Isaiah 40:15
New International Version
Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.

New Living Translation
No, for all the nations of the world are but a drop in the bucket. They are nothing more than dust on the scales. He picks up the whole earth as though it were a grain of sand.

English Standard Version
Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust.

Berean Standard Bible
Surely 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.

King James Bible
Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.

New King James Version
Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket, And are counted as the small dust on the scales; Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.

New American Standard Bible
Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.

NASB 1995
Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.

NASB 1977
Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.

Legacy Standard Bible
Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are counted as a speck of dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the coastlands like fine dust.

Amplified Bible
In fact, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; Now look, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.

Christian Standard Bible
Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are considered as a speck of dust on the scales; he lifts up the islands like fine dust.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are considered as a speck of dust in the scales; He lifts up the islands like fine dust.

American Standard Version
Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are accounted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.

Contemporary English Version
To the LORD, all nations are merely a drop in a bucket or dust on balance scales; all of the islands are but a handful of sand.

English Revised Version
Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The nations are like a drop in a bucket and are considered to be like dust on a scale. The weight of the islands is like fine dust.

Good News Translation
To the LORD the nations are nothing, no more than a drop of water; the distant islands are as light as dust.

International Standard Version
"Look! The nations are like a drop in a bucket, and are reckoned as dust on the scales. Look! He even lifts up the islands like powder!

Majority Standard Bible
Surely 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.

NET Bible
Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales. He lifts the coastlands as if they were dust.

New Heart English Bible
Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on a balance. Look, he lifts up the islands like a very little thing.

Webster's Bible Translation
Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.

World English Bible
Behold, the nations are like a drop in a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on a balance. Behold, he lifts up the islands like a very little thing.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Behold, nations [are] as a drop from a bucket, "" And have been reckoned as small dust of the balance, "" Behold, He takes up islands as a small thing.

Young's Literal Translation
Lo, nations as a drop from a bucket, And as small dust of the balance, have been reckoned, Lo, isles as a small thing He taketh up.

Smith's Literal Translation
Behold, the nations as a drop from a bucket; they were reckoned as the fine dust of the scales: behold, he will cast down the isles as small dust.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Behold the Gentiles are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the smallest grain of a balance: behold the islands are as a little dust.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Behold, the nations are like a drop of water in a bucket, and they are considered as the smallest grain on a balance. Behold, the islands are like a little dust.

New American Bible
See, the nations count as a drop in the bucket, as a wisp of cloud on the scales; the coastlands weigh no more than a speck.

New Revised Standard Version
Even the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as dust on the scales; see, he takes up the isles like fine dust.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Behold, the nations are like a drop out of a bucket, and are counted as the dipping of the balance; behold, the isles shall be cast away like fine dust.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Behold, the nations shall be cast off like a drop from a pot and like the tipping of a balance, and the islands like the dust
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, And are counted as the small dust of the balance; Behold the isles are as a mote in weight.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
since all the nations are counted as a drop from a bucket, and as the turning of a balance, and shall be counted as spittle?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Here is Your God!
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.…

Cross References
Psalm 2:1-4
Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? / The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One: / “Let us break Their chains and cast away Their cords.” ...

Job 12:23
He makes nations great and destroys them; He enlarges nations, then disperses them.

Daniel 4:35
All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’”

Psalm 46:6
Nations rage, kingdoms crumble; the earth melts when He lifts His voice.

Psalm 62:9
Lowborn men are but a vapor; the exalted are but a lie. Weighed on the scale, they go up; together they are but a vapor.

Job 34:14-15
If He were to set His heart to it and withdraw His Spirit and breath, / all flesh would perish together and mankind would return to the dust.

Jeremiah 10:10
But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and eternal King. The earth quakes at His wrath, and the nations cannot endure His indignation.

Psalm 33:8-9
Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere Him. / For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm.

2 Chronicles 20:6
and said, “O LORD, God of our fathers, are You not the God who is in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can stand against You.

Ezekiel 38:23
I will magnify and sanctify Myself, and I will reveal Myself in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.

Psalm 103:15-16
As for man, his days are like grass—he blooms like a flower of the field; / when the wind passes over, it vanishes, and its place remembers it no more.

Job 25:6
how much less man, who is but a maggot, and the son of man, who is but a worm!”

Psalm 39:5
You, indeed, have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing before You. Truly each man at his best exists as but a breath. Selah

1 Peter 1:24
For, “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,

James 4:14
You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.


Treasury of Scripture

Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he takes up the isles as a very little thing.

the nations

Isaiah 38:22
Hezekiah also had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?

Job 34:14,15
If he set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath; …

Jeremiah 10:10
But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.

the isles

Isaiah 11:11
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

Isaiah 41:5
The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.

Isaiah 59:18
According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.

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Accounted Balance Counted Drop Dust Esteemed Fine Islands Isles Lifts Mote Nations Reckoned Regarded Scales Small Speck Surely Weighs Weight
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Accounted Balance Counted Drop Dust Esteemed Fine Islands Isles Lifts Mote Nations Reckoned Regarded Scales Small Speck Surely Weighs Weight
Isaiah 40
1. The promulgation of the Gospel
3. The preaching of John Baptist foretold
9. The preaching of the apostles foretold
12. The prophet, by the omnipotence of God
18. And his incomparableness
26. Comforts the people.














Surely the nations
The Hebrew word for "nations" is "goyim," which often refers to Gentile nations or peoples distinct from Israel. In the context of Isaiah, this term underscores the vastness and diversity of the world outside of God's chosen people. Historically, the nations surrounding Israel were often seen as powerful and threatening. Yet, this phrase sets the stage for a divine perspective that diminishes their perceived might.

are like a drop in a bucket
This simile emphasizes insignificance. A single drop in a bucket is negligible, almost unnoticeable. The imagery suggests that, in comparison to God's infinite power and majesty, even the collective might of all nations is trivial. This perspective is meant to inspire awe and trust in God's sovereignty, reminding believers that worldly powers are ultimately inconsequential in the divine plan.

they are regarded as dust on the scales
In ancient times, scales were used for measuring weight, and dust would not affect the balance. The phrase "dust on the scales" further illustrates the insignificance of the nations in God's eyes. This metaphor reassures believers that God's judgments and actions are not swayed by human power or influence. It is a call to trust in God's ultimate authority and justice.

He lifts up the islands
The term "islands" can be understood as remote or distant lands, often seen as the farthest reaches of the known world. The Hebrew word "iyim" can also mean coastlands. This phrase highlights God's omnipotence, as He can effortlessly elevate entire regions. It serves as a reminder of God's control over all creation, no matter how distant or isolated.

like fine dust
"Fine dust" conveys the idea of something that is easily scattered and dispersed. In the context of God's power, even the most remote and seemingly stable parts of the earth are as transient and insubstantial as dust. This imagery reinforces the theme of God's supreme authority over all the earth, encouraging believers to place their confidence in Him rather than in earthly powers.

(15) The nations are as a drop . . .--"Nations" and "isles" bring us into the region of human history, as distinct from that of the material world. "Isles" as elsewhere, stands vaguely for far-off lands, or sea-coasts. The word is that of one who looks on the Mediterranean, and thinks of the unexplored regions that lie in it and around. It is one of Isaiah's favourite words in this aspect of its meaning.

A drop of a bucket.--Better, on a bucket. Such a drop adds nothing to the weight which the bearer feels; as little do the nations and the isles to the burden which Jehovah bears. The "small dust in the balance" presents another illustration of the same idea.

Verse 15. - Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket. "From nature," as Mr. Cheyne says, "we pass to history." If God is so great, so apart and by himself in relation to the material universe, what is he in relation to man? What are nations, compared to him, but "as a drop from a bucket," which drips from it, and is of no account? What are they, but as the small dust of the balance, which lies on it but does not disturb its equilibrium? They are absolutely "as nothing" (ver. 17) - vanity and emptiness, He taketh up the isles as a very little thing; literally, he taketh up islands, or perhaps lands generally. As he weighs mountains and hills in his balance (ver. 15), so he can take up in his own hands "lands," or "countries" (Cheyne), with all their inhabitants, and do with them as seemeth him good. They are no burden to him.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Surely
הֵ֤ן (hên)
Interjection
Strong's 2005: Lo! behold!

the nations
גּוֹיִם֙ (gō·w·yim)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1471: A foreign nation, a Gentile, a troop of animals, a flight of locusts

are like a drop
כְּמַ֣ר (kə·mar)
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4752: A drop

in a bucket;
מִדְּלִ֔י (mid·də·lî)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1805: A pail, jar

they are considered
נֶחְשָׁ֑בוּ (neḥ·šā·ḇū)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 2803: To think, account

a speck of dust
וּכְשַׁ֥חַק (ū·ḵə·ša·ḥaq)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7834: A powder, a thin vapor, the firmament

on the scales;
מֹאזְנַ֖יִם (mō·zə·na·yim)
Noun - md
Strong's 3976: A pair of scales

He lifts up
יִטּֽוֹל׃ (yiṭ·ṭō·wl)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5190: To lift, to impose

the islands
אִיִּ֖ים (’î·yîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 339: A habitable spot, dry land, a coast, an island

like fine dust.
כַּדַּ֥ק (kad·daq)
Preposition-k, Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 1851: Crushed, small, thin


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 40:15 Behold the nations are like a drop (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 40:14
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