Isaiah 40:14 (DBY)

Passage

With whom took he counsel, and [who] gave him intelligence, and instructed him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed him the way of understanding?

Nearby Context

Isaiah 40:12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out the heavens with [his] span, and grasped the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in a balance, and the hills in scales?

Isaiah 40:13 Who hath directed the Spirit of Jehovah, and, [as] his counsellor, hath taught him?

Isaiah 40:14 With whom took he counsel, and [who] gave him intelligence, and instructed him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed him the way of understanding?

Isaiah 40:15 Behold, the nations are esteemed as a drop of the bucket, and as the fine dust on the scales; behold, he taketh up the isles as an atom.

Isaiah 40:16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt-offering.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "took", "counsel", "gave", "intelligence", "instructed", "path", "judgment", and "taught". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "took" and "counsel", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Who hath directed the Spirit of Jehovah..." into verse 15's "Behold the nations are esteemed as a...", so "took" and "counsel" 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 "took" and "counsel" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.