Isaiah 40:20 (GNV)

Passage

Doeth not the poore chuse out a tree that will not rot, for an oblation? he seeketh also vnto him a cunning workeman, to prepare an image, that shall not be moued.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 40:18 To whom then wil ye liken God? or what similitude will ye set vp vnto him?

Isaiah 40:19 The workeman melteth an image, or the goldsmith beateth it out in golde, or the goldesmith maketh siluer plates.

Isaiah 40:20 Doeth not the poore chuse out a tree that will not rot, for an oblation? he seeketh also vnto him a cunning workeman, to prepare an image, that shall not be moued.

Isaiah 40:21 Know ye nothing? haue ye not heard it? hath it not bene tolde you from the beginning? haue ye not vnderstand it by the foundation of the earth?

Isaiah 40:22 He sitteth vpon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grashoppers, hee stretcheth out ye heauens, as a curtaine, and spreadeth them out, as a tent to dwell in.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "doeth", "poore", "chuse", "tree", "oblation", "seeketh", "vnto", and "cunning". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "doeth" and "poore", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "The workeman melteth an image or the..." into verse 21's "Know ye nothing haue ye not heard...", so "doeth" and "poore" 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 "doeth" and "poore" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.