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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Isaiah 40:12–17. His two-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
The scope of these verses is to show what a great and glorious being the Lord Jehovah is, who is Israel's God and Saviour. It comes in here, 1. To encourage his people that were captives in Babylon to hope in him, and to depend upon him for deliverance, though they were ever so weak and their oppressors ever so strong. 2. To engage them to cleave to him, and not to turn aside after other gods; for there are none to be compared with him. 3. To possess all those who receive the glad tidings of redemption by Christ with a holy awe and reverence of God. Though it was said (Isa 40:9), Behold your God, and (Isa 40:11) He shall feed his flock like a shepherd, yet these condescensions of his grace must not be thought of with any diminution to the transcendencies of his glory. Let us see how great our God is, and fear before him; for,
I.His power is unlimited, and what no creature can compare with, much less contend with, Isa 40:12.
1.He has a vast reach. View the celestial globe, and you are astonished at the extent of it; but the great God metes the heavens with a span; to him they are but a hand-breadth, so large-handed is he. View the terraqueous globe, and he has the command of that too. All the waters in the world he can measure in the hollow of his hand, where we can hold but a little water; and the dry land he easily manages, for he comprehends the dust of the earth in a measure, or with his three fingers; it is no more to him than a pugil, or that which we take up between our thumb and two fingers.
2.He has a vast strength, and can as easily move mountains and hills as the tradesman heaves his goods into the scales and out of them again; he poises them with his hand as exactly as if he weighed them in a pair of balances. This may refer to the work of creation, when the heavens were stretched out as exactly as that which is spanned, and the earth and waters were put together in just proportions, as if they had been measured, and the mountains made of such a weight as to serve for ballast to the globe, and no more. Or it may refer to the work of providence (which is a continued creation) and the consistency of all the creatures with each other.
II.His wisdom is unsearchable, and what no creature can give either information or direction to, Isa 40:13, Isa 40:14.
As none can do what God has done and does, so none can assist him in the doing of it or suggest any thing to him which he thought not of. When the Lord by his Spirit made the world (Job 26:13) there was none that directed his Spirit, or gave him any advice, either what to do or how to do it. Nor does he need any counsellor to direct him in the government of the world, nor is there any with whom he consults, as the wisest kings do with those that know law and judgment, Est 1:13. God needs not to be told what is done, for he knows it perfectly; nor needs he be advised concerning what is to be done, for he knows both the right end and the proper means. This is much insisted upon here, because the poor captives had no politicians among them to manage their concerns at court or to put them in a way of gaining their liberty. "No matter," says the prophet, "you have a God to act for you, who needs not the assistance of statesmen." In the great work of our redemption by Christ matters were concerted before the world was, when there was one to teach God in the path of judgment, Co1 2:7.
III.The nations of the world are nothing in comparison of him, Isa 40:15, Isa 40:17.
Take them all together, all the great and mighty nations of the earth, kings the most pompous, kingdoms the most populous, both the most wealthy; take the isles, the multitude of them, the isles of the Gentiles: Before him, when they stand in competition with him or in opposition to him, they are as a drop of the bucket compared with the vast ocean, or the small dust of the balance (which does not serve to turn it, and therefore is not regarded, it is so small) in comparison with all the dust of the earth. He takes them up, and throws them away from him, as a very little thing, not worth speaking of. They are all in his eye as nothing, as if they had no being at all; for they add nothing to his perfection and all-sufficiency. They are counted by him, and are to be counted by us in comparison of him, less than nothing, and vanity. When he pleases, he can as easily bring them all into nothing as at first he brought them out of nothing. When God has work to do he values not either the assistance or the resistance of any creature. They are all vanity; the word that is used for the chaos (Gen 1:2), to which they will at last be reduced. Let this beget in us high thoughts of God and low thoughts of this world, and engage us to make God, and not man, both our fear and our hope. This magnifies God's love to the world, that, though it is of such small account and value with him, yet, for the redemption of it, he gave his only-begotten Son, Joh 3:16.
IV.The services of the church can make no addition to him nor do they bear any proportion to his infinite perfections (Isa 40:16):
Lebanon is not sufficient to burn; not the wood of it, to be for the fuel of the altar, though it be so well stocked with cedars; not the beasts of it, to be for sacrifices, though it be so well stocked with cattle, Isa 40:16. Whatever we honour God with, it falls infinitely short of the merit of his perfection; for he is exalted far above all blessing and praise, all burnt-offerings and sacrifices.
