Logos Bible Study

Isaiah 40:18–25

New International Version (2011)Other versions

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18With whom, then, will you compare God?s

To what imaget will you liken him?

19As for an idol,u a metalworker casts it,

and a goldsmithv overlays it with goldw

and fashions silver chains for it.

20A person too poor to present such an offering

selects woodx that will not rot;

they look for a skilled worker

to set up an idoly that will not topple.z

21Do you not know?

Have you not heard?a

Has it not been toldb you from the beginning?c

Have you not understoodd since the earth was founded?e

22He sits enthronedf above the circle of the earth,

and its people are like grasshoppers.g

He stretches out the heavensh like a canopy,i

and spreads them out like a tentj to live in.k

23He brings princesl to naught

and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.m

24No sooner are they planted,

no sooner are they sown,

no sooner do they take rootn in the ground,

than he blowso on them and they wither,p

and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.q

25“To whom will you compare me?r

Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.s

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Cross references

  1. sSee Ex 8:10; See 1 Sa 2:2
  2. tSee Dt 4:15; Ac 17:29
  3. uSee Ex 20:4; Ps 115:4; See Isa 37:19; 42:17; Jer 2:8, 28; 10:8; 16:19; Hab 2:18; Zec 10:2
  4. vIsa 41:7; 46:6; Jer 10:3
  5. wIsa 2:20; 31:7
  6. xIsa 44:19
  7. ySee 1 Sa 12:21
  8. zSee 1 Sa 5:3
  9. aver 28; 2 Ki 19:25; Isa 41:22; 42:9; 44:8; 48:3, 5
  10. bPs 19:1; 50:6; Ac 14:17
  11. cSee Ge 1:1
  12. dRo 1:19
  13. eIsa 48:13; 51:13
  14. fSee 2 Ch 6:18; See Ps 2:4
  15. gSee Nu 13:33
  16. hSee Ge 1:1; See Isa 48:13
  17. iSee Ge 1:8; See Job 22:14
  18. jSee Job 36:29
  19. kSee Job 26:7
  20. lSee Job 12:18; See Isa 34:12
  21. mSee Job 12:19; Am 2:3
  22. nSee Job 5:3
  23. oSee 2 Sa 22:16; See Isa 11:4; 41:16
  24. pSee Job 8:12; See 18:16
  25. qSee Job 24:24; See Isa 41:2
  26. rSee 1 Sa 2:2; See 1 Ch 16:25
  27. sIsa 1:4; 37:23

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

To whom then will you liken God,

or what likeness compare with him?

An idol! A craftsman casts it,

and a goldsmith overlays it with gold

and casts for it silver chains.

He who is too impoverished for an offering

chooses wood that will not rot;

he seeks out a skillful craftsman

to set up an idol that will not move.

Do you not know? Do you not hear?

Has it not been told you from the beginning?

Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,

and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;

who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,

and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;

who brings princes to nothing,

and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.

Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,

scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,

when he blows on them, and they wither,

and the tempest carries them off like stubble.

To whom then will you compare me,

that I should be like him? says the Holy One.

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

CSBChristian Standard Bible

With whom will you compare God?

What likeness will you set up for comparison with him?

An idol?—something that a smelter casts

and a metalworker plates with gold

and makes silver chains for?

A poor person contributes wood for a pedestal

that will not rot.

He looks for a skilled craftsman

to set up an idol that will not fall over.

Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

Has it not been declared to you

from the beginning?

Have you not considered

the foundations of the earth?

God is enthroned above the circle of the earth;

its inhabitants are like grasshoppers.

He stretches out the heavens like thin cloth

and spreads them out like a tent to live in.

He reduces princes to nothing

and makes judges of the earth like a wasteland.

They are barely planted, barely sown,

their stem hardly takes root in the ground

when he blows on them and they wither,

and a whirlwind carries them away like stubble.

“To whom will you compare me,

or who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

To whom can you compare God?

What image can you find to resemble him?

Can he be compared to an idol formed in a mold,

overlaid with gold, and decorated with silver chains?

Or if people are too poor for that,

they might at least choose wood that won’t decay

and a skilled craftsman

to carve an image that won’t fall down!

Haven’t you heard? Don’t you understand?

Are you deaf to the words of God—

the words he gave before the world began?

Are you so ignorant?

God sits above the circle of the earth.

The people below seem like grasshoppers to him!

He spreads out the heavens like a curtain

and makes his tent from them.

He judges the great people of the world

and brings them all to nothing.

They hardly get started, barely taking root,

when he blows on them and they wither.

The wind carries them off like chaff.

“To whom will you compare me?

Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And to whom will you liken God?

And to what likeness will you compare him?

A craftsman pours out the idol,

and a goldsmith overlays it with gold,

and he smelts chains of silver.

The one who is too impoverished for a gift chooses wood that will not rot;

he seeks a skillful artisan for himself to set up an image that will not be knocked over.

Have you not known?

Have you not heard?

Has it not been told to you from the beginning?

Have you not understood from the foundation of the earth?

He is the one who sits above the circle of the earth,

and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;

the one who stretches out the heavens like a veil

and spreads them out like a tent to live in,

the one who brings princes to nothing;

he makes rulers of the earth like nothing.

Indeed, hardly are they planted; indeed, hardly are they sown;

indeed, hardly has their shoot taken root in the earth

when he blows on them and they wither,

and the tempest carries them like stubble.

“And to whom you will compare me, and am I equal?” says the holy one.

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

To whom then will ye liken God?

Or what likeness will ye compare unto him?

The workman melteth a graven image,

And the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold,

And casteth silver chains.

He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot;

He seeketh unto him a cunning workman

To prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved.

Have ye not known? have ye not heard?

Hath it not been told you from the beginning?

Have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?

It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth,

And the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers;

That stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain,

And spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

That bringeth the princes to nothing;

He maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

Yea, they shall not be planted;

Yea, they shall not be sown:

Yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth:

And he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither,

And the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.

To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.

Public Domain