Isaiah 40:12-31 - Heartlight

¹²Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,

or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand?

Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,

or weighed the mountains on a scale

and the hills with a balance?

¹³Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD,

or informed Him as His counselor?

¹⁴Whom did He consult to enlighten Him,

and who taught Him the paths of justice?

Who imparted knowledge to Him

and showed Him the way of understanding?

¹⁵Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;

they are considered a speck of dust on the scales;

He lifts up the islands like fine dust.

¹⁶Lebanon is not sufficient for fuel,

nor its animals enough for a burnt offering.

¹⁷All the nations are as nothing before Him;

He regards them as nothingness and emptiness.

¹⁸To whom will you liken God?

To what image will you compare Him?

¹⁹To an idol that a craftsman casts

and a metalworker overlays with gold

and fits with silver chains?

²⁰To one bereft of an offering

who chooses wood that will not rot,

who seeks a skilled craftsman

to set up an idol that will not topple?

²¹Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

Has it not been declared to you from the beginning?

Have you not understood since the foundation of the earth?

²²He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth;

its dwellers are like grasshoppers.

He stretches out the heavens like a curtain,

and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

²³He brings the princes to nothing

and makes the rulers of the earth meaningless.

²⁴No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown,

no sooner have their stems taken root in the ground,

than He blows on them and they wither,

and a whirlwind sweeps them away like stubble.

²⁵“To whom will you liken Me,

or who is My equal?” asks the Holy One.

²⁶Lift up your eyes on high:

Who created all these?

He leads forth the starry host by number;

He calls each one by name.

Because of His great power and mighty strength,

not one of them is missing.

²⁷Why do you say, O Jacob,

and why do you assert, O Israel,

“My way is hidden from the LORD,

and my claim is ignored by my God”?

²⁸Do 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;

His understanding is beyond searching out.

²⁹He gives power to the faint

and increases the strength of the weak.

³⁰Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall.

³¹But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength;

they will mount up with wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not faint.

— Isaiah 40:12-31

(BSB)

Related Resources from Heartlight

There are 11 resources related to this passage:

He gives strength to the weary and...

Illustration of Isaiah 40:28-29

Illustration of Isaiah 40:28-29 -- 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. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

They will soar on wings like eagles;...

Illustration of Isaiah 40:30-31

Illustration of Isaiah 40:30-31 -- Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Does He Need our Instruction?

Illustration of Isaiah 40:13-14

Illustration of Isaiah 40:13-14 -- [To whom can you compare God?] Who is able to advise the Spirit of the LORD? Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him? Has the LORD ever needed anyone's advice? Does he need instruction about what is good? Did someone teach him what is right or show him the path of justice?

He Never Grows Weak or Weary

Illustration of Isaiah 40:28-29

Illustration of Isaiah 40:28-29 -- Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.

Who is My Equal?

Illustration of Isaiah 40:25-26

Illustration of Isaiah 40:25-26 -- "To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?" asks the Holy One. 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.

...but those who hope in the LORD will...

Illustration of Isaiah 40:31

Illustration of Isaiah 40:31 -- ...but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

He gives strength to the weary and...

Illustration of Isaiah 40:29

Illustration of Isaiah 40:29 -- He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Only the LORD can give this strength!

Illustration of Isaiah 40:29

Inspirational illustration of Isaiah 40:29 -- 29 He gives strength to the wearyand increases the power of the weak.

Soar on Wings like Eagles

Illustration of Isaiah 40:31

Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles. - Isaiah 40:31

Those who hope in the Lord will renew...

Illustration of Isaiah 40:31

Illustration of Isaiah 40:31 -- Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and will not be faint.

Who Else?

Illustration of Isaiah 40:12

Illustration of Isaiah 40:12 -- [To whom can you compare God?] Who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?

Cross References for Isaiah 40:12-31

Cross References Provided by Open Bible

The Berean Standard Bible

The Berean Standard Bible (BSB) is a modern, clear, and faithful translation based on the best available Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. Ideal for reading, study, and sharing, it entered the public domain in 2023. For more information, visit berean.bible.