Historical interpretation
Historical Reception
3 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
He teaches, therefore, that all of this service through blood and sacrifice is no longer appropriate for God. Neither someone offering all the four-footed creatures of the earth nor all of Lebanon and all the matter produced in it as sacrifices would be worthy before God. “All the nations are as nothing, and are reckoned as nothing.” What kind of clinging to idolatrous straying did God not know about?
Therefore, it is enough to mention the qualities and substance of the heavens that we find in the writings of Isaiah, who expressed the nature of the celestial sphere in ordinary and familiar language, saying that God has made the heavens firm like smoke, not wanting to reveal its subtle and immaterial nature. And he also speaks of its appearance, saying that God has made the heavens like a vault, within which all things in the sea and on land are enclosed. It is similarly signified when it is read: Because the Lord has stretched out the heavens. For it is extended like a skin to the dwellings and abodes of the saints; or like a book, so that the names of many who have deserved the grace of Christ by faith and devotion may be written, to whom it is said: Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
(Verse 12 and following) Who measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills on a balance? Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or instructed him as his counselor? Whom did he consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding? Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust. And Lebanon is not enough to burn, and its animals are not enough for a burnt offering. All nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him his counsel? Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? Who has shown him the way of justice, and who has taught him knowledge? Behold, all the nations are as a drop in a bucket and are accounted as the dust on the scales. Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor all the animals enough for a burnt offering. All the nations are as nothing in his sight, and they are counted as worthless. Let no one think that the calling of the nations is difficult, and that all flesh will see the salvation of God. They are commanded to climb the high mountain, those who proclaim the good news to Zion; and the Lord himself will come in strength, and will reward each one according to his work; he will gather the lambs in his arms and carry the nursing ewes. His greatness is described, for nothing is impossible for him; and he who has created everything, and is the Creator of all, can accomplish even these things which are small in comparison. But he uses the words and measurements of human custom, that we may learn the power of God through our words. In the place where the Seventy translated: Who has measured the water with his hand? or as we translate: Who has measured the waters with a handful? Aquila translated: Who has measured the waters with the smallest finger? For this word λιχὰς signifies that the vastness of all the waters is weighed not with the whole hand but with the small finger, which is commonly called the taster: but σπιθαμὴ, that is, the palm, signifies the hand stretched out from the thumb to the extreme finger. But if we contract our hand, it becomes a fist, so that through the palm and the fist we might know the outspread heavens and the globe of the earth. For the fist, which they brought over to the comprehension of the earth as seventy, is written in Hebrew Salt (), which Symmachus interprets as threefold and Aquila as three-handed: and to make it more evident, we turn it into three fingers; so that, indeed, the mass of the earth and the lofty mountains and hills seem to hang by means of three little fingers and in a small moment from the balance; whereby the majesty of God and the power of the Creator is demonstrated. Who, he says, aided the spirit of the Lord, or who was his counselor and showed him? etc. For which Symmachus interpreted: Who prepared the spirit of the Lord, and who showed him the man of his counsel? with whom he entered into counsel, and gave him understanding, and taught him the way of judgment, and instructed him in knowledge, and showed him the path of prudence? By which it is shown more clearly that the spirit is prepared or established, of which it is read in the Apostle: But the Lord is the Spirit. And on whom the Spirit of God rested, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, etc. He says in the following: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me: because He has anointed me (Isaiah 61:1). He is truly the Spirit of the Lord and the man of His counsel, in whom the fullness of divinity dwelt bodily (Colossians 2). With Him entered into the counsel, of which we spoke above (Ad 11:6): Wonderful, counselor. And in Proverbs it is written: God by wisdom hath founded the earth, by prudence hath prepared the heavens (Prov. III, 19). Moreover, the LXX said: Who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counseller? They wish to understand that the mind, reason and understanding of God, by whom all things were made and without whom nothing was made, is the one of whom it is sung in the Psalms: By the word of the Lord the heavens were established, and all the power of them by the breath of his mouth (Ps. XXXII, 6). All peoples who did not know their Creator or the whole human race in comparison to God are like a drop from a bucket and like a speck of dust on a scale that tilts lightly to one side. And just as if a small drop falls from a bucket, it is ignored by the one carrying it; so too the entire multitude of nations, compared to the divine ministries and the multitude of angels, is considered as nothing. Even islands are considered like spit, or as Symmachus and Theodotion place it in their Hebrew translation, as 'leptos (a little thing)' which falls off, for which Aquila translated as 'leptos ballōmenon (a tiny thing thrown).' But the Hebrews say that this word signifies the finest dust, which, being carried by the wind, is often thrown into the eyes and is felt rather than seen. Therefore, the tiniest particles of dust, almost invisible, are called by this word: which perhaps Democritus, with his atom, calls them with Epicurus. There are many names which are read (or understood) in Greek in the same way as they are in Hebrew, because of the difficulty of interpretation, and for the comparison of the poverty of the Hebrew language, both in Greek and in Latin speech. At the same time, as he gradually withdraws people from idolatry, he abolishes the ceremonies of sacrifices; and he teaches that all the trees of Lebanon and the cattle that feed on them are not sufficient for his burnt offerings. But if all nations are in his sight as if they were not, and are considered as nothing and empty (though in all nations and in Israel also), therefore he himself is also as if he were not, and is considered as nothing and empty. We say this, so that his pride may be broken, and so that he may know that he is like the other nations.
