It is not clear if the previous verse refers to something positive or negative, but here it clearly mentions a negative situation as in verse 6. The prophet criticizes Israel for making idols of the false gods of foreigners and worshiping them.

Their land is filled with idols: Their land is filled with repeats the first part of the pattern in verse 7 (see the comments there). However, this verse does not repeat the second part of the pattern: “there is no end to.” The Hebrew word for idols comes from a root meaning “worthless” (see Job 13.4 and Zech 11.17, where Revised Standard Version renders it this way). In the later part of this book, where there are several attacks upon idols and idol worshipers, the Hebrew term is not the same as that used here. However, translators may use the same term throughout the book. There is also a play-on-words here since the Hebrew word for idols is ʾelilim, which has an obvious link to ʾel, a general word for God or god. “Worthless images” or “useless images” is an acceptable translation for idols, but if this is a difficult expression and if the receptor language has a general term for “idols,” it can be used here.

They bow down to the work of their hands: Bow down is a figurative expression describing the act of worshiping. The aspect of this verse is habitual, describing something the people often do. It may be rendered “continually bow down” Bow down serves as the verb for the following line as well. The work of their hands refers to something they have made with their own hands.

To what their own fingers have made is parallel to the previous line. The parallelism emphasizes the foolishness of those who are treating as an object of worship something they themselves have made. The clear implication is that this activity is wrong and despicable. Good News Translation has dropped the parallel reference to fingers, but this weakens the impact of Isaiah’s words somewhat.

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• Their land is full of worthless images;
they worship what they have made,
objects shaped by their own fingers.

• Worthless images fill the land;
they worship things they themselves have made,
objects made by their own hands.

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 .