Isaiah 40:17 (KJV)

Passage

All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 40:15 Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.

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

Isaiah 40:17 All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

Isaiah 40:18 To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?

Isaiah 40:19 The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "nations", "before", "nothing", "counted", "less", "than", and "vanity". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "nations" and "before", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn..." into verse 18's "To whom then will ye liken God...", so "nations" and "before" 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 "nations" and "before" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.