Isaiah 40:23

23 He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.

Isaiah 40:23 in Other Translations

23 That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

23 who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.

23 He judges the great people of the world and brings them all to nothing.

23 He ignores what all the princes say and do. The rulers of the earth count for nothing.

23 that bringeth princes to nothing; that maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

23 He makes rulers unimportant and makes earthly judges worth nothing.

23 He reduces princes to nothing and makes the judges of the earth to be irrational.

23 He takes the power of princes away from them. He reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.

Isaiah 40:23 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 40:23

That bringeth princes to nothing
The great men of the earth, kings, rulers, and nobles, these he brings to the dust; and all their counsels, schemes, and purposes, come to nothing; and their monarchies and kingdoms too in time. Where are now the Babylonish, Persian, and Grecian monarchies, and those great princes that formerly reigned in them? he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity;
their decrees and decisions to stand for nothing, as "tohu" and "bohu", the first of which words is used here; so that they are no more regarded and attended to.

Isaiah 40:23 In-Context

21 Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded?

22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.

23 He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.

24 No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

25 “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.

Cross References

• 1. S Job 12:18; S Isaiah 34:12
• 2. S Job 12:19; Amos 2:3; Job 12:21; Psalms 107:40