The Meaning of Isaiah 44:20 Explained

Isaiah 44:20

KJV: 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?

YLT: 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?'

Darby: 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?

ASV: 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?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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? 

What does Isaiah 44:20 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Pursuing idols is like feeding on ashes. No satisfaction, but instead eventual disgust and death, follow. The idol is good for nothing but burning ( Isaiah 44:15), and the person who worships an idol will finally find himself with nothing but ashes instead of an idol. The person who pursues this path to satisfaction has been deceived by his own heart. He cannot deliver himself out of such a trap. He has become addicted. He must cry out for deliverance to Another-who has the power to enlighten the blind.

Context Summary

Isaiah 44:12-20 - The Folly Of Idolatry
We are here conducted to a metal idol factory, Isaiah 44:12. As we enter, we are forewarned that we shall find the workmen vain, and their delectable things unprofitable. With this caution, we watch the image being made beneath the heavy blows of the hammer, wielded by the swarthy smith. After a few hours of work he becomes tired and thirsty. But surely an idol can never impart perennial energy and help, if its manufacturer is so easily exhausted.
Next, we are led into a factory of wooden idols, Isaiah 44:13, where a carpenter is at work, drawing a pattern on a block of timber. The floor is littered with shavings, and the idol that is to receive worship and exercise authority is handled very unceremoniously. Lastly we follow an individual into the forest, where he saws part of a tree for firewood and the rest for his household effigy. What folly! These men are hungry for some object of worship, but they feed their hunger on ashes; and they cannot be made to realize that they are deceiving themselves. The true bread is Christ. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 44

1  God comforts the church with his promises
7  The vanity of idols
9  And folly of idol makers
21  He exhorts to praise God for his redemption and omnipotence

What do the individual words in Isaiah 44:20 mean?

He feeds on ashes a heart deceived has turned him aside and cannot he deliver - his soul nor say [is there] not a lie in my right hand -
רֹעֶ֣ה אֵ֔פֶר לֵ֥ב הוּתַ֖ל הִטָּ֑הוּ וְלֹֽא־ יַצִּ֤יל אֶת־ נַפְשׁוֹ֙ וְלֹ֣א יֹאמַ֔ר הֲל֥וֹא שֶׁ֖קֶר ؟ בִּימִינִֽי ס

רֹעֶ֣ה  He  feeds 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: רָעָה 
Sense: to pasture, tend, graze, feed.
אֵ֔פֶר  on  ashes 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֵפֶר  
Sense: ashes.
לֵ֥ב  a  heart 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
הוּתַ֖ל  deceived 
Parse: Verb, Hofal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: הָתַל 
Sense: (Piel) to mock, deceive.
הִטָּ֑הוּ  has  turned  him  aside 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: נָטָה 
Sense: to stretch out, extend, spread out, pitch, turn, pervert, incline, bend, bow.
וְלֹֽא־  and  cannot 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יַצִּ֤יל  he  deliver 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָצַל  
Sense: to snatch away, deliver, rescue, save, strip, plunder.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
נַפְשׁוֹ֙  his  soul 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
וְלֹ֣א  nor 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יֹאמַ֔ר  say 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הֲל֥וֹא  [is  there]  not 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
שֶׁ֖קֶר  a  lie 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֶׁקֶר  
Sense: lie, deception, disappointment, falsehood.
؟ בִּימִינִֽי  in  my  right  hand 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: יָמִין  
Sense: right, right hand, right side.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation