Isaiah 41:24
New International Version
But you are less than nothing and your works are utterly worthless; whoever chooses you is detestable.

New Living Translation
But no! You are less than nothing and can do nothing at all. Those who choose you pollute themselves.

English Standard Version
Behold, you are nothing, and your work is less than nothing; an abomination is he who chooses you.

Berean Standard Bible
Behold, you are nothing and your work is of no value. Anyone who chooses you is detestable.

King James Bible
Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you.

New King James Version
Indeed you are nothing, And your work is nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination.

New American Standard Bible
Behold, you are less than nothing, And your work is less than nothing! He who chooses you is an abomination.

NASB 1995
Behold, you are of no account, And your work amounts to nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination.

NASB 1977
Behold, you are of no account, And your work amounts to nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination.

Legacy Standard Bible
Behold, you are nothing, And your work is non-existent; He who chooses you is an abomination.

Amplified Bible
Hear this! You [idols] are less than nothing, And your work is worthless; The worshiper who chooses you [as a god] is repulsive.

Christian Standard Bible
Look, you are nothing and your work is worthless. Anyone who chooses you is detestable.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Look, you are nothing and your work is worthless. Anyone who chooses you is detestable.”

American Standard Version
Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work is of nought; an abomination is he that chooseth you.

Contemporary English Version
You idols are nothing, and you are powerless. To worship you would be disgusting.

English Revised Version
Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
You are nothing! You can't do anything! Whoever chooses you is disgusting.

Good News Translation
You and all you do are nothing; those who worship you are disgusting!

International Standard Version
"Look! You and your work are less than nothing; whoever finds you pleasing is disgusting."

Majority Standard Bible
Behold, you are nothing and your work is of no value. Anyone who chooses you is detestable.

NET Bible
Look, you are nothing, and your accomplishments are nonexistent; the one who chooses to worship you is disgusting.

New Heart English Bible
Look, you are of nothing, and your work is of nothing. He who chooses you is an abomination.

Webster's Bible Translation
Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of naught: an abomination is he that chooseth you.

World English Bible
Behold, you are nothing, and your work is nothing. He who chooses you is an abomination.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Behold, you [are] of nothing, and your work of nothing, "" An abomination—it fixes on you.

Young's Literal Translation
Lo, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought, An abomination -- it fixeth on you.

Smith's Literal Translation
Behold, ye are from nothing, and your work no more: an abomination he will choose in you.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Behold, you are of nothing, and your work of that which hath no being: he that hath chosen you is an abomination.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Behold, you exist out of nothing, and your work is from what does not exist; he who has chosen you is an abomination.

New American Bible
Why, you are nothing and your work is nought; to choose you is an abomination!

New Revised Standard Version
You, indeed, are nothing and your work is nothing at all; whoever chooses you is an abomination.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Behold, you are nothing, and your works are corrupt; choosing you is an abomination.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Behold, you are nothing, you and your works! From corruption and abomination you are chosen
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Behold, ye are nothing, And your work a thing of nought; An abomination is he that chooseth you.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
whence ye are, and whence is your works: they have chosen you an abomination out of the earth.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Meaningless Idols
23Tell us the things that are to come, so that we may know that you are gods. Yes, do something good or evil, that we may look on together in dismay. 24Behold, you are nothing and your work is of no value. Anyone who chooses you is detestable. 25I have raised up one from the north, and he has come—one from the east who calls on My name. He will march over rulers as if they were mortar, like a potter who treads the clay.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 32:21
They have provoked My jealousy by that which is not God; they have enraged Me with their worthless idols. So I will make them jealous by those who are not a people; I will make them angry by a nation without understanding.

1 Corinthians 8:4-6
So about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world, and that there is no God but one. / For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many so-called gods and lords), / yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we exist. And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we exist.

Jeremiah 10:5
Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, and neither can they do any good.”

Psalm 115:4-8
Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. / They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; / they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; ...

1 Kings 18:21
Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people did not answer a word.

1 Corinthians 10:19-20
Am I suggesting, then, that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? / No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be participants with demons.

Psalm 135:15-18
The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. / They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; / they have ears, but cannot hear; nor is there breath in their mouths. ...

Habakkuk 2:18-19
What use is an idol, that a craftsman should carve it—or an image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. / Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’ or to silent stone, ‘Arise!’ Can it give guidance? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, yet there is no breath in it at all.”

1 Corinthians 1:19-20
For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” / Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

Isaiah 44:9-10
All makers of idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Their witnesses fail to see or comprehend, so they are put to shame. / Who fashions a god or casts an idol which profits him nothing?

Romans 1:21-23
For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. / Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, / and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Jeremiah 2:11
Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But My people have exchanged their Glory for useless idols.

1 Corinthians 3:19-20
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.” / And again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”

Isaiah 46:5-7
To whom will you liken Me or count Me equal? To whom will you compare Me, that we should be alike? / They pour out their bags of gold and weigh out silver on scales; they hire a goldsmith to fashion it into a god, so they can bow down and worship. / They lift it to their shoulder and carry it along; they set it in its place, and there it stands, not budging from that spot. They cry out to it, but it does not answer; it saves no one from his troubles.

Acts 17:29-30
Therefore, being offspring of God, we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by man’s skill and imagination. / Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent.


Treasury of Scripture

Behold, you are of nothing, and your work of nothing: an abomination is he that chooses you.

ye are

Isaiah 41:29
Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing: their molten images are wind and confusion.

Isaiah 44:9,10
They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed…

Psalm 115:8
They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.

of nothing.

Isaiah 66:24
And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

Deuteronomy 7:26
Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.

Deuteronomy 27:15
Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.

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Abomination Account Amounts Chooses Chooseth Detestable Fixeth Foolish Gods Less Naught Nought Utterly Value Work Works Worthless
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Abomination Account Amounts Chooses Chooseth Detestable Fixeth Foolish Gods Less Naught Nought Utterly Value Work Works Worthless
Isaiah 41
1. God expostulates with his people, about his mercies to the church.
10. About his promises
21. And about the vanity of idols.














Behold
This word serves as a call to attention, urging the reader or listener to focus on what follows. In the Hebrew text, the word is "הִנֵּה" (hinneh), which is often used to introduce a significant statement or revelation. It is a divine summons to observe and consider the truth being presented. In the context of Isaiah, it is a reminder of God's authority and the importance of His message.

you are nothing
The phrase underscores the futility and insignificance of idols and false gods. The Hebrew word for "nothing" is "אַיִן" (ayin), which conveys a sense of nonexistence or worthlessness. Historically, this reflects the cultural context of ancient Israel, where idolatry was prevalent. The prophet Isaiah is emphasizing the emptiness of worshiping anything other than the one true God, highlighting the contrast between the living God and lifeless idols.

and your work is of no value
This part of the verse continues the theme of futility, specifically addressing the actions or "work" associated with idol worship. The Hebrew word for "work" is "מַעֲשֶׂה" (ma'aseh), which can refer to deeds, actions, or practices. The phrase "of no value" translates from "אֶפֶס" (efes), meaning zero or nothingness. This is a powerful denunciation of the efforts invested in idolatry, which are ultimately fruitless and devoid of spiritual worth.

Anyone who chooses you
Here, the focus shifts to those who actively decide to follow or worship idols. The Hebrew verb "בָּחַר" (bachar) means to choose or select, indicating a deliberate decision. This choice is portrayed as misguided, as it leads one away from the truth of God. The historical context is crucial, as the Israelites were often tempted by the surrounding nations to adopt their gods and practices.

is detestable
The word "detestable" is translated from the Hebrew "תּוֹעֵבָה" (to'evah), which is often used in the Old Testament to describe something that is abominable or repugnant to God. This strong language reflects God's holiness and the seriousness of idolatry as a sin. It serves as a warning to the Israelites and to all believers about the spiritual danger and moral corruption associated with turning away from God to follow false idols.

(24) Behold, ye are of nothing.--This is the summing up of the prophet, speaking as in the Judge's name. The idol was "nothing in the world" (1Corinthians 8:4). The demonic view of the gods of the heathen does not appear, as in St. Paul's argument (1Corinthians 10:20), side by side with that of their nothingness.

Verse 24. - A pause may be supposed between vers. 23 and 24, during which the idol-gods are given the opportunity of "bringing, forth their strong reasons," and, in one way or other, proving their Divinity. But they are stricken dumb; they say nothing. Accordingly, "judgment goes against them by default" (Cheyne), and Jehovah breaks out upon them with words of contempt and contumely, Behold, ye are of nothing, etc. "Ye are utterly vain and futile."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Behold,
הֵן־ (hên-)
Interjection
Strong's 2005: Lo! behold!

you
אַתֶּ֣ם (’at·tem)
Pronoun - second person masculine plural
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

are nothing
מֵאַ֔יִן (mê·’a·yin)
Preposition-m | Adverb
Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle

and your work
וּפָעָלְכֶ֖ם (ū·p̄ā·‘ā·lə·ḵem)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 6467: Doing, deed, work

is of no value.
מֵאָ֑פַע (mê·’ā·p̄a‘)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 659: A breath, nothing

Anyone who chooses
יִבְחַ֥ר (yiḇ·ḥar)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 977: To try, select

you is detestable.
תּוֹעֵבָ֖ה (tō·w·‘ê·ḇāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8441: Something disgusting, an abhorrence, idolatry, an idol


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 41:24 Behold you are of nothing and your (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 41:23
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