Isaiah 40:12Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

If knowledge is understood as an action—indeed, an act of God—then even more remarkable is the act of bringing forth something from nothing. In another passage, it is stated: He counts the multitude of the stars and gives them all names (Psalms 146:4); each one of these suffices for us to comprehend the work of the Almighty. From nothing, He creates, sustains His creation, and desires its preservation.

Job expresses similar thoughts. However, this differs from the craftsmanship of builders, who, though they shape pots, do not create them from nothing; neither can their creations be maintained indefinitely. Yet, in God, it is extraordinary that He can safeguard His creations intact for eternity. Created things do not endure by their own strength; as it is said, ‘All the ends of the earth are in His hand’ (Psalm 94:4). Thus, do not presume that God first measured and then constructed; He did not measure the heavens with a ruler; no measurement is adequate for His immeasurable hand. When it is stated, He who examines hearts (Psalms 7:10), it merely implies His profound knowledge. Knowledge arises from investigation. The phrase: He counts the multitude of the stars (Psalms 146:4) conveys nothing other than knowledge itself, for understanding follows from counting. And when the prophet queries, who has gathered the waters, he indicates nothing beyond God's awareness of the water's extent. Observe, He does not require any measuring device, relying instead on the might of His hands. He knows the extent of His works intimately. He measures the heavens with a foot, suggesting that the heavens result from His perfect power. He has also measured the dust of the earth. Clearly, the heavens are greater than the earth, as they envelop it like a canopy.

Consider how inadequate these descriptions are for God, who fashioned all from nothing. Who weighs the mountains and hills? What scales could possibly contain such vastness? Though we speak of scales, do not presume that God utilizes any such instruments. He possesses perfect knowledge of all, as if He had weighed them on balances. Some fallen beings boasted about knowing the number of grains of sand and the measure of the sea, misleading others with their falsehood; yet the prophet faithfully reveals aspects of divine power. There is no deception here, but rather absolute truth. He then illustrates God's greatness in another fashion: He alone possesses knowledge of Himself, and that knowledge transcends human understanding.

Just as it is utterly impossible for a human to gauge all the waters with a mere handful, or to measure the vastness of the heavens with a small coin, or quantify the earth with mere soil—and it is equally impossible to find a being capable of weighing the mountains using ordinary scales—so too is it beyond anyone’s capacity to grasp the mind of the Lord. This is affirmed by the Lord Himself, who through one of His holy prophets declared, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9). When the prophet reflects on this, he questions who has ever been in need of a counselor, someone to reveal the truth, or the path of righteousness. If indeed He embodies wisdom, being the ultimate source of understanding for every intellect, imparting light to all created minds, how could He require guidance from another, or how could anyone presume to advise or critique Him? The prophet offers a significant lesson to his listeners, for some skeptics contend that there was no necessity for the Word of God to assume human form, to take on flesh and its imperfections, or to save those dwelling on earth, suggesting it would have posed no great challenge for Him, as God, to execute His will effortlessly. They question if His becoming human was in vain, and through such misguided reflections, they misrepresent the profound structure of salvation and rebel against the grandeur of the mystery of Christ. Thus, the prophet, in these declarations, dispels their baseless and hollow notions, asserting that Divine wisdom is beyond human understanding and that the mind of God, being true wisdom, is the highest and most pure intellect. Consequently, the assertions of those who claim that the Incarnation of the only-begotten Son of God was unseemly appear curious and even absurd. Some interpret the phrases, "Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of His hand and meted out heaven with a span," as an expression of God’s omnipotence, indicating His ability to measure the waters, the heavens, the earth, mountains, and valleys; in summary, He possesses knowledge of all things, understands all incomprehensible matters, and stands unparalleled amongst creation, regardless of its grandeur or multitude. If anyone believes this is a valid interpretation of the prophet's words, they are not mistaken.

I express this to highlight the fallacy in the words we perceive through our ears, and also to encourage us to contemplate the profound significance of spiritual truths. Even if we envision the Body of the Lord rising from the grave and ascending into heaven with human form and attributes, we should not picture Him at the right hand of the Father as if the Father were situated at His left. For in this state of blessedness, surpassing all human comprehension, there exists solely the right side, which epitomizes this very state of beatitude.

Hence, if the heavens are quantified by God’s might, the waters by His hand, the entire earth by His handful, the hills are balanced, and the mountains are measured precisely, it follows that every creature must inevitably maintain its own measure, ensuring that there can be no increase or decrease in that which is measured by God’s power. Consequently, if the prophecy affirms that creatures do not experience increase or decrease, then each one must consistently retain its designated measure, regardless of the mutable nature of the creatures themselves. All things undergo transformation into various forms, altering from one state to another, yet through this continuous process of change, they ultimately return to their original essence.

