Bible Strands
Isaiah 2:8
Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The prophet addresses Judah during a period of extreme material accumulation, immediately following a description of their limitless silver, gold, horses, and chariots, and preceding a declaration of divine judgment.
The words — אֱלִילִים ('e.li.Lim) translates literally to "idols" or "worthless things," and יִֽשְׁתַּחֲו֔וּ (yish.ta.cha.Vu) means "they bow down," describing the physical act of worship directed toward human craftsmanship.
The thread — This pattern of worshiping human-made objects appears in Psalms 115:4, which describes idols as silver and gold crafted by men, and Revelation 9:20, which notes that surviving humanity still refuses to repent of the works of their hands.
Why it lands — The text states that a land saturated with wealth inevitably produces idols, and the people physically submit to what their own hands have fabricated. It requires readers to reject any system or object that replaces divine authority with human invention.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:
Cross-references
- Psalms 115:4 Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.
- Revelation 9:20 Now the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk.
- Isaiah 37:19 They have cast their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods, but only wood and stone—the work of human hands.
- Jeremiah 2:28 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.
- Deuteronomy 4:28 And there you will serve man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.
- 2 Chronicles 27:2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Uzziah had done. In addition, he did not enter the temple of the LORD. But the people still behaved corruptly.
- 2 Chronicles 28:2 Instead, he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even made cast images of the Baals.
- 2 Chronicles 28:23 He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, who had defeated him, and he said, “Because the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But these gods were the downfall of Ahaz and of all Israel.
- 2 Chronicles 33:3 For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had torn down, and he raised up altars for the Baals and made Asherah poles. And he worshiped and served all the host of heaven.
- Isaiah 10:10 As my hand seized the idolatrous kingdoms whose images surpassed those of Jerusalem and Samaria,