Isaiah 40:21 kjv
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?
Isaiah 40:21 nkjv
Have 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?
Isaiah 40:21 niv
Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
Isaiah 40:21 esv
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?
Isaiah 40:21 nlt
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?
Isaiah 40 21 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 40:28 | "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom." | Echoes the theme of God's unfathomable understanding. |
| Psa 147:5 | "Great is our Lord and mighty in strength; his understanding has no limit." | Confirms the vastness of God's knowledge. |
| Prov 3:5 | "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding." | Contrasts human reliance with divine wisdom. |
| Rom 11:33 | "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and how inscrutable his ways!" | Directly parallels the concept of God's inscrutable ways and wisdom. |
| 1 Cor 2:16 | "For who has understood the mind of the Lord as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ." | Emphasizes that human minds cannot fully grasp God's, though believers receive Christ's mind. |
| Job 28:28 | "And he said to man, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.'" | Defines true wisdom as fearing and obeying God. |
| Psa 92:5 | "How great are your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep." | Speaks to the depth of God's thoughts and plans. |
| Jer 23:20 | "The anger of the LORD will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the purposes of his heart. In the latter days you will understand this in its fullness." | Foretells a future time of understanding God's purposes. |
| Luke 21:15 | "For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to contradict or resist." | Assures believers will receive divine wisdom in challenging times. |
| Rom 12:3 | "For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned." | Encourages humility in one's own understanding. |
| Acts 1:7 | "He said to them, 'It is not for you to know the times or the seasons that the Father has set by his own authority.'" | Illustrates areas where human knowledge is intentionally withheld by God. |
| Ps 139:17-18 | "How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I were to count them, they would be more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you." | Depicts the immensity of God's thoughts. |
| Eph 3:10 | "so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places." | Points to God's wisdom being revealed progressively through the church. |
| Isa 55:8-9 | "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." | A foundational text on the difference between divine and human perspective. |
| Prov 28:5 | "Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand all things." | Contrasts the understanding of the wicked with those who seek God. |
| Mal 3:16 | "Then those who feared the LORD spoke one to another, and the LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and thought on his name." | Shows God acknowledging and hearing those who respect Him and His ways. |
| Matt 11:27 | "All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." | Highlights the exclusive knowledge between the Father and Son. |
| John 14:6 | "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" | Links true understanding and access to God through Christ. |
| Col 2:3 | "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." | Attributes all true wisdom and knowledge to Christ. |
| Rev 5:12 | "saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!'" | Acclaims Christ for divine wisdom. |
Isaiah 40 verses
Isaiah 40 21 Meaning
This verse highlights humanity's inherent inability to comprehend or chart the immense wisdom and plan of God. It underscores that even those considered wise by human standards are ultimately without true understanding of the Creator's deep knowledge.
Isaiah 40 21 Context
This verse is found in Isaiah chapter 40, a section of prophetic literature that transitions from judgment to comfort and restoration for the people of Judah after their exile in Babylon. Chapter 40 particularly emphasizes God's supreme power and sovereignty over all creation, contrasting His might with the helplessness of idols. The verses surrounding verse 21 speak of God as the creator of the heavens and the earth, an everlasting God who does not faint or grow weary. This context sets the stage for the statement that His understanding cannot be searched out, presenting it as a testament to His divine transcendence. The historical backdrop is a period when the Israelites needed reassurance of God's plan and power, especially in contrast to the gods of their captors.
Isaiah 40 21 Word Analysis
- הֲ֝גַד, transliterated as hă-ḡăd
- From the root gadad (גָּדַד), meaning to cut off, to divide, to plot, to be cunning, to plan. In this context, it relates to deep calculation or forethought.
- The infinitive construct form is often translated as "to search out," "to inquire," or "to make inquiry."
- It implies a systematic and thorough investigation, seeking to uncover or understand something deeply.
- ל֗וֹ transliterated as lō
- A possessive pronoun meaning "his."
- יוֹדֵֽעַ transliterated as yō·wḏê‘
- From the root yada‘ (יָדַע), meaning to know, to be acquainted with, to perceive, to understand.
- It is in the Hiphil participle, indicating an active state of knowing or having knowledge.
- תְּבוּנָֽה transliterated as tə·ḇū·nā
- From the root bîn (בִּין), meaning to understand, to discern, to distinguish.
- It signifies comprehension, insight, prudence, and understanding. It’s not just knowledge, but the ability to discern and make sense of things.
Words-group by Words-group Analysis:
- הֲגַד ל֗וֹ יוֹדֵֽעַ: "has he searched his understanding."
- This phrase is interrogative, asking if anyone has undertaken to search out God's understanding.
- The grammar implies that the action of "searching out" (hăḡad) has been performed by someone (who) in relation to God's understanding (lō yōdê‘).
- יְסַד־ transliterated as yə·sadd
- From the root yasad (יָסַד), meaning to found, to lay a foundation, to establish.
- The Qal perfect third person masculine singular form.
- אֶ֫ת־ transliterated as ’eṯ
- A preposition often translated as "with" or an objective marker.
- הוּא transliterated as hū
- Third person masculine singular pronoun, meaning "he" (referring to the LORD).
- יְסַד־אֶת־ה֗וּא: "has he established him/it."
- This is part of a larger sentence construction that sets up a contrast. It is asking if anyone has the ability to "establish" or set a course for God.
- The construction here is challenging to translate concisely word-for-word in isolation without the full context of the prior clause in some versions. The Hebrew suggests the question is about whether humans have "laid a foundation for Him" or "decreed concerning Him," implying humans attempting to control or dictate to God.
Isaiah 40 21 Bonus Section
The rhetorical questions in Isaiah 40, including verse 21, serve to powerfully contrast God's infinite nature with the limited and manufactured nature of idols. Idols required human understanding to be created and moved; God’s existence and knowledge are inherent and vast. The inability to search out God’s understanding underscores the theme that revelation of God comes from Him, not from human inquiry or philosophy alone. True knowledge of God is a gift received through His self-disclosure, particularly in His Word and ultimately in Jesus Christ, who is the very Wisdom of God made manifest. The passage strongly implies that our role is not to dissect God, but to acknowledge His supremacy and trust His leading.
Isaiah 40 21 Commentary
Isaiah 40:21 declares that no human, regardless of their intellect or perceived wisdom, can truly fathom the depth of God's understanding. It emphasizes His absolute transcendence. The verse challenges any notion of human self-sufficiency in comprehending divine plans. The message is that God's knowledge is infinite, His thoughts immeasurable. True wisdom, therefore, is found not in humanistic intellect or reasoning, but in acknowledging and submitting to God's supreme, unsearchable mind. This foundational truth reassures the exiled Israelites that God is in control, even when His ways are mysterious. It’s an invitation to trust in His unfathomable wisdom rather than to try to understand it all on human terms.