Isaiah 46: Bel Boweth Down

"Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: your carriages were heavy loaden; they are a burden to the weary beast. They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but themselves are gone into captivity" (46:1–2).

"Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob… which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you" (vv. 3–4).

"They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer" (v. 7). "Declaring the end from the beginning… Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country" (vv. 10–11).

Marduk and Nabu

Marduk, called Bel ("Lord"), was the chief god of Babylon, honored in the Esagila temple; Nabu, his son, god of writing, had his temple Ezida at Borsippa nearby. At the New Year (akitu) festival each spring, Nabu's statue traveled to Babylon and the gods processed through the city. The Nabonidus Chronicle notes years when King Nabonidus stayed in Tema and "Nabu did not come to Babylon, Bel did not come out" (reported). Babylonian kings bore Nabu's name: Nabopolassar, Nebuchadnezzar (Nabu-kudurri-usur), Nabonidus (Nabu-na'id).

Did it happen?

When Cyrus took Babylon in 539, the Cyrus Cylinder says he honored Marduk, and the gods Nabonidus had brought into Babylon were returned to their cities; the Nabonidus Chronicle records gods being carried into Babylon before the conquest (reported). Babylon's gods were not destroyed or carried off by Cyrus as captives. Isaiah 46:1–2 may describe gods being carried in flight or procession, or anticipate a defeat that did not come in that form (Xerxes later damaged Babylon's temples, according to Greek sources). This is one reason many scholars think chapters 40–48 were written before 539, not after the fact.

A bird of prey from the east

Xenophon (Cyropaedia 7.1.4, 4th century BC) says Cyrus's standard was a golden eagle with outspread wings on a lance (reported). Whether the prophet knew this is unknown; "bird of prey" fits a swift conqueror.

Mother and polemic

The chapter's maternal image (vv. 3–4) and its mockery (vv. 1–2, 6–7) belong together. The satire targets the logic of a particular ancient cult, statues carried in processions; it should not be read as a description of modern people of other faiths or of how they understand their own worship.