Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible
Isaiah 40:17
Less than nothing. — Literally, as things of nought.
Vanity. — Once more the tohu, or chaos, of Genesis 1:2 — one of Isaiah’s favourite phrases (Isaiah 24:10; Isaiah 29:21; Isaiah 34:11).
Less than nothing. — Literally, as things of nought.
Vanity. — Once more the tohu, or chaos, of Genesis 1:2 — one of Isaiah’s favourite phrases (Isaiah 24:10; Isaiah 29:21; Isaiah 34:11).
ARE AS NOTHING - This expresses literally what had been expressed by the beautiful and striking imagery above. LESS THAN NOTHING - A strong hyperbolic expression denoting the utter insignificance of...
II. THE LATER PROPHECIES OF COMFORT AND GLORY (40-66) Like the first part this second part of Isaiah has three sections. The three sections of the first part revealed the judgments to come upon the Je...
AN EXPANSION OF THE TEXT SUGGESTED IN ISAIAH 40:6. Isaiah 40:12. The Majesty of God, in Whose Eyes the World is Insignificant. God is the Creator, disposing of earth and heaven as very small things. N...
NATIONS. the nations. NOTHING. See note on Isaiah 5:8. Not the same word as in following clause. VANITY. a desolation. Hebrew. _tohu._ Same as "without form" (Genesis 1:2). See note on Isaiah 24:10....
The insignificance of collective humanity before Jehovah. The meditation passes from Nature to History, with the same design of encouraging those who doubted Jehovah's power to save. _a drop of a buc...
_less than nothing_ Better: OF NOUGHT; "belonging to the category of nothingness" (Cheyne). _vanity_ The Hebr. is _tôhû_, a word which means primarily "a waste," and is applied in Genesis 1:2 to the p...
WHO HATH MEASURED THE WATERS, &C.— The prophet here, in the most sublime manner, celebrates the divine majesty and greatness, but particularly his wisdom. Rapt into an extacy, after he had described t...
b. PERCEIVE THE NATURE OF THE LORD TEXT: Isaiah 40:12-26 12 Who hath measured the water in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a me...
All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity. ALL NATIONS BEFORE HIM (ARE) AS NOTHING - (Psalms 62:9; Daniel 4:35.) LESS THAN NOTHING. Maurer t...
40:17 vanity. (a-19) Lit. 'empty' or 'desolate waste;' so also ver. 23 and elsewhere; see ch. 34.11....
ISRAEL'S RESTORATION FROM EXILE IN BABYLON On the authorship and date of these Chapter s see Intro. According to their subject matter, they fall naturally into three divisions of almost equal length...
Neither the political power nor the military power of the greatest of nations means anything to God....
ISAIAH: GOD CONTROLS THE NATIONS GOD PROMISES COMFORT TO HIS PEOPLE ISAIAH CHAPTER S 40 TO 48 _NORMAN HILLYER_ CHAPTER 40 This chapter begins the second half of the Book of Isaiah. • In CHAPTER...
כָּל ־הַ גֹּויִ֖ם כְּ אַ֣יִן נֶגְדֹּ֑ו מֵ
CHAPTER I THE DATE OF Isaiah 40:1; Isaiah 41:1; Isaiah 42:1; Isaiah 43:1;...
CREATOR AND RULER OF ALL THE EARTH Isaiah 40:9-17 Zion is bidden to climb the highest mountain within reach, and announce the advent of the Savior-God. When all eyes are turned to behold Him, expecti...
We now commence the prophecies of peace, which also fall into three divisions, dealing in turn with the purpose of peace (40-48), the Prince of Peace (49-57), the program of peace (58-66). The fist el...
All nations before him [are] as (t) nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity. (t) He speaks all this to the intent that they would neither fear man nor put their trust in an...
Some have thought that the person of God the Father is here spoken of, because the Church is taught to look up to Him with peculiar reverence of character, as the Creator. But, as the church is never...
17._All nations. _He repeats what he had said, that it is in the power and at the disposal of God to destroy “all nations,” whenever he shall think proper; and that, even while they remain in their pr...
The first part of that which might be called the second book of Isaiah extends from chapter 40 to the end of chapter 48. The Messiah is, comparatively speaking, but little introduced here. It is rathe...
ALL NATIONS BEFORE HIM ARE AS NOTHING,.... As if they were nonentities, and were not real beings in comparison of him, who is the Being of beings, the author of all beings which exist in all nations;...
All nations before him [are] as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity. Ver. 17. _All nations before him are as nothing._] _Agnosce ergo virium tuarum_ ουδενειαν. See ther...
_Behold the nations_, &c. As the drop of a bucket is as nothing when compared with the waters of the immense ocean, so all the nations of the world are as nothing when compared with God; _and are coun...
Jehovah the Supreme Ruler. The connection of thought between this section and the foregoing one is this, that the majesty and glory of God over against the idolatry of the heathen nations guarantees...
All nations before Him are as nothing, their entire sum and substance totaling only so much before Him; AND THEY ARE COUNTED TO HIM LESS THAN NOTHING AND VANITY. Therefore the prophet inserts the ques...
12-17 All created beings shrink to nothing in comparison with the Creator. When the Lord, by his Spirit, made the world, none directed his Spirit, or gave advice what to do, or how to do it. The nati...
BEFORE HIM; either in his eyes, or being set against him, as this Hebrew word properly and most usually signifies. COUNTED TO HIM, either in his judgment, or in comparison of him. LESS THAN NOTHING; l...
Isaiah 40:17 nations H1471 counted H2803 (H8738) nothing H657 worthless H8414 as nothing - Job 25:6;...
THE GREATNESS OF GOD PROCLAIMED (ISAIAH 40:12). And He will be able to do it because of His greatness. In this vital passage the greatness of God to do What He declares He will do is now revealed in...
Isaiah 40:1. _Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God._ «They need it, and they shall have it. Mind, O my servants, that you give it to them: Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God...
Isaiah 40:1. _Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem._ The loss of comfort is no small loss. God would have his people happy. They are in the best conditi...
Isaiah 40:1. _Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath recei...
CONTENTS: Joyful prospect given to the people of God of the happiness of coming redemption. Reproof for their despondencies. CHARACTERS: God, Holy Spirit, Isaiah. CONCLUSION: Nothing can be spoken mo...
Isaiah 40:1. _Comfort ye, comfort ye my people._ What a sweet voice is this to the church, after all her long afflictions. The words are doubled, to designate the fulness of comfort in the pardon of s...
_Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of His hand?_ THE GRANDEUR OF GOD The prophet’s notions of God are diffused through all the verses of the text. The prophet’s design in describing the Dei...
ISAIAH—NOTE ON ISAIAH 40:15 A DROP FROM A BUCKET. Israel may think she could never overcome all the NATIONS of mankind, but they are as NOTHING to God....
PART III. ISAIAH'S LATER PROPHECIES (CH. 40-66.). SECTION I. THE PEOPLE OF GOD COMFORTED IN TRIBULATION (Isaiah 40:1.). EXPOSITION...
But he's talking about a whole new message of God for the people as we get into the new covenant of God. And so it is appropriate that this new section of Isaiah begins with the word of the Lord decla...
2 Corinthians 12:11; Daniel 4:34; Daniel 4:35; Job 25:6; Psalms 62:9