href="/psalms/115-4.htm">Psalm 115:4-8</a>, where idols are depicted as lifeless and powerless.<p><b>His deluded heart has led him astray,</b><br>The heart in biblical terms often represents the center of one's being, including emotions, will, and intellect. A deluded heart indicates a state of self-deception and moral confusion. This reflects the biblical theme of the heart's susceptibility to sin and deception, as seen in <a href="/jeremiah/17-9.htm">Jeremiah 17:9</a>, which describes the heart as deceitful above all things. The phrase underscores the spiritual blindness that results from turning away from God.<p><b>and he cannot deliver himself</b><br>This highlights the inability of individuals to save themselves from the consequences of their idolatry and sin. It emphasizes the need for divine intervention and salvation, a recurring theme throughout Scripture. The inability to deliver oneself is echoed in the New Testament, where salvation is portrayed as a gift from God through Jesus Christ, not something that can be achieved by human effort (<a href="/ephesians/2-8.htm">Ephesians 2:8-9</a>).<p><b>or say, “Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?”</b><br>The right hand is often associated with power and authority in biblical literature. Holding an idol in the right hand symbolizes reliance on something that is ultimately false and powerless. The inability to recognize the lie indicates a profound spiritual blindness. This connects to the broader biblical narrative of truth versus falsehood, as seen in <a href="/john/14-6.htm">John 14:6</a>, where Jesus declares Himself to be the way, the truth, and the life, contrasting the truth of God with the lies of idolatry.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/i/isaiah.htm">Isaiah</a></b><br>A major prophet in the Old Testament, Isaiah is the author of the book bearing his name. He prophesied to the Kingdom of Judah and spoke God's messages of judgment and redemption.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/j/judah.htm">Judah</a></b><br>The southern kingdom of Israel, which Isaiah primarily addressed. During Isaiah's time, Judah was often tempted by idolatry and alliances with foreign nations.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/i/idolatry.htm">Idolatry</a></b><br>The practice of worshiping idols or false gods, which is a central theme in <a href="/bsb/isaiah/44.htm">Isaiah 44</a>. The people of Judah were often led astray by the worship of idols, which Isaiah condemns.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/t/the_deception_of_idolatry.htm">The Deception of Idolatry</a></b><br>Idolatry is not just the worship of physical idols but can include anything that takes the place of God in our hearts. We must examine our lives for modern "idols" that may lead us astray.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_danger_of_a_deluded_heart.htm">The Danger of a Deluded Heart</a></b><br>A heart that is not aligned with God's truth can easily be deceived. Regular engagement with Scripture and prayer is essential to guard against spiritual deception.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/s/self-examination_and_repentance.htm">Self-Examination and Repentance</a></b><br>Isaiah challenges us to ask ourselves if we are holding onto lies. We should regularly reflect on our beliefs and practices, seeking God's guidance to identify and correct any falsehoods.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_inability_of_idols_to_save.htm">The Inability of Idols to Save</a></b><br>Only God can deliver us. Trusting in anything other than Him for salvation or fulfillment is ultimately futile.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_importance_of_truth.htm">The Importance of Truth</a></b><br>Recognizing and embracing truth is crucial for spiritual health. We must be willing to confront uncomfortable truths about ourselves and our practices.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_isaiah_44.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Isaiah 44</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_is_satan's_identity.htm">What is Satan's identity?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_could_god_'deceive'_jeremiah.htm">In Jeremiah 20:7, how could an all-honest God 'deceive' Jeremiah if He is truly without falsehood?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_would_god_reject_and_defeat_his_people.htm">(Psalm 44:9-10) Why would a supposedly omnipotent and loving God suddenly reject His people and allow them to be defeated in battle?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_makes_claims_falsifiable.htm">What is the meaning of a more sure prophecy?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/isaiah/44.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(20) <span class= "bld">He feedeth on ashes.</span>--The verb passes readily through the meanings "feeding," "pasturing," "following after," and the last is commonly accepted. The first, however, has the merit of greater vividness. (Comp. <a href="/hosea/12-1.htm" title="Ephraim feeds on wind, and follows after the east wind: he daily increases lies and desolation; and they do make a covenant with the Assyrians, and oil is carried into Egypt.">Hosea 12:1</a>.) The "ashes" of the smith's furnace become the symbols of the vanity of his work (<a href="/ecclesiastes/7-6.htm" title="For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.">Ecclesiastes 7:6</a>), and yet he has not even the germ of truth which lies in the questions of the sceptic.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/isaiah/44.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 20.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">He feedeth on ashes</span>; <span class="accented">i.e. on</span> vanity - on what can give no support or sustenance (comp. <a href="/proverbs/15-14.htm">Proverbs 15:14</a>; <a href="/hosea/12-1.htm">Hosea 12:1</a>). <span class="cmt_word">A deceived heart</span>. Either self-deceived, or imposed upon by illusions from without; <span class="accented">e.g.