Isaiah 40:22 (DRB)

Passage

It is he that sitteth upon the globe of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as locusts: he that stretcheth out the heavens as nothing, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 40:20 He hath chosen strong wood, and that will not rot: the skilful workman seeketh how he may set up an idol that may not be moved.

Isaiah 40:21 Do you not know? hath it not been heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have you not understood the foundations of the earth?

Isaiah 40:22 It is he that sitteth upon the globe of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as locusts: he that stretcheth out the heavens as nothing, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in.

Isaiah 40:23 He that bringeth the searchers of secrets to nothing, that hath made the judges of the earth as vanity.

Isaiah 40:24 And surely their stock was neither planted, nor sown, nor rooted in the earth: suddenly he hath blown upon them, and they are withered, and a whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sitteth", "upon", "globe", "earth", "inhabitants", "thereof", "locusts", and "stretcheth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sitteth" and "upon", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 21's "Do you not know hath it not..." into verse 23's "He that bringeth the searchers of secrets...", so "sitteth" and "upon" 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 "sitteth" and "upon" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.