Isaiah 40:20

“He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation, &c.] Who is so poor that he cannot bring an offering to his God, yet he will have one; and though he cannot purchase a golden or silver one, or one that is gilt, and adorned with either; yet he will have a wooden one, as follows. Some render it, “he that is set over the oblation”, which Aben Ezra mentions; that was over the treasury, where the oblations were; the Heathen priest, whose business it was from thence to procure idols to worship. Jerom takes the word ˆksm to be the name of a tree that will not rot; and so the Targum renders it, “he cuts down an ash:” but the word is descriptive of an idol worshipper; and, according to…”

“impoverished--literally, "sunk" in circumstances. no oblation--he who cannot afford to overlay his idol with gold and silver (Isa 40:19). tree . . . not rot--the cedar, cypress, oak, or ash (Isa 44:14). graven--of wood; not a molten one of metal. not be moved--that shall be durable.”

“He that is so impoverished - So poor. So it is generally supposed that the word used here is to be understood, though interpreters have not been entirely agreed in regard to its signification. The Septuagint renders the phrase, ‘The carpenter chooseth a sound piece of wood.’ The Chaldee. ‘He cuts down an ash, a tree which will not rot.’ Vulgate, ‘Perhaps he chooses a tree which is incorruptible.’ Jarchi renders it, ‘He who is accustomed to examine, and to judge between the wood which is durable, and other wood.’ But the signification of the word (from סכן sâkan, “to dwell, to be familiar with anyone”) given to it by our translators, is probably the correct one, that of being too poor to…”

“He - That can hardly procure money to buy a sacrifice. Chuseth - He is so mad upon his idols, that he will find money to procure the choicest materials, and the best artist to make his idol. An image - Which after all this cost, cannot stir one step out of its place to give you any help. Isaiah 40:21”

“40:20 image that won’t fall down: This is a sarcastic remark; it would be embarrassing if the idol did not even have the power to remain standing (see 40:18; 41:7; 1 Sam 5:4).”

“is so impoverished that he hath no oblation: Heb. is poor of oblation chooseth: Isa 2:8, Isa 2:9, Isa 44:13-19; Jer 10:3, Jer 10:4; Dan 5:23 shall not: Isa 41:7, Isa 46:7; Sa1 5:3, Sa1 5:4 Isaiah 40:21”

“This is the origin of a metal idol. The wooden idol is described in Isa 40:20 : "The man who is impoverished in oblations, he chooseth a block of wood that will not rot; he seeketh for himself a skilful smith, to prepare an idol that will not shake." He who has fallen into such poverty that he can only offer to his God a poor oblation (terūmâh, accusative, according to Ewald, 284, c), has an idol cut for himself out of a block of wood. That sâkhan (Arab. sakana or sakuna) (Note: Both forms occur in this sense, according to the evidence of original sources, with the common imperative yaskunu, the infinitive sukūne passed over by Freytag, the verbal substantive maskane, and the adjective…”