Isaiah 40 26

Isaiah 40:26 kjv

Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

Isaiah 40:26 nkjv

Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing.

Isaiah 40:26 niv

Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

Isaiah 40:26 esv

Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing.

Isaiah 40:26 nlt

Look up into the heavens.
Who created all the stars?
He brings them out like an army, one after another,
calling each by its name.
Because of his great power and incomparable strength,
not a single one is missing.

Isaiah 40 verses

Isaiah 40 26 Meaning

Isaiah 40:26 proclaims the incomparable and absolute sovereignty of God as the Creator and Sustainer of the vast celestial bodies. It challenges the observer to acknowledge that the God who intricately governs the number, arrangement, and individual identity of every star, doing so by His sheer, boundless power, is utterly without peer. This declaration serves as a profound comfort and assurance to His people, implying that if God so meticulously cares for the impersonal cosmos, His attentiveness and control over their lives and destinies are certainly unwavering.

Isaiah 40 26 Context

Isaiah 40 inaugurates a new section of comfort and hope for Israel, pivoting from earlier pronouncements of judgment to the promise of restoration and God's incomparable greatness. The audience, largely composed of Judahites exiled in Babylon, felt abandoned and disheartened, questioning God's presence, power, and faithfulness. Babylon itself was a hub of sophisticated astral religion, where celestial bodies were worshipped as deities influencing human fate. This verse directly addresses that spiritual despair and challenges the idolatry of the surrounding culture. Verses 12-25 of chapter 40 emphasize God's vast wisdom, power, and sovereign control over creation, contrasting Him with the feebleness of human rulers and idols. Verse 26, then, specifically calls the disheartened exiles to observe creation and grasp the depth of their God's omnipotence, assuring them that the Lord, who so precisely manages the innumerable stars, is certainly capable of, and committed to, their redemption.

Isaiah 40 26 Word analysis

• Lift up your eyes (שְׂאוּ מָרוֹם - Sə’û marôm): An imperative command, urging the viewer to elevate their gaze and perspective beyond earthly limitations. It implies a conscious act of spiritual and physical looking upwards, away from their current struggles.
• on high (מָרוֹם - marôm): Denotes the vastness and transcendence of the heavens, where God is often metaphorically said to dwell. It sets the scene for perceiving divine glory and power.
• and see (וּרְאוּ - u-rə’û): Another imperative, requiring active contemplation and understanding of what is observed. It's not just a casual glance, but an insight into divine truth.
• Who (מִי - Mî): A rhetorical question, not expecting an answer from the audience, but rather leading them to the undeniable and singular conclusion: Yahweh alone. It underlines the uniqueness of the Creator.
• created (בָּרָא - bārā’): A powerful Hebrew verb often used exclusively for God's act of creating something new, without pre-existing material (ex nihilo), signifying His supreme, absolute creative power. It differentiates divine creation from human "making" or forming.
• these (אֵלֶּה - ’elleh): Refers to the visible celestial bodies – the stars, constellations, and entire cosmos – which were often deified or attributed influence by surrounding pagan cultures.
• He who brings out (הַמּוֹצִיא - hamôtsî’): Describes God's ongoing, active agency. This participle implies a shepherd-like role, leading out a flock, or a military general marshalling an army. It’s a deliberate, organized action.
• their host (צְבָאָם - ṣḇā’ām): Lit. "their army" or "their multitude." Refers to the vast, uncountable array of stars, often personified as a celestial army under divine command, in contrast to the idea of independent deities or forces.
• by number (בְּמִסְפָּר - bəmispar): Highlights God's meticulous knowledge and control. It means each star is accounted for, precisely ordered, and known individually, demonstrating infinite wisdom and sovereign management.
• calling them all (לְכֻלָּם יִקְרָא - l-kullām yiqrā’): Denotes intimate, personal authority. God calls all of them, without exception, reinforcing total command.
• by name (בִּשְׁמוֹת - bišmôt): Signifies ultimate individuality, authority, and possession. To name something in the ancient Near East was to exercise dominion over it and to understand its very essence. God knows each star personally, implying infinite attention to detail and care.
• due to the greatness of His might (מֵרֹב אוֹנִים - mē’ōv ’ônim): Lit. "from the abundance of strong ones" or "from the greatness of [His] vigor/might." Emphasizes that God's power is not just sufficient, but superabundant and inexhaustible. It is the very reason for His seamless command over creation.
• and the strength of His power (וְאַמִּיץ כֹּחַ - wə’ammiṣ koaḥ): Further intensifies the description of God's power. `Koaḥ` (power/force) is made `ammiṣ` (strong/mighty), emphasizing unparalleled and unwavering capability. This is why not one star is lost.
• not one is missing (לֹא נֶעְדָּר - lō’ ne‘dār): Lit. "not one fails" or "not one is absent." It signifies God's perfect control, precision, and preservation. Despite the incomprehensible vastness and multitude, His management is absolute; nothing slips through His grasp.

• "Who created these?": This rhetorical question stands as a direct challenge to any other deity or power, emphatically stating that only the One True God (`Yahweh`) possesses the capability of such creation. It targets the prevailing polytheistic beliefs of Babylon, particularly astral worship, by asserting that the celestial bodies are merely creations, not creators or gods.
• "He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name": This phrase combines the imagery of a meticulous general marshalling an army and a caring shepherd tending his flock. It emphasizes not only God's immense power to control such a vast multitude but also His intimate, precise knowledge and personal care for each element of His creation. This level of detail highlights His transcendent wisdom and omnipotence.
• "due to the greatness of His might and the strength of His power": This redundant yet emphatic phrasing stresses the limitless nature of God's power. It implies that His power is not strained by such an immense task; rather, it is effortless and inexhaustible, forming the foundational reason for the perfect order and absence of loss within creation.
• "not one is missing": This climactic declaration assures complete divine control and preservation. It stands in stark contrast to human fallibility and limitation, asserting that nothing in God's vast creation is beyond His notice or outside of His perfect management. For the exiles, this underscored God's unfailing ability to remember, account for, and preserve them as well.

Isaiah 40 26 Bonus section

The concept of God "calling by name" goes beyond mere enumeration. In ancient Semitic thought, to know and speak a name, especially a new one, signified power, authority, and intimacy. For God to name every single star implies a unique, individual identity given by Him to each, and a deep, personal knowledge and command over its existence and function. This also has strong polemical force against the practice of divination through star charts, which presumed that the stars held inherent power or dictated human fate. Isaiah emphatically refutes this; the stars are merely subjects, meticulously governed servants of the one true God, holding no independent power to influence anything, much less God's sovereign plan for His people.

Isaiah 40 26 Commentary

Isaiah 40:26 is a masterful rhetorical challenge to despair and idolatry, framed as a cosmic object lesson. The command to "lift up your eyes" directs humanity away from earthly troubles to the majestic spectacle of God's handiwork in the heavens. The rhetorical question, "Who created these?", immediately dismantles the foundation of pagan star worship and any notion of independent celestial powers. It then reveals God's continuous and absolute sovereignty: He not only created the vast multitude of stars, but He actively brings them out like a divine shepherd or commander. His knowledge is so profound that He counts each one and even calls them all "by name"—an act of ultimate personal ownership and authority. This entire operation is effortlessly sustained by the boundless "greatness of His might and the strength of His power," ensuring that "not one is missing." The theological punch is profound: if God exerts such meticulous, precise, and effortless control over the infinite and impersonal cosmos, His exiled people, who are objects of His covenant love, can absolutely trust in His unwavering care, power, and faithfulness to restore them, knowing that not one of them will be forgotten or lost.