Isaiah 46:6

They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and hire a goldsmith; and he maketh it a god: they fall down, yea, they worship.

Cross-reference

Isaiah 2:8 Parallel

Isaiah 2:8 condemns worshiping idols made by human hands, echoing the same critique of crafting gods from precious metals.

Isaiah 44:12-19 extensively mocks idol-making, from forging metal to using leftover wood for cooking — a fuller satire of the same practice in 46:6.

Isaiah 41:7 Parallel

Isaiah 41:7 details craftsmen strengthening the idol with nails so it cannot move — a vivid depiction of the idol-making process parallel to 46:6.

Isaiah 40:20 shows the impoverished choosing wood and hiring a craftsman — another aspect of idol-making, reinforcing the folly in 46:6.

Isaiah 40:19 describes a goldsmith casting an idol and plating it with gold — a direct parallel to the lavish idol-making in 46:6.

Isaiah 44:17 describes making a god from leftover wood and worshiping it, directly paralleling the goldsmith idolatry here.

Isaiah 45:20 calls the nations, condemning those who carry wooden idols and pray to gods that cannot save — parallel to the futility of idols in 46:6.

Isaiah 2:20 Parallel

In Isaiah 2:20, the same silver and gold idols are cast away to moles and bats — adding the future rejection of these handmade gods.

In Isaiah 30:22, silver-plated and gold-overlaid images are defiled and cast aside — echoing the futility of idols made from precious metals.

Isaiah 44:9 Parallel

In Isaiah 44:9, the makers of graven images are declared vain — a direct companion critique to the idolatry described here.

Isaiah 41:6 Parallel

Isaiah 41:6 shows idol-makers encouraging each other — 'Be strong!' — illustrating the communal effort behind the idolatry condemned in 46:6.

Jeremiah 10:4 mentions decorating an idol with silver and gold — directly matching the lavish use of precious metals here.

Jeremiah 10:9 says gold and silver are worked by a goldsmith into idols — almost identical to this verse's description.

Acts 17:29 Allusion

Acts 17:29 argues God is not like gold or silver images made by human skill — a NT echo of the same anti-idolatry teaching.

Jeremiah 10:14 says every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols — the same artisans and false gods referenced here.

Hosea 8:4-6 states Israel used silver and gold to make idols, crafted by a craftsman — a clear parallel.

Habakkuk 2:18-20 condemns metal images overlaid with gold and silver, made by a craftsman — echoes the same idol-making critique.

Exodus 32:2-4 recounts Aaron making a golden calf from earrings — a classic example of the idol-making process that Isaiah 46:6 describes.

1 Kings 12:28 records Jeroboam making golden calves for Israel to worship — another instance of gold being crafted into an idol.

Judges 17:4 Parallel

Judges 17:4 describes a silversmith making a metal image from the silver — directly parallel to hiring a goldsmith to make a god.

Judges 17:3 Parallel

Judges 17:3 shows a mother dedicating silver to make a carved image — the same use of precious metal to create an idol as described here.

Psalm 115:4 Parallel

Psalm 115:4 describes idols as silver and gold made by human hands, exactly matching the critique in Isaiah 46:6.

Exodus 32:3 Parallel

Exodus 32:3 shows people bringing gold earrings to Aaron to make an idol, the same practice of using precious metal for idolatry.

Habakkuk 2:19 directly echoes the theme: idols overlaid with gold and silver have no breath — identical critique.

Exodus 32:4 Parallel

Exodus 32:4 describes Aaron fashioning gold into a calf idol, directly paralleling the process of hiring a goldsmith to make a god.

Hosea 13:2 Parallel

Hosea 13:2 similarly condemns making idols from silver — a parallel rebuke of crafting gods from precious metals.

Exodus 34:17 commands not to make molten gods, prohibiting the exact practice described in Isaiah 46:6.

Hosea 2:8 Parallel

In Hosea 2:8, the silver and gold God gave were used to prepare for Baal — showing the perversion of blessing into idolatry.

Daniel 5:23 Parallel

In Daniel 5:23, the gods of silver and gold that cannot see or hear are specifically praised — exactly the kind of idols Isaiah denounces.

Daniel 5:4 Parallel

In Daniel 5:4, praising gods of gold and silver, wood and stone, repeats the list of lifeless idols worshiped instead of God.

Daniel 3:1 Historical context

In Daniel 3:1, Nebuchadnezzar's golden image exemplifies the very practice of making and worshiping a gold god that Isaiah condemns.

In Jeremiah 2:27, calling a tree 'father' and a stone 'mother' illustrates the same absurdity of worshiping created things.

In Jeremiah 2:13, forsaking God for broken cisterns mirrors the folly of choosing handmade gods over the living God.

Psalm 135:15 similarly states idols are silver and gold made by hands, a direct parallel to the idol-making here.

Daniel 3:5-15 recounts a golden idol set up for worship, mirroring the gold idol made by a goldsmith in Isaiah 46:6.

Jeremiah 10:3 describes a wooden idol crafted by a craftsman — similar process but different material, so a general parallel.