Isaiah 40:16 (WEB)

Passage

Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor its animals sufficient for a burnt offering.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 40:14 Who did he take counsel with, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?

Isaiah 40:15 Behold, the nations are like a drop in a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on a balance. Behold, he lifts up the islands like a very little thing.

Isaiah 40:16 Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor its animals sufficient for a burnt offering.

Isaiah 40:17 All the nations are like nothing before him. They are regarded by him as less than nothing, and vanity.

Isaiah 40:18 To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to him?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lebanon", "sufficient", "burn", "animals", "burnt", and "offering". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lebanon" and "sufficient", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "Behold the nations are like a drop..." into verse 17's "All the nations are like nothing before...", so "lebanon" and "sufficient" 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 "lebanon" and "sufficient" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.