No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say: No one considers is literally “And he does not turn his heart around/back,” which means that the idol maker does not reflect on what he does (so Revised English Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). The singular pronoun “he” refers to the idol maker. The prophet refers to him again in the singular in verses 19-20, as in verses 12-17. These singular references have a collective sense. Good News Translation makes the referent for the pronoun “he” clear by rendering it “The maker of idols.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch is similar with “The one who makes an idol for himself.” Nor is there knowledge or discernment adds emphasis to the failure of the idol maker to think through matters. In this context the verb say is better rendered “think” or “say to himself” (Bible en français courant; similarly Contemporary English Version).

Half of it I burned in the fire repeats the opening clause of verse 16, but it uses the first person since the idol maker is the speaker.

For I also baked bread on its coals, see the comments on verse 15. Bread was traditionally baked on a hot plate or something similar supported above the fire.

For I roasted flesh and have eaten, see verse 16.

And shall I make the residue of it an abomination?: Like Revised Standard Version, many versions use a question here and in the next clause. With these questions the idol maker wonders whether he should or should not do something. However, in Hebrew they are more likely statements reflecting the thinking of the idol maker concerning what he will do (see the examples below; similarly Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, Bible en français courant). Here he says he will use the remainder of the wood to make something repulsive. Of course, this is not something he would actually say, but the prophet shows his scorn here by placing these words in the thoughts of the idol maker to show he is not thinking clearly. The term residue has a negative sense here. The idol maker will make an idol from the leftover wood used for cooking and keeping warm (compare verse 17). The Hebrew noun translated abomination is a technical term for something that is so offensive that God rejects it entirely. This word is used mainly in the context of worshiping other gods (see the comments on 1.13).

Shall I fall down before a block of wood?: As noted above, this question is better rendered as a statement. Here the idol maker says he will worship a piece of wood. Of course, the prophet is placing these words in his mouth again to show how foolish the idol maker is. For the verb fall down, see verses 15 and 17. The prophet continues to show his scorn here by referring to the idol as merely a block of wood.

Translation examples for this verse are:

• He does not consider, has no knowledge nor understanding when he thinks, “Some of the wood I burned in the fire. I baked bread on its coals, and I cooked meat and ate it. Now let me make something offensive from the rest of the wood. Let me bow down and worship a piece of wood.”

• He doesn’t think deeply, is without knowledge and understanding when he says, “I burned part of the wood in the fire. I baked bread on the coals, and I cooked meat and ate it. I will make something abominable with the leftover bits of the wood. I will then bow down and worship this lump of wood.”

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .