Isaiah 40:17

Brenton's Septuagint

and all the nations are as nothing, and counted as nothing.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
All the nations are as nothing before him;they are considered by himas empty nothingness.

Hebrew Names Version
All the nations are as nothing before him; they are accounted by him as less than nothing, and vanity.

King James Version
All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

English Standard Version
All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.

New American Standard Bible
All the nations are as nothing before Him, They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless.

New Century Version
Compared to the Lord all the nations are worth nothing; to him they are less than nothing.

Amplified Bible
All the nations are as nothing before Him, They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless.

World English Bible
All the nations are as nothing before him; they are accounted by him as less than nothing, and vanity.

Geneva Bible (1587)
All nations before him are as nothing, and they are counted to him, lesse then nothing, and vanitie.

Legacy Standard Bible
All the nations are as nothing before Him;They are counted by Him as non‑existent and utterly formless.

Berean Standard Bible
All the nations are as nothing before Him; He regards them as nothingness and emptiness.

Contemporary English Version
God thinks of the nations as far less than nothing.

Complete Jewish Bible
Before him all the nations are like nothing. He regards them as less than nothing.

Darby Translation
All the nations are as nothing before him; they are esteemed by him less than a cipher, and vanity.

Easy-to-Read Version
Compared to God, all the nations of the world are nothing. Compared to him, they are worth nothing at all.

George Lamsa Translation
All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him for destruction and the sword.

Good News Translation
The nations are nothing at all to him.

Lexham English Bible
All the nations are like nothing before him; they are counted by him as nothing and emptiness.

Literal Translation
All the nations are as nothing before Him; to Him they are reckoned less than nothing and emptiness.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
All people in comparison of him, are rekened, as nothinge, yee vayne vanite and emptynesse.

American Standard Version
All the nations are as nothing before him; they are accounted by him as less than nothing, and vanity.

Bible in Basic English
All the nations are as nothing before him; even less than nothing, a thing of no value.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
All the nations are as nothing before Him; they are accounted by Him as things of nought, and vanity.

King James Version (1611)
All nations before him are as nothing, and they are counted to him lesse then nothing, and vanitie.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
All people in comparison of hym are reckened as nothyng: yf they be compared with hym, lesse then nothyng, and as it that is not.

English Revised Version
All the nations are as nothing before him; they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Alle folkis ben so bifore hym, as if thei ben not; and thei ben rettid as no thing and veyn thing to hym.

Update Bible Version
All the nations are as nothing before him; they are accounted by him as less than nothing, and vanity.

Webster's Bible Translation
All nations before him [are] as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

New English Translation
All the nations are insignificant before him; they are regarded as absolutely nothing.

New King James Version
All nations before Him are as nothing, And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless.

New Living Translation
The nations of the world are worth nothing to him. In his eyes they count for less than nothing— mere emptiness and froth.

New Life Bible
All the nations are as nothing before Him. He thinks of them as less than nothing and of no worth.

New Revised Standard
All the nations are as nothing before him; they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
All nations, are as nothing before him, - A thing of nought or a waste, are they accounted unto him?

Douay-Rheims Bible
All nations are before him as if they had no being at all, and are counted to him as nothing, and vanity.

Revised Standard Version
All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.

Young's Literal Translation
All the nations [are] as nothing before Him, Less than nothing and emptiness, They have been reckoned to Him.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
All the nations are as nothing before Him, They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless.

Contextual Overview

¹² Who has measured the water in his hand, and the heaven with a span, and all the earth in a handful? Who has weighed the mountains in scales, and the forests in a balance? ¹³ Who has known the mind of the Lord? and who has been his counsellor, to instruct him? ¹⁴ Or with whom has he taken counsel, and he has instructed him? or who has taught him judgement, or who has taught him the way of understanding; ¹⁵ 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? ¹⁶ And Libanus is not enough to burn, nor all beasts enough for a whole-burnt offering: ¹⁷ and all the nations are as nothing, and counted as nothing.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

as nothing: Job 25:6, Psalms 62:9, Daniel 4:34, Daniel 4:35, 2 Corinthians 12:11

Reciprocal: Psalms 8:4 - What Psalms 39:5 - verily Psalms 113:4 - high Isaiah 40:22 - the inhabitants Isaiah 41:11 - as nothing 1 Corinthians 3:7 - General 1 Corinthians 10:19 - that the Hebrews 2:6 - What

Cross-References

Genesis 49:20
Aser, his bread shall be fat; and he shall yield dainties to princes.

1 Chronicles 12:20
When David was going to Sikelag, there came to him of Manasse, Edna and Jozabath, and Rodiel, and Michael, and Josabaith, and Elimuth, and Semathi: these are the captains of thousands of Manasse.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

All nations before him are as nothing,.... As if they were nonentities, and were not real beings in comparison of him, who is the Being of beings, the author of all beings which exist in all nations; who are all in his sight, and are not only as grasshoppers, as is after mentioned, but even as nothing:

and they are counted to him as less than nothing, and vanity; if there is or could be such a thing less than nothing, that they are; and so they are accounted of by him; they are like the chaos out of which the earth was formed, when it was "tohu" and "bohu", the first of which words is used here; this serves to humble the pride of men, and to lessen the glory of the nations, and the inhabitants of them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Are as nothing - This expresses literally what had been expressed by the beautiful and striking imagery above.

Less than nothing - A strong hyperbolic expression denoting the utter insignificance of the nations as compared with God. Such expressions are common in the Scriptures.

And vanity - Hebrew, תהו tôhû - ‘Emptiness;’ the word which in Genesis 1:2 is rendered ‘without form.’