The craftsman encourages the goldsmith, and he who wields the hammer cheers him who strikes the anvil, saying of the welding, “It is good.” He nails it down so it will not be toppled.
Terror strikes the heathen world at the rising power of Cyrus, and in their panic they turn to their gods, but those gods are not yet even made. The craftsmen scramble to fashion idols, spurring each other on, hammering and plating in desperate confusion, trying to nail their gods firm so they will not shake. Everything betrays their fear.
AI summary
Commenting on Isaiah 41:5-7
The words are admittedly obscure and the Jewish writers themselves disagree. A carpenter and a refiner work together to make an idol, each urging the other on as they labor, beating in turn upon the same anvil until both grow warm and eager, each one rousing the other to finish their work as quickly as they can.
AI summary
The carpenter makes a wooden image and hurries the goldsmith to plate it with gold or silver. The smith forging nails on his anvil is urged to hasten while the one hammering out thin plates encourages him. They fasten it all together so the idol cannot fall or be taken away, but their very haste and desperation only exposes the whole enterprise to ridicule.
AI summary