🕊️WEB · Isaiah 40:18
What does Isaiah 40:18 mean?
"To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to him?"
— Isaiah 40:18 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
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.
Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor its animals sufficient for a burnt offering.
All the nations are like nothing before him. They are regarded by him as less than nothing, and vanity.
To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to him?
A workman has cast an image, and the goldsmith overlays it with gold, and casts silver chains for it.
He who is too impoverished for such an offering chooses a tree that will not rot. He seeks a skillful workman to set up a carved image for him that will not be moved.
Haven’t you known? Haven’t you heard? Haven’t you been told from the beginning? Haven’t you understood from the foundations of the earth?
Explanation
Isaiah 40:18 asks a direct rhetorical question: "To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to him?" In plain language, the prophet is asking his readers to consider whether anything in creation, any idol, or any human concept could possibly be equal to or capable of representing God. The implied answer is an emphatic no—nothing compares.
This verse comes from a section of Isaiah written to comfort the Israelites, likely addressing those facing or anticipating Babylonian exile. Isaiah 40 opens with words of comfort ("Comfort, comfort my people") and moves into a majestic description of God's power, wisdom, and incomparability. The people had reason to doubt God's strength and relevance—Babylon worshiped many gods with elaborate idols and impressive temples, and Israel's own condition seemed to suggest their God had abandoned them or was weaker than Babylon's deities. Isaiah counters this despair by reminding them who God truly is: the Creator who measures the oceans in his hand, weighs mountains on scales, and holds the nations as a drop in a bucket. The rhetorical question in verse 18 sets up the following verses, which mock the practice of carving idols from wood and overlaying them with gold—useless objects that cannot move, speak, or save.
Theologically, this verse asserts God's absolute uniqueness and transcendence. It rejects any comparison between the Creator and created things, including the idols and images that surrounding cultures used to represent their deities. This connects to the broader biblical the
Compare translations
Go deeper with ScriptureCompanion AI
Ask questions about any verse, follow reading plans, write personal prayers, and track your daily habit — all grounded in verified scripture text.