“Besides,
Even the Chaldeans themselves
Dishonor these gods.
When they see
Someone who cannot speak,
They bring Bel.
They pray to Bel
That the mute
May speak,
As though Bel
Were able
To understand.
Yet they themselves
Cannot perceive this.
They abandon them.
They have no sense.”
The Chaldeans dishonored their own gods. Whenever they saw a mute person, they would bring the god Bel to them. Then they would pray to Bel to make him speak, as if this false god could understand. But then they would leave him or her there with Bel with no response, because these worshipers of Bel had no sense themselves. Bel was the term used for the Babylonian god Marduk, or Lord. It also was used for many gods in the region. This may have been the start of the use of Lord for the God of Israel, Yahweh.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 