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Summary
Isaiah 40:15 stands as a profound declaration of God's incomparable majesty and supreme sovereignty over all earthly powers. Through a series of vivid, humbling similes, the prophet Isaiah conveys the utter insignificance of nations, with all their perceived might, influence, and grand designs, when measured against the boundless power and eternal nature of the Creator of the universe. This verse serves as a powerful reminder that human empires are mere trifles, transient and insubstantial, before the Almighty God, who effortlessly controls the vastness of creation and the course of human history.
Context
Literary Context
Isaiah 40 marks a pivotal transition in the book, shifting dramatically from prophecies of judgment and condemnation (chapters 1-39) to a resounding message of comfort, hope, and restoration for Israel, often referred to as the "Book of Comfort" (chapters 40-66). The chapter immediately opens with the tender divine command, "Comfort, comfort my people, saith your God" Isaiah 40:1, setting a tone of profound reassurance amidst the anticipated or ongoing Babylonian exile. Verses 12-14 directly precede our text, establishing an unparalleled portrayal of God's cosmic power, wisdom, and immeasurability as the Creator. These verses pose rhetorical questions that highlight God's unique ability to measure the waters of the sea, mete out the heavens, comprehend the dust of the earth, and instruct His own Spirit. This grand, almost overwhelming, depiction of God's omnipotence and omniscience provides the essential backdrop for the stark contrast presented in Isaiah 40:15, where the perceived vastness and strength of human nations are reduced to utter nothingness in comparison to the Creator's boundless might.
Historical & Cultural Context
The prophecies found in Isaiah 40-66 are primarily addressed to a people either facing the imminent threat of, or already experiencing, the Babylonian exile. This period was one of profound national crisis, displacement, and despair for the Israelites, who had witnessed the rise of mighty empires like Assyria and Babylon. From their perspective, these empires would have seemed overwhelmingly powerful, leading to deep questions about God's power, presence, and faithfulness in the face of such overwhelming human force. In the broader ancient Near Eastern worldview, national deities were often perceived as limited to their specific territories or tied to the military and political strength of their respective nations. Isaiah's message directly challenges this polytheistic and anthropocentric perspective by unequivocally asserting Yahweh's universal and absolute dominion over all nations, including the seemingly invincible Babylonian empire. The vivid imagery of scales, buckets, and dust would have been immediately familiar and deeply impactful to an agrarian and mercantile society, making the metaphors relatable and powerfully conveying the utter lack of weight or substance of human power before the eternal God.
Key Themes
Isaiah 40:15 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes central to Isaiah's prophecy and the broader biblical narrative. Firstly, it underscores Divine Sovereignty, unequivocally asserting God's absolute control and dominion over all nations and the entire course of human history. He is not merely a regional deity, but the supreme ruler of all the earth, capable of raising and lowering empires at will, a truth consistently affirmed throughout the prophetic books (e.g., Daniel 2). Secondly, the verse highlights the Insignificance of Human Power when contrasted with God's omnipotence. By likening nations to a "drop of a bucket" or "small dust of the balance," Isaiah emphasizes the fragility, transience, and ultimate powerlessness of human empires, governments, and their grand designs before the eternal God. This theme is powerfully echoed in passages like Psalm 33:10, which declares, "The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect." Finally, the imagery serves to magnify God's Immeasurable Greatness and transcendence. The declaration that God "taketh up the isles as a very little thing" implies that even vast landmasses and distant, formidable peoples are trivial to Him, inspiring profound awe and worship for His boundless power and majesty (Isaiah 40:22-23).
