English Standard Version
Isaiah 40:23
23who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.
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.
- New King James Version (NKJV)He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless.
- New Living Translation (NLT)He judges the great people of the world and brings them all to nothing.
Context of Isaiah 40:23
21Do 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? 22It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness. 24Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble. 25To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? 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 become fools, and the princes of Memphis are deluded; those who are the cornerstones of her tribes have made Egypt stagger.
- Isaiah 23:9The Lord of hosts has purposed it, to defile the pompous pride of all glory, to dishonor all the honored of the earth.
- Isaiah 24:21On that day the Lord will punish the host of heaven, in heaven, and the kings of the earth, on the earth.
- Job 12:21He pours contempt on princes and loosens the belt of the strong.
- Job 34:19who shows no partiality to princes, nor regards the rich more than the poor, for they are all the work of his hands?
- Psalms 76:12who cuts off the spirit of princes, who is to be feared by the kings of the earth.
- Psalms 107:40he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
- Jeremiah 25:18Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and officials, to make them a desolation and a waste, a hissing and a curse, as at this day;
- Luke 1:52he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;
- Revelation 19:18to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great."
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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