ישעיהו, פרק מ״ו, פסוק ב׳

A sharp, mocking picture is painted of the fall of the Babylonian idols, highlighting the massive gap between the great power their worshippers gave them and their complete helplessness in the face of exile. The commentators offer different perspectives on who exactly is collapsing under the weight of this defeat. One approach suggests that the idols themselves bow down and collapse under the harsh reality of the events [מצודת דוד, אבן עזרא]. Another view argues that it is the beasts of burden or the human carriers who collapse, unable to bear the sheer physical weight of the statues [שד"ל, אבן עזרא]. Taking a more spiritual angle, another perspective suggests that this collapse happens in the heavens first. In this view, the spiritual patron angels of the nations fall before the physical statues ever hit the ground [חומת אנך].

The primary approach among commentators is that the core issue here is a failure of rescue and salvation [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. How this failure plays out depends on who is collapsing. If the beasts of burden are the ones falling, the irony is that these animals cannot run and save the worshippers from the enemy. The heavy idols they are forced to carry slow them down, turning the objects of worship into the very cause of their downfall [שד"ל]. On the other hand, if the idols themselves are collapsing, it shows that the statues cannot save the people carrying them. They cannot even save themselves from being reduced to a heavy load on the backs of animals [רד"ק, מלבי"ם]. A highly unique and graphic interpretation suggests that the failure is entirely physical rather than military. In this view, the idols are mocked for lacking even the most basic bodily functions of a living creature, unable to pass the burden of waste from within them [רש"י].

The final tragedy of this false worship is the reality of captivity. The mention of their very being going into exile is often understood to simply mean the physical statues themselves are hauled away by the enemy [מצודת ציון, רד"ק]. However, this phrasing also serves as a sharp jab at the worshippers who foolishly believed these pieces of wood and stone actually possessed a living spirit [רד"ק]. The logical conclusion is clear. If the idols cannot save themselves from being taken captive, they certainly cannot save the people who worship them [רד"ק, מצודת דוד, מלבי"ם]. Alternatively, the ones going into captivity are the Babylonian worshippers and their animals, who all fall into enemy hands simply because the heavy burden of their useless gods dragged them down [שד"ל].