Isaiah 46:6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Thus, He urges them to reflect on whom they are comparing Him to—human beings, animals, or soulless creatures. Is this not the height of irreverence? Justify your actions, and rid yourselves of sin, yet none can adequately justify such folly. By reducing the Divine to the status of beasts and cattle, what defense could ever be sufficient in light of such transgressions? He seeks to illustrate that the creation of idols is mere folly. He states cleverly: they gather silver and gold, weigh their riches, while each one seeks to curry favor with the god formed by the artist. It’s reasonable to assert that if they lacked riches, they would find themselves without a god and, without artists, there would be no object of veneration. They have sunk into such ignorance that before their own idols, they pay homage to what was created later, while themselves acting as creators. Those who are masters of their own materials come seeking salvation from them. They hoist their deities onto their shoulders, bearing them as burdens; they realize these idols are immobile, easily carried by anyone, yet they still direct prayers to them. Thus, if they seem to accept supplications, anticipate deliverance; but if they remain unresponsive and still, what aid can they possibly provide? Despite suffering from this very affliction, the worshippers remain blind to their condition, having succumbed to profound insensitivity.

He does not call them only by the names Jacob or Israel, as those titles alone would be a rebuke to the people; rather, He speaks of the house of Jacob and the remnant of Israel, referencing their shared human lineage as if they were the dregs of that lineage. He teaches them that He carried them out of Egypt, as a mother carries her child. This is not to suggest that the ineffable and unfathomable majesty of God possesses physical attributes, but that we might understand His love through familiar expressions. Likewise, the 109th Psalm conveys this perspective about God. In the Septuagint, where it is translated, "From the womb before the day" (Psalms 109:3), in Hebrew it states, merehem, which translates to “from the womb.” However, in this context, it employs not only terms denoting the womb but also signifies my womb uniquely, indicating: I, who have nurtured you from your youth and carried you as a mother would, will safeguard you even in your old age. This message emphasizes the divine mercy that brings salvation. The Creator of all things shows compassion for His creation, and the Good Shepherd lays down His life for His sheep. But a hired hand, who does not own the flock, runs away at the sight of danger (John 10). Thus, since I have formed and nurtured you, I will sustain and uphold you. According to the Seventy, who say, "I bear them from the womb and instruct them from youth until old age," it signifies that those ignorant of God but who still honor the images of men and beasts practice futility in adhering to the law day and night and require prophetic correction, as God questions them: To whom have you likened Me, and with whom have you compared Me? They pour out gold and silver, employing artisans to create idols that they worship, lifting these man-made figures onto their shoulders and setting them up; yet they cannot move or assist those who honor them. The evident truths we navigate so that, through the grace of Christ, the concealed ones may be unveiled.