No one should find the calling of the nations to be a daunting task, for it has been revealed to all flesh that they have witnessed the salvation of God. It was commanded to proclaim the good news to Zion from the heights of the mountains: the Lord Himself came with strength, rewarding each according to their deeds, like a shepherd who tenderly carries the lambs upon His breast, and gently guides the expectant mothers. His greatness is evident—nothing is beyond His ability, for He, the Creator of all, can perform even the simplest of tasks in comparison. When the suggestion of a handful and an inch is made, He employs familiar terms to demonstrate the might of God. Some translations express, Who measured the waters with His hand, or as we have translated here, with a handful, while Aquila states, Who measured the waters with a delicate finger? This signifies a limited measurement, suggesting that not the entire hand, but merely a finger—often referred to as the forefinger—held dominion over the vastness of the waters. An inch, referenced as σπιθαμή, represents the breadth of an open hand from thumb to pinky. Compressing the hand gives rise to a handful, allowing us to comprehend the universe and the earth's vastness. Instead of 'a handful,' as translated in the LXX referring to the earth's dimensions, the Hebrew word is salis, which Simmachus rendered as τριτον and Aquila as τρίβωμον, while we chose to clarify by saying three fingers, as if weighing the very weight of the earth and the peaks of mountains and hills with mere three small fingers and a tiny grain on the scales, emphasizing God's majesty and the Creator's omnipotence. Who has assisted the Spirit of the Lord or acted as His advisor, one may ask? In contrast, Simmachus rendered it as: Who prepared the Spirit of the Lord and who advised Him? With whom did He consult, who imparted understanding, guided Him in the ways of justice, taught Him knowledge, and revealed the path of wisdom? This formulation points more clearly to the preparation and affirmation of the Spirit, identified by the Apostle as 'The Lord is that Spirit' (2 Cor. 3:17), and 'The Spirit of God rested upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding' (Is. 11:2), who also proclaimed, 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, for He has anointed Me' (Is. 61:1). He is indeed the Spirit of the Lord and His advisor, in whom resides all the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form (Col. 2:9). He is the Counselor referenced earlier (Is. 9:6), and as stated in Proverbs, the foundations of the earth were established with wisdom, and the heavens were readied with understanding (Proverbs 3:19). The Seventy, who asked: Who knew the mind of the Lord and who was His counselor, sought to clarify that the thoughts, knowledge, and wisdom of God—the very force behind creation and existence—was one celebrated in the Psalms: By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth their entirety (Psalm 32:5). All nations that fail to recognize their Creator, or the entirety of humanity in comparison to God, are like a drop from a bucket or a grain on the scales, which sways with the lightest touch. Just as a bearer remains unconcerned by a small drop falling from a bucket, so too, the multitude of nations appears inconsequential compared to the celestial assembly and countless angels. Furthermore, islands are regarded as mere spittle, or according to Symmachus and Theodotion, in keeping with the Hebrew term, as that which has fallen, while Aquila translates it as: a tiny particle. The Hebrew word refers to the smallest particles of dust that can be conjured by a whirlwind, which are more perceived than seen. Thus, this term refers to minute and almost imperceptible specks of dust, perhaps akin to what Democritus termed atoms. There are several terms that overlap in meaning across Greek and Hebrew, highlighting the intricacies of translation and the comparative limitations of both languages. However, as He gently guides people away from idolatry, He dismantles sacrificial customs and teaches that not even the grandest forests of Lebanon or the livestock within can satisfy His offerings. If all the nations stand as non-existent before Him, counted as nothing and emptiness (Israel among them), then similarly, Israel too is rendered as non-existent, considered nothing and void. This assertion is made to humble pride, reminding it that it stands equal to other nations.

Therefore, the Lord, having taken on human form, measured these principles, bringing all things together in Himself (Eph. 1:10). The expression ‘He measured the whole earth with a handful’ signifies that His own flesh (being of the earth) was constricted in all directions so that even the natural, or untainted, emotions only operated upon His consent.

The entirety of the heavens lies within the palm of God's hand, while the earth is securely held in His grasp. Upon deeper reflection, the concept of God carries even richer symbolic significance. It is essential to recognize that since the heavens reside in His palm and simultaneously serve as His throne, and the earth rests in His hand as His footstool, one cannot interpret this to imply that He occupies space like a corporeal being. Conversely, God is manifested in every creature, permeating all that exists, both what envelops and what is enveloped, whether surrounding or being surrounded. His holding hand signifies His ability to act outwardly, whereas the throne and footstool beneath emphasize His presence within the external realm, for He encloses all that exists outside of Him, while also containing what is inherently within Him. In this way, the infinite God is simultaneously contained within all things, and all things exist within Him, the infinite.