Isaiah 40:16Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The text illustrates the unfathomable greatness of the Almighty God, highlighting the incomparable dignity of His inherent glory—showing that everything in His presence pales in significance when juxtaposed with the fullness of His power and majesty. Thus, it declares, “But as for all the Gentiles, they are like a drop from a bucket, and like dust on the scales; they are regarded as nothing.” What does it matter if a single drop falls from a vessel? What is the weight of a negligible measure on the scale, compared to what is weightier? And what is ‘spitting’—the saliva of man? The Lord asserts that even the mighty cedar of Lebanon is not sufficient to offer, nor are all the beasts enough for a burnt offering. They remain inconsequential, even if sacrificed to Him, falling significantly short of His glory. Therefore, if all the Gentiles are of no account and do not even begin to be considered worthy, to what image can they be compared?

Should anyone perceive the calling of nations as formidable, let it be noted that all flesh has witnessed the salvation of God. It was commanded to proclaim the good news from the heights to Zion, for the Lord Himself came with strength and rewarded each according to their deeds, much like a shepherd who tenderly cradles lambs and carries those with child. His greatness can be described thus: nothing is beyond Him, for He, being the Creator of all things, can accomplish what seems insignificant in comparison. In employing terms like handful and span, He uses the familiar measures of humanity that we may grasp the vastness of God.

Where the Septuagint translated it as, Who measured the waters with His hand, or as we translated it, Who measured the waters with a handful, Aquila rendered it as, Who measured the waters with a very small finger? This implies λεχας, signifying that not the entire hand but merely the small finger—commonly known as the forefinger—was used to measure the extensive offshore waters; σπιθαμή, meaning an inch, indicates the breadth of an open hand from thumb to little finger. To form a handful, one must contract the hand; thus, through the heel and handful, we understand the heavens and the earth's expanse.

Instead of a handful, as conveyed by the Septuagint regarding the earth's volume, the Hebrew uses salis, which Simmachus translated as τριτον and Aquila as τρίβωμον. We chose to translate it as three fingers, implying that the weight of the earth and the heights of the mountains and hills could be measured as if with three small fingers, and with a tiny grain on the scales. This underlines the magnificence of the Almighty and the might of the Creator.

Who, he asks, assisted the Spirit of the Lord, or who provided counsel to Him? Simmachus rendered this as: Who prepared the Spirit of the Lord, and who guided Him? With whom did He confer, who gave Him wisdom, directed Him in the path of justice, imparted knowledge, and showed Him the path of understanding? This indicates more clearly the preparation and affirmation of that Spirit, of whom the Apostle states, ‘The Lord is the Spirit’ (2 Cor. 3:17), who rests upon Him, possessing the Spirit of wisdom and understanding (Is. 11:2), as He proclaims, ‘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 counselor, in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form (Col. 2:9), providing counsel to Him who is named ‘Wonderful Counselor’ (Is. 9:6).

As expressed in Proverbs, God founded the earth with wisdom and established the heavens with understanding (Prov. 3:19). The Septuagint speaks of the mind and counsel of the Lord, emphasizing that God's mind, knowledge, and wisdom are the foundation upon which everything exists. The Psalms sing: By the word of the Lord, the heavens were made, and by the Spirit of His mouth, all their host (Ps. 33:6). The nations that do not know their Creator, or the entirety of humanity, are insignificant compared to God, like a drop from a bucket or a grain on the scales that tips at the slightest weight. Just as the bearer takes no heed if a minor drop escapes the bucket, so too is the multitude of nations seen as nothing compared to the heavenly assembly and the throngs of angels.

Islands are regarded as mere spittle, or, as Symmachus and Theodotion state, with the Hebrew word meaning what has fallen away, while Aquila translates it as λεπτο'ν βαλλόμενον. The Hebrews assert that this term refers to the tiniest dust, raised by a whirlwind that is more felt than seen. This term indicates the smallest and almost invisible specks of dust, akin to what Democritus referred to as atoms. There are many expressions that may be understood in Greek as they are phrased in Hebrew, reflecting the challenges of translation and the comparative limitations of both Greek and Latin.

In gradually turning people away from idolatry, God simultaneously dismantles sacrificial practices, teaching that all the titanic trees of Lebanon and the cattle that graze upon them are insufficient for His offerings. If all nations are counted as non-existent and deemed empty before Him—as is Israel among them—then Israel too is accounted as such. This serves to humble their pride and remind them that they are like the rest of the nations.