# Isaiah 40.21 **Book:** [Isaiah](/codex/isaiah-the-prophet/) · NASB95 ## Immediate context (±2 verses) **ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/)) > 19. The image, a workman hath cast it, and the goldsmith overlayeth it with gold, and casteth for it silver chains. 20. He that is too impoverished for such an oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a skilful workman to set up a graven image, that shall not be moved. > > **21. Have ye not known? have yet not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?** > > 22. It is he that sitteth above the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in; 23. that bringeth princes to nothing; that maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. (Isaiah 40:19-23, ASV) **WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/)) > 19. A workman has cast an image, and the goldsmith overlays it with gold, and casts silver chains for it. 20. He who is too impoverished for such an offering chooses a tree that will not rot. He seeks a skillful workman to set up an engraved image for him that will not be moved. > > **21. Haven’t you known? Haven’t you heard, yet? Haven’t you been told from the beginning? Haven’t you understood from the foundations of the earth?** > > 22. It 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 out like a tent to dwell in; 23. who brings princes to nothing; who makes the judges of the earth like meaningless. (Isaiah 40:19-23, WEB) **KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/)) > 19. The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains. 20. He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved. is so: Heb. is poor of oblation > > **21. 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?** > > 22. It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: It is: or, Him that 23. That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. (Isaiah 40:19-23, KJV) **YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/)) > 19. The graven image poured out hath a artisan, And a refiner with gold spreadeth it over, And chains of silver he is refining. 20. He who is poor [by] heave-offerings, A tree not rotten doth choose, A skilful artisan he seeketh for it, To establish a graven image, not moved. > > **21. Do ye not know, do ye not hear? Hath it not been declared from the first to you? Have ye not understood [From] the foundations of the earth?** > > 22. He who is sitting on the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants [are] as grasshoppers, He who is stretching out as a thin thing the heavens, And spreadeth them as a tent to dwell in. 23. He who is making princes become nothing, Judges of earth as emptiness hath made; (Isaiah 40:19-23, YLT) ## Setting - **Speaker:** _TBD_ - **Audience:** _TBD_ - **Location:** _TBD_ - **Time period:** _TBD_ ## Theological reading _Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added._ ## Key words _Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap._ - _TBD_ - _TBD_ - _TBD_ - _TBD_ ## Quoted in **Arguments and defeaters:** - [Argument from Mathematical Truth](/codex/argument-from-mathematical-truth/), via [Isaiah 40.12-26](/codex/isaiah-40-12-26/) **Concepts:** - [Pantheism](/codex/pantheism/), via [Isaiah 40.12-31](/codex/isaiah-40-12-31/) **Lexicon:** - [H7218 - rosh](/codex/h7218-rosh/) --- _Scripture quotations taken from the **New American Standard Bible®** (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by **The Lockman Foundation**. Used by permission. All rights reserved. [www.lockman.org](https://www.lockman.org)_ ## Why these four translations ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the **most literal English translations available** (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the **public domain in the United States**, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance. The four: - **[ASV](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition. - **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English. - **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base. - **[YLT](/codex/ylt/)** (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff. See [Bibles](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.