Isaiah 40:15 (GNV)

Passage

Beholde, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the dust of the balance: beholde, he taketh away the yles as a litle dust.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 40:13 Who hath instructed ye Spirit of the Lord? or was his counseler or taught him?

Isaiah 40:14 Of whom tooke he counsell, and who instructed him and taught him in the way of iudgement? or taught him knowledge, and shewed vnto him the way of vnderstanding?

Isaiah 40:15 Beholde, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the dust of the balance: beholde, he taketh away the yles as a litle dust.

Isaiah 40:16 And Lebanon is not sufficient for fire, nor the beastes thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.

Isaiah 40:17 All nations before him are as nothing, and they are counted to him, lesse then nothing, and vanitie.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "beholde", "nations", "drop", "bucket", "counted", "dust", and "balance". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "beholde" and "nations", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "Of whom tooke he counsell and who..." into verse 16's "And Lebanon is not sufficient for fire...", so "beholde" and "nations" 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 "beholde" and "nations" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.