Amplified Bible
Isaiah 40:23
23It is He who reduces dignitaries to nothing, Who makes the judges (rulers) of the earth meaningless (useless).
Isaiah 40:23 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.
- New International Version (NIV)He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
- English Standard Version (ESV)who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.
- New King James Version (NKJV)He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless.
Context of Isaiah 40:23
21Do you [who worship idols] not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth [the omnipotence of God and the stupidity of bowing to idols]? 22It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; [It is He] who stretches out the heavens like a veil And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. It is He who reduces dignitaries to nothing, Who makes the judges (rulers) of the earth meaningless (useless). 24Scarcely have they been planted, Scarcely have they been sown, Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, But He merely blows on them, and they wither, And a strong wind carries them away like stubble. 25“To whom then will you compare Me That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.
Read all of Isaiah 40Isaiah 40:23 word by word
הַנּוֹתֵ֥ן רוֹזְנִ֖ים לְאָ֑יִן שֹׁ֥פְטֵי אֶ֖רֶץ כַּתֹּ֥הוּ עָשָֽׂה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Isaiah 40:23
- Isaiah 19:13The princes of Zoan have acted like fools, The princes of Memphis are deluded [and entertain false hope]; Those who are the cornerstone of her tribes Have led Egypt astray.
- Isaiah 23:9The Lord of hosts has planned it, to defile the pride of all beauty, To bring into contempt and humiliation all the honored of the earth.
- Isaiah 24:21So it will happen in that day That the Lord will visit and punish the host (fallen angels) of heaven on high, And the kings of the earth on the earth.
- Job 12:21He pours contempt on princes and nobles And loosens the belt of the strong [disabling them].
- Job 34:19Who is not partial to princes, Nor does He regard the rich above the poor, For they all are the work of His hands.
- Psalms 76:12He will cut off the spirit of princes; He is awesome and feared by the kings of the earth.
- Psalms 107:40He pours contempt on princes And makes them wander in a pathless wasteland.
- Jeremiah 25:18Jerusalem and the cities of Judah [being most guilty because their privileges were greatest], its kings and princes, to make them a horror, a ruin, a hissing and a curse, as it is to this day;
- Luke 1:52He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And exalted those who were humble.
- Revelation 19:18so that you may feast on the flesh of kings, the flesh of commanders, the flesh of powerful and mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all humanity, both free men and slaves, both small and great [in a complete conquest of evil].”
Commentaries on Isaiah 40:23
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23That bringeth the princes to nothing - That is, all princes and kings. No matter how great their power, their wealth, and their dignity, they are, by his hand, reduced to nothing before him. The design of this passage is to contrast the majesty of God with that of princes and nobles, and to show how far he excels them all. The general truth is therefore stated, that all monarchs are by him removed from their thrones, and consigned to nothing. The same…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 18-26Verses 18-26 Whatever we esteem or love, fear or hope in, more than God, that creature we make equal with God, though we do not make images or worship them. He that is so poor, that he has scarcely a sacrifice to offer, yet will not be without a god of his own. They spared no cost upon their idols; we grudge what is spent in the service of our God. To prove the greatness of God, the prophet appeals to all ages and nations. Those who are ignorant of this…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 23princes: God is not impressed by human power or fame. Human strength and reputation do not change who God is.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2323. (Psa 107:4; Da 2:21). judges--that is, rulers; for these exercised judicial authority (Psa 2:10). The Hebrew, shophtee, answers to the Carthaginian chief magistrates, suffetes.Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 40:23
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 40
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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