Isaiah 40:25

To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Benson Commentary

Isaiah 40:25-26. To whom then will ye liken me — He repeats what he said Isaiah 40:18, that he might oblige them to the more serious and frequent consideration of the absurdity of idolatry. Lift up your eyes on high — To the high and starry heaven, as appears from the following words. Who created these things — Which you see on high? The host of heaven, as it follows. That bringeth out their host — That at first brought them out of nothing, and from day to day brings them forth, making them to rise and set in their appointed times; by number — As a general brings forth his army into the field, and there musters them. He calleth them all by names — As a master calleth all the members of his family. For that he is strong — Which work is a certain and evident proof of God’s infinite power; not one faileth — Either to appear when he calls them, or to do the work to which he sends them.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

40:18-26 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, are willingly ignorant. God has the command of all creatures, and of all created things. The prophet directs us to use our reason as well as our senses; to consider who created the hosts of heaven, and to pay our homage to Him. Not one fails to fulfil his will. And let us not forget, that He spake all the promises, and engaged to perform them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

To whom then will ye liken me? - (See Isaiah 40:18) The prophet having thus set forth the majesty and glory of God, asks now with great emphasis, what could be an adequate and proper representation of such a God. And if God was such a Being, how great was the folly of idolatry, and how vain all their confidence in the gods which their own hands had made.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

25. (Compare Isa 40:18).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

He repeateth what he said Isaiah 40:18, that he might oblige them to the more serious and frequent consideration of the absurdity of the idolatry.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal, saith the Holy One? Or be upon a level with? since the greatest of men on earth are brought to nothing by him, and are no more: this is repeated from Isaiah 40:18 and supported with fresh strength of argument, to show that there is nothing whatever, that is a fit likeness and similitude, by which to represent the Lord.

Geneva Study Bible

To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

25. To whom then] Exactly as in Isaiah 40:18, and following a similar idea.

or shall I be equal?] Or, as R.V., “that I should be equal to him?”

the Holy One] Qâdôsh, without the art., almost like a proper name. So Job 6:10; Habakkuk 3:3, and perhaps Psalm 22:3.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 25. - To whom then, etc.? This is a summary, to conclude the section (vers. 19-24), as ver. 18 concludes the preceding one. If God is paramount over idols (vers. 19, 20) and over nature (ver. 22) and over humanity (vers. 23, 24), to whom can he be likened? Is he not altogether unique and incomparable? Saith the Holy One (comp. Isaiah 57:15). Isaiah's special designation of God, at once pregnant and almost peculiar (see the comment on ch. 1:4), is "the Holy One of Israel." This is, here and in Isaiah 57:15, abbreviated. Isaiah 40:25

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The thought of Isaiah 40:18 now recurs like a refrain, a conclusion being appended to the premises by means of ו, as was the case there. "And to whom will ye compare me, to whom I can be equal? saith the Holy One." Not haqqâdōsh, because a poetical or oratorical style omits the article wherever it can be dispensed with. The Holy One asks this, and can ask it, because as such He is also exalted above the whole world (Job 15:15; Job 25:5).