Isaiah 40:13 (LSB)

Passage

Who has encompassed the Spirit of Yahweh, Or as His counselor has informed Him?

Nearby Context

Isaiah 40:11 Like a shepherd He will shepherd His flock; In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.

Isaiah 40:12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And encompassed the heavens by the span, And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales?

Isaiah 40:13 Who has encompassed the Spirit of Yahweh, Or as His counselor has informed Him?

Isaiah 40:14 With whom did He take counsel and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge And made Him know the way of understanding?

Isaiah 40:15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are counted as a speck of dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the coastlands like fine dust.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "encompassed", "yahweh", "counselor", and "informed". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "encompassed", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "Who has measured the waters in the..." into verse 14's "With whom did He take counsel and...", so "Spirit" and "encompassed" 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 "Spirit" and "encompassed" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.