</span> the seeming power of the idols, as seen in the victories and conquests of their worshippers. <span class="cmt_word">He cannot deliver his soul</span>. The deceived soul is bound in trammels, which it feels to be irksome, and from which it would fain be free. But it cannot deliver itself. Deliverance must come from some external source; in other words, man needs a Deliverer. <span class="cmt_word">Is there not a lie in my right hand?</span> An idol is "a lie." It professes to have power, strength, ability to help and save, whereas it has no power at all. It cannot even save itself. Savages often beat their fetishes. Diagoras of Melos threw an image of Hercules into the fire on which he was cooking his dinner, and bade Hercules make himself of some use by boiling his turnips. The powerlessness of idols even to help themselves is represented with much force in the Book of Baruch (6:12-15, 17-22, 27, 49, etc.). <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/isaiah/44-20.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">He feeds on</span><br /><span class="heb">רֹעֶ֣ה</span> <span class="translit">(rō·‘eh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7462.htm">Strong's 7462: </a> </span><span class="str2">To tend a, flock, pasture it, in, to graze, to rule, to associate with</span><br /><br /><span class="word">ashes.</span><br /><span class="heb">אֵ֔פֶר</span> <span class="translit">(’ê·p̄er)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_665.htm">Strong's 665: </a> </span><span class="str2">Ashes</span><br /><br /><span class="word">His deluded</span><br /><span class="heb">הוּתַ֖ל</span> <span class="translit">(hū·ṯal)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Hofal - Perfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2048.htm">Strong's 2048: </a> </span><span class="str2">To deride, to cheat</span><br /><br /><span class="word">heart</span><br /><span class="heb">לֵ֥ב</span> <span class="translit">(lêḇ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3820.htm">Strong's 3820: </a> </span><span class="str2">The heart, the feelings, the will, the intellect, centre</span><br /><br /><span class="word">has led him astray,</span><br /><span class="heb">הִטָּ֑הוּ</span> <span class="translit">(hiṭ·ṭā·hū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5186.htm">Strong's 5186: </a> </span><span class="str2">To stretch out, spread out, extend, incline, bend</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and he cannot</span><br /><span class="heb">וְלֹֽא־</span> <span class="translit">(wə·lō-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3808.htm">Strong's 3808: </a> </span><span class="str2">Not, no</span><br /><br /><span class="word">deliver</span><br /><span class="heb">יַצִּ֤יל</span> <span class="translit">(yaṣ·ṣîl)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5337.htm">Strong's 5337: </a> </span><span class="str2">To strip, plunder, deliver oneself, be delivered, snatch away, deliver</span><br /><br /><span class="word">himself</span><br /><span class="heb">נַפְשׁוֹ֙</span> <span class="translit">(nap̄·šōw)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5315.htm">Strong's 5315: </a> </span><span class="str2">A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion </span><br /><br /><span class="word">[or]</span><br /><span class="heb">וְלֹ֣א</span> <span class="translit">(wə·lō)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3808.htm">Strong's 3808: </a> </span><span class="str2">Not, no</span><br /><br /><span class="word">say,</span><br /><span class="heb">יֹאמַ֔ר</span> <span class="translit">(yō·mar)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_559.htm">Strong's 559: </a> </span><span class="str2">To utter, say</span><br /><br /><span class="word">“Is not</span><br /><span class="heb">הֲל֥וֹא</span> <span class="translit">(hă·lō·w)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adverb - Negative particle<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3808.htm">Strong's 3808: </a> </span><span class="str2">Not, no</span><br /><br /><span class="word">this thing in my right hand</span><br /><span class="heb">בִּימִינִֽי׃</span> <span class="translit">(bî·mî·nî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3225.htm">Strong's 3225: </a> </span><span class="str2">The right hand, side, the south</span><br /><br /><span class="word">a lie?”</span><br /><span class="heb">שֶׁ֖קֶר</span> <span class="translit">(še·qer)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_8267.htm">Strong's 8267: </a> </span><span class="str2">Deception, disappointment, falsehood</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/isaiah/44-20.htm">Isaiah 44:20 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/isaiah/44-20.htm">Isaiah 44:20 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/isaiah/44-20.htm">Isaiah 44:20 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/isaiah/44-20.htm">Isaiah 44:20 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/isaiah/44-20.htm">Isaiah 44:20 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/isaiah/44-20.htm">Isaiah 44:20 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/isaiah/44-20.htm">Isaiah 44:20 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/isaiah/44-20.htm">Isaiah 44:20 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/isaiah/44-20.htm">Isaiah 44:20 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/isaiah/44-20.htm">Isaiah 44:20 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/isaiah/44-20.htm">OT Prophets: Isaiah 44:20 He feeds on ashes (Isa Isi Is)</a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/isaiah/44-19.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Isaiah 44:19"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Isaiah 44:19" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/isaiah/44-21.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Isaiah 44:21"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Isaiah 44:21" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>