Isaiah 40:16 (DRB)

Passage

And Libanus shall not be enough to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 40:14 With whom hath he consulted, and who hath instructed him, and taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and shewed him the way of understanding?

Isaiah 40:15 Behold the Gentiles are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the smallest grain of a balance: behold the islands are as a little dust.

Isaiah 40:16 And Libanus shall not be enough to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.

Isaiah 40:17 All nations are before him as if they had no being at all, and are counted to him as nothing, and vanity.

Isaiah 40:18 To whom then have you likened God? or what image will you make for him?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "libanus", "shall", "enough", "burn", "beasts", "thereof", "sufficient", and "burnt". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "libanus" and "shall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "Behold the Gentiles are as a drop..." into verse 17's "All nations are before him as if...", so "libanus" and "shall" 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 "libanus" and "shall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.