Isaias 44:15
And it hath served men for fuel: he took thereof, and warmed himself: and he kindled it, and baked bread: but of the rest he made a god, and adored it: he made a graven thing, and bowed down before it.
Open Isaias 44:15 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- et facta est hominibus in focum ; sumpsit ex eis, et calefactus est ; et succendit et coxit panes ; de reliquo autem operatus est deum et adoravit ; fecit sculptile, et curvatus est ante illud.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- ἵνα ᾖ ἀνθρώποις εἰς καῦσιν· καὶ λαβὼν ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἐθερμάνθη, καὶ καύσαντες ἔπεψαν ἄρτους ἐπ᾽ αὐτῶν· τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν εἰργάσαντο θεούς, καὶ προσκυνοῦσιν αὐτούς.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- וְהָיָ֤ה לְאָדָם֙ לְבָעֵ֔ר וַיִּקַּ֤ח מֵהֶם֙ וַיָּ֔חָם אַף יַשִּׂ֖יק וְאָ֣פָה לָ֑חֶם אַף יִפְעַל אֵל֙ וַיִּשְׁתָּ֔חוּ עָשָׂ֥הוּ פֶ֖סֶל וַיִּסְגָּד לָֽמוֹ
The Fathers on this verse
St Justin Martyr The First Apology, Chapter IX. Folly of idol worship
And neither do we honour with many sacrifices and garlands of flowers such deities as men have formed and set in shrines and called gods; since we see that these are soulless and dead, and have not the form of God (for we do not consider that God has such a form as some say that they imitate to His honour), but have the names and forms of those wicked demons which have appeared. For why need we tell you who already know, into what forms the craftsmen, carving and cutting, casting and hammering, fashion the materials? And often out of vessels of dishonour, by merely changing the form, and making an image of the requisite shape, they make what they call a god; which we consider not only senseless, but to be even insulting to God, who, having ineffable glory and form, thus gets His name attached to things that are corruptible, and require constant service. …
Arnobius The Seven Books of Arnobius Against the Heathen. (Adversus Gentes.), Chapter XIV
14. We would here, as if all nations on the earth were present, make one speech, and pour into the ears of them all, words which should be heard in common: Why, pray, is this, O men! that of your own accord you cheat and deceive yourselves by voluntary blindness? Dispel the darkness now, and, returning to the light of the mind, look more closely and see what that is which is going on, if only you retain your right, and are not beyond the reach of the reason and prudence given to you. Those images which fill you with terror, and which you adore prostrate upon the ground in all the temples, are bones, stones, brass, silver, gold, clay, wood taken from a tree, or glue mixed with gypsum. …