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This word (H1471) refers primarily to a foreign nation, often implying a Gentile people. It can also be used figuratively to denote a troop of animals or a flight of locusts, emphasizing a collective mass or multitude. In this context, "nations" refers to the collective peoples and political entities of the world, highlighting their foreignness or otherness in relation to Israel, but more significantly, their collective mass, power, and perceived might. The use of "nations" here underscores the global scope of God's dominion, encompassing all human polities and powers, not just one.
This verb (H2803) means to compute, reckon, regard, or think. It implies a mental effort of evaluation, calculation, or estimation. Here, it suggests that when God "counts" or assesses the nations, they are found to be so utterly insignificant that they barely register on the divine scale, akin to an immeasurable speck. It underscores a divine judgment of their true worth, substance, and impact, revealing them as utterly negligible in His sight.
This term (H339) denotes a habitable spot, dry land, a coast, or an island. In ancient Near Eastern thought, "isles" or "coastlands" often represented distant, remote lands or powerful maritime nations, symbolizing the farthest reaches of the known world, beyond the immediate reach of typical empires. By stating that God "taketh up the isles as a very little thing," Isaiah extends God's sovereignty to the most distant, seemingly formidable, and geographically isolated parts of the earth, reinforcing His universal and unchallenged authority over all creation and all peoples.
Verse Breakdown
"Behold, the nations [are] as a drop of a bucket"
This opening clause immediately captures attention with the emphatic interjection "Behold," inviting the listener to consider a stark and humbling comparison. The "nations," representing all human political, military, and economic power, are likened to a "drop of a bucket." This imagery suggests something infinitesimally small and inconsequential, perhaps a single, residual drop clinging to the side of a bucket after it has been emptied, or a solitary drop in an immeasurable body of water. It powerfully conveys the utter insignificance, lack of substance, and fleeting nature of all human power when measured against the divine.
"and are counted as the small dust of the balance"
This second simile reinforces and amplifies the first, providing another vivid picture of extreme lightness and inconsequence. "Small dust of the balance" refers to the fine, almost imperceptible dust that might settle on the pans of a scale. Such dust is so light that it has no bearing whatsoever on the measurement; it adds no discernible weight and makes no difference to the outcome. This emphasizes that when God weighs the nations, they register as having no true weight, substance, or impact in His ultimate plans and purposes, underscoring their utter lack of significance.
"behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing"
The verse concludes with a third powerful image, again prefaced by "behold," drawing attention to God's action. The "isles" (or coastlands), symbolizing vast territories, distant lands, or mighty maritime nations, are depicted as being "taken up" by God "as a very little thing." The verb "taketh up" (H5190, nâṭal') implies lifting, carrying, or imposing with effortless ease. This conveys God's absolute and effortless control and manipulation of even the largest and most formidable human domains and geographical entities, treating them as if they were insignificant, easily portable objects, further magnifying His boundless power and unchallenged sovereignty over all creation.
Literary Devices
Isaiah 40:15 is replete with Simile, a prominent literary device that directly compares two unlike things using "as" or "like" to illuminate a shared quality. The nations are explicitly compared to "a drop of a bucket" and "the small dust of the balance," vividly illustrating their utter insignificance and insubstantiality before God. This is further intensified by Hyperbole, an exaggeration used for emphasis or effect. The prophet exaggerates the nations' lack of substance to underscore God's overwhelming greatness, making the profound point that their power is not just small, but virtually non-existent from the divine perspective. Additionally, there is a subtle yet powerful element of Anthropomorphism in the phrase "he taketh up the isles," attributing human-like action (lifting or carrying) to God. This device makes God's immense, cosmic power more comprehensible and relatable to the human mind, while simultaneously highlighting the effortless ease with which He handles even the most vast and formidable geographical entities and political powers.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Isaiah 40:15 is a cornerstone text for understanding the biblical doctrine of God's absolute sovereignty, not only over creation but specifically over the affairs of humanity and the rise and fall of empires. It profoundly challenges any humanistic worldview that places ultimate trust in political power, military might, or economic strength. Theologically, it asserts that God is truly transcendent, existing above and beyond His creation, yet intimately involved in its governance. His power is not merely greater than human power; it is of an entirely different order, rendering all human might utterly negligible in comparison. This truth provides profound comfort and stability to those who feel overwhelmed by earthly powers, reminding them that their ultimate hope and security rest in the One who holds the nations in His hand. Conversely, it serves as a humbling reminder to nations and their leaders that their authority is delegated, temporary, and ultimately subject to the divine will, accountable to the God who counts them as dust.
