Isaiah 40:15 (YLT)

Passage

Lo, nations as a drop from a bucket, And as small dust of the balance, have been reckoned, Lo, isles as a small thing He taketh up.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 40:13 Who hath meted out the Spirit of Jehovah, And, <FI>being<Fi> His counsellor, doth teach Him!

Isaiah 40:14 With whom consulted He, That he causeth Him to understand? And teacheth Him in the path of judgment, And teacheth Him knowledge? And the way of understanding causeth Him to know?

Isaiah 40:15 Lo, nations as a drop from a bucket, And as small dust of the balance, have been reckoned, Lo, isles as a small thing He taketh up.

Isaiah 40:16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt-offering.

Isaiah 40:17 All the nations <FI>are<Fi> as nothing before Him, Less than nothing and emptiness, They have been reckoned to Him.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "With whom consulted He That he causeth..." into verse 16's "And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn...", so "nations" and "drop" 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 "drop" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.