Isaiah 40:17 - Forerunner Commentary

Isaiah 40:17

15 Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket,
And are counted as the small dust on the scales;
Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.

16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn,
Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering.

17 All nations before Him are as ^anothing,
And ^bthey are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless.

18 To whom then will you ^aliken God?
Or what likeness will you compare to Him?

19 ^aThe workman molds an image,
The goldsmith overspreads it with gold,
And the silversmith casts silver chains.

20 Whoever is too impoverished for such¹ a contribution
Chooses a tree that will not rot;
He seeks for himself a skillful workman
^aTo prepare a carved image that will not totter.

21 ^aHave you not known?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who ^astretches out the heavens like a curtain,
And spreads them out like a ^btent to dwell in.

23 He¹ brings the ^aprinces to nothing;
He makes the judges of the earth useless.

24 Scarcely shall they be planted,
Scarcely shall they be sown,
Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth,
When He will also blow on them,
And they will wither,
And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.

25 “To^a whom then will you liken Me,
Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.

26 Lift up your eyes on high,
And see who has created these things,
Who brings out their host by number;
^aHe calls them all by name,
By the greatness of His might
And the strength of His power;
Not one is missing.

27 ^aWhy do you say, O Jacob,
And speak, O Israel:
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
And my just claim is passed over by my God”?

Verse Comparison: Isaiah 40:17

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American Standard Version
All the nations are as nothing before him; they are accounted by him as less than nothing, and vanity.

Amplified® Bible
All the nations are as nothing before Him; they are regarded by Him as less than nothing and emptiness (waste, futility, and worthlessness).

Contemporary English Version
God thinks of the nations as far less than nothing.

Darby English Version
All the nations are as nothing before him; they are esteemed by him less than a cipher, and vanity.

Good News Bible
The nations are nothing at all to him.

King James Version
All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

New American Standard Bible
All the nations are as nothing before Him, They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless.

New International Version
Before him all the nations are as nothing;
they are regarded by him as worthless
and less than nothing.

New King James Version
All nations before Him are as nothing,
And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless.

N.A.S.B. in E-Prime
All the nations have become as nothing before Him,He regards them as less than nothing and meaningless.

Revised Standard Version
All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.

Young's Literal Translation
All the nations `are' as nothing before Him, Less than nothing and emptiness, They have been reckoned to Him.

New English Translation
All the nations are insignificant before him; they are regarded as absolutely nothing.¹

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