Isaiah 40 15

Isaiah 40:15 kjv

Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.

Isaiah 40:15 nkjv

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.

Isaiah 40:15 niv

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.

Isaiah 40:15 esv

Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust.

Isaiah 40:15 nlt

No, for all the nations of the world
are but a drop in the bucket.
They are nothing more
than dust on the scales.
He picks up the whole earth
as though it were a grain of sand.

Isaiah 40 verses

Isaiah 40 15 Meaning

Isaiah 40:15 profoundly asserts God's absolute sovereignty and immeasurable greatness by contrasting Him with all the nations of the earth. From God's perspective, the combined might, multitude, and significance of every human kingdom and people are rendered utterly trivial and inconsequential, likened to a mere drop from a bucket or invisible dust on a weighing scale. This imagery vividly portrays that no earthly power can challenge or even register on the same level as the Almighty Creator.

Isaiah 40 15 Context

Isaiah 40 marks a significant turning point in the Book of Isaiah, moving from prophecies of judgment against Judah and surrounding nations to a profound message of comfort and hope for Israel during their impending Babylonian exile. It begins what scholars often refer to as the "Book of Comfort" (Chapters 40-55). This verse is part of a larger, eloquent discourse (Isa 40:12-26) aimed at exalting God’s incomparable majesty and power, specifically against the backdrop of seemingly overwhelming earthly empires and the seductive idols of Babylon. The Judean exiles, faced with the crushing power of the Babylonian Empire and possibly questioning God's ability to deliver them, are reminded that the One who brought the universe into existence sees all human power as utterly negligible. This powerful declaration reassures the suffering exiles that the God of Israel is incomparably greater than all the nations and their gods, and He alone controls history. It also contains polemical undertones against the polytheism and imperial pride prevalent among the contemporary nations, emphasizing that their perceived strength is a mirage compared to the Lord's absolute reality.

Isaiah 40 15 Word analysis

• Behold: (Hebrew: hinnēh, הִנֵּה) An emphatic interjection drawing immediate and focused attention to the extraordinary revelation that follows. It signals a pronouncement of profound significance.
• the nations: (Hebrew: goyim, גּוֹיִם) Refers universally to all Gentile peoples, kingdoms, and political entities outside of Israel. Often, these were seen as powerful, self-sufficient, and often hostile, making their depiction here even more striking.
• are: Simple linking verb, indicating the nature or status of the nations.
• as a drop from a bucket: (Hebrew: kəmid-dᵊli, כְּמִדְּלִי) This phrase combines kə (as/like) and dᵊli (bucket), with mid- functioning as "from". It portrays extreme smallness, an almost unquantifiable, negligible amount from a larger container. Easily overlooked, removed, or dried up, representing utter insignificance.
• and counted as the small dust: (Hebrew: wəḵəsaḥaq, וּכְשַׁחַק) wəḵə (and as), saḥaq (dust, fine particles, pulverized). This imagery emphasizes weightlessness, lack of substance, something so light it does not register on a scale or can be effortlessly blown away.
• on the scales: (Hebrew: mō’znayiṁ, מֹאזְנַיִם) Implements used for weighing, signifying measurement, value, or judgment. The dust registers no weight, having no material worth or impact.
• Look: (Hebrew: hēn, הֵן) Another vocative particle, reiterating the call to observe. It serves to reinforce the statement's profound importance and calls for attentive reception.
• He lifts: (Hebrew: yiṭṭōwl, יִטּוֹל) The active verb implies God's effortless action – to take up, lift up, or even simply to handle something. It shows His complete command and control without struggle.
• the isles: (Hebrew: iyyîm, אִיִּים) Refers to coastlands, distant lands, or islands, which in ancient Near Eastern thought often represented the farthest reaches of the known world and home to powerful maritime trading nations. This encompasses the entirety and remoteness of earthly power, making them stand for even the grandest of human empires.
• as fine dust: (Hebrew: kaddāq, כַּדָּק) Similar to saḥaq, but dāq specifically emphasizes the fineness or thinness of the dust. This intensifies the image of something unsubstantial, easily dispersed, and completely lacking any mass or resistance.

Words-group analysis

• Behold, the nations are as a drop from a bucket and counted as the small dust on the scales: This opening assertion presents a double simile, using both liquid and solid imagery to convey absolute worthlessness and insignificance. The goyim, mighty as they may appear, collectively possess no more impact on God than a lost water drop or an unmeasurable speck of dust. This conveys their complete nullity in divine reckoning.
• Look, He lifts the isles as fine dust: This phrase serves as an emphatic reiteration and expansion of the preceding idea. The "isles," symbolizing the grandest, remotest, and most established human powers, are presented as objects that God effortlessly manipulates. "Lifts" suggests no strain or effort; He doesn't merely disregard them, but can pick them up and dispose of them like weightless particles. This underscores God's total and easy mastery over all earthly forces.

Isaiah 40 15 Bonus section

The hyperbole employed in this verse is not an exaggeration meant to mislead, but rather a literary device known as adiaphora, designed to articulate a truth so profound it lies beyond typical human descriptive capability. It reveals God's utterly transcendent nature—His absolute separation and superiority over His creation, emphasizing that He is completely independent and unconstrained by anything within the created order. This concept of God's incomparability is a recurring theme throughout Isaiah 40-48, establishing His uniqueness as the one true God over all pagan deities and human ideologies. Furthermore, the use of "scales" might subtly connect to themes of divine judgment, implying that when the nations are weighed against God's standards or power, they possess no merit or substance.

Isaiah 40 15 Commentary

Isaiah 40:15 delivers a stunning revelation of God's transcendent nature. In an era where vast empires like Babylon seemed invincible, Isaiah's prophecy assures God's people that their oppressors, along with all other nations, possess no ultimate power or substance compared to the Lord. The imagery is profoundly effective: a single drop from a large container is utterly unquantifiable, and fine dust on scales is weightless. These metaphors declare that humanity's greatest achievements, its mightiest armies, its most influential leaders, and its entire population collectively amount to absolute zero in the sight of the Eternal One. God is not merely stronger than nations; they simply do not register on His scale of power and importance. This provides immense comfort to the afflicted and humbles human pride, compelling believers to trust only in the incomparable God who effortlessly orchestrates global affairs.