18 And unto whom do ye liken God, And what likeness do ye compare to Him? 19 The graven image poured out hath a artizan, And a refiner with gold spreadeth it over, And chains of silver he is refining. 20 He who is poor 'by' heave-offerings, A tree not rotten doth choose, A skilful artizan he seeketh for it, To establish a graven image—not moved. 21 Do ye not know—do ye not hear? Hath it not been declared from the first to you? Have ye not understood 'From' the foundations of the earth? 22 He who is sitting on the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants 'are' as grasshoppers, He who is stretching out as a thin thing the heavens, And spreadeth them as a tent to dwell in. 23 He who is making princes become nothing, Judges of earth as emptiness hath made; 24 Yea, they have not been planted, Yea, they have not been sown, Yea, not taking root in the earth is their stock, And also He hath blown upon them, and they wither, And a whirlwind as stubble taketh them away. 25 And unto whom do ye liken Me, And 'am' I equal? saith the Holy One. 26 Lift up on high your eyes, And see—who hath prepared these? He who is bringing out by number their host, To all of them by name He calleth, By abundance of strength (And 'he is' strong in power) not one is lacking.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Isaiah 40:18-26
Commentary on Isaiah 40:18-26
(Read Isaiah 40:18-26)
Whatever we esteem or love, fear or hope in, more than God, that creature we make equal with God, though we do not make images or worship them. He that is so poor, that he has scarcely a sacrifice to offer, yet will not be without a god of his own. They spared no cost upon their idols; we grudge what is spent in the service of our God. To prove the greatness of God, the prophet appeals to all ages and nations. Those who are ignorant of this, are willingly ignorant. God has the command of all creatures, and of all created things. The prophet directs us to use our reason as well as our senses; to consider who created the hosts of heaven, and to pay our homage to Him. Not one fails to fulfil his will. And let us not forget, that He spake all the promises, and engaged to perform them.