Reflection and Application
For the believer, Isaiah 40:15 offers a wellspring of profound comfort and a compelling call to humility and worship. In a world often dominated by political anxieties, economic uncertainties, and the seemingly overwhelming power of global forces, this verse anchors our hope in an unshakeable reality: God is utterly sovereign over all. We are reminded that the grand narratives of human history, with their empires rising and falling, are but fleeting moments in the eternal counsel of God. This liberating truth frees us from the fear of human institutions and encourages us to place our ultimate trust not in the strength of nations or the wisdom of their leaders, but in the One who holds them as nothing. It should also cultivate a deep sense of humility within us, recognizing that if entire nations are but dust before God, how much more insignificant are our individual efforts, ambitions, and pride before the infinite Creator. This realization should not lead to passivity or fatalism, but rather to a renewed commitment to live in humble dependence on Him, to seek His kingdom and righteousness above all else, and to worship Him for His incomparable greatness and unwavering control over all things.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does it mean that "nations are as a drop of a bucket" and "small dust of the balance"?
These are powerful similes used by the prophet Isaiah to illustrate the utter insignificance, lack of substance, and transience of all human nations, their power, and their achievements when compared to the infinite and immeasurable might of God. A "drop of a bucket" suggests something so tiny it barely registers, perhaps a single drop remaining after the bucket is emptied, or one drop in an ocean. "Small dust of the balance" refers to imperceptible dust that might settle on a scale, so light it adds no weight and has no impact on the measurement. Both images convey extreme lightness, inconsequence, and transience, emphasizing that all earthly powers amount to nothing in the sight of the Almighty Creator, especially when contrasted with the cosmic power of God described in the preceding verses of Isaiah 40.
Does this verse imply that human efforts or nations are completely meaningless?
While Isaiah 40:15 strongly emphasizes the relative insignificance of nations compared to God, it does not imply that human efforts or the existence of nations are meaningless in an absolute sense. Rather, it places them in their proper, humble perspective. God often uses nations and human agents, even those unaware of His purposes, to accomplish His divine will (e.g., Isaiah 10:5-7). The meaning and significance derived from human efforts come from their alignment with or submission to God's overarching plan. The primary point of the verse is to humble human pride and instill profound confidence in God's ultimate control, regardless of the apparent strength or weakness of earthly powers. It reminds us that our true hope and security should be placed in God alone, not in fleeting human institutions or achievements.
How does this verse relate to God's justice or judgment of nations?
This verse lays the essential theological groundwork for understanding God's justice and judgment of nations by establishing His absolute and unquestionable authority over them. If nations are as insignificant as dust before Him, then they are certainly accountable to Him and subject to His righteous decrees. The ease with which God "taketh up the isles as a very little thing" implies His effortless ability to raise up or cast down empires according to His sovereign will and moral standards. Throughout the Old Testament, God consistently judges nations for their idolatry, injustice, oppression, and rebellion against His moral law (e.g., Amos 1-2). Isaiah 40:15 provides the fundamental theological foundation for such divine interventions, demonstrating that God is not limited by human power or political boundaries in executing His perfect justice.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Isaiah 40:15, with its awe-inspiring portrayal of God's absolute sovereignty over all nations and the entire created order, finds its ultimate and glorious fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The very God who holds the nations as a "drop of a bucket" is revealed in the Son, who is "the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation" Colossians 1:15. It is through Him that "all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him" Colossians 1:16. Thus, the power to "take up the isles as a very little thing" is not merely an abstract attribute of God, but is perfectly embodied in Jesus, who "upholds the universe by the word of his power" Hebrews 1:3. After His resurrection, Jesus triumphantly declared, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" Matthew 28:18, confirming His rightful and comprehensive dominion over every nation, every earthly power, and every cosmic force. He is the Lamb who was slain, yet also the "King of kings, and Lord of lords" Revelation 19:16, before whom "every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" Philippians 2:10-11. Therefore, the profound comfort offered in Isaiah 40:15 is immeasurably amplified in Christ, for it is His sovereign rule that guarantees the ultimate triumph of God's kingdom and the eventual subjugation of all earthly powers to His divine and righteous will.