Isaiah 40:20 (ASV)

Passage

He that is too impoverished for [such] an oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a skilful workman to set up a graven image, that shall not be moved.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 40:18 To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?

Isaiah 40:19 The image, a workman hath cast [it], and the goldsmith overlayeth it with gold, and casteth [for it] silver chains.

Isaiah 40:20 He that is too impoverished for [such] an oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a skilful workman to set up a graven image, that shall not be moved.

Isaiah 40:21 Have ye not known? have yet not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?

Isaiah 40:22 [It is] he that sitteth above the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "impoverished", "such", "oblation", "chooseth", "tree", "seeketh", "skilful", and "workman". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "impoverished" and "such", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "The image a workman hath cast it..." into verse 21's "Have ye not known have yet not...", so "impoverished" and "such" belong inside that flow. In Isaiah context, the local focus is the Holy One of Israel, judgment and restoration, the servant of the LORD, and Zion's hope.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "impoverished" and "such" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.