Isaiah 40:20 (YLT)

Passage

He who is poor <FI>by<Fi> heave-offerings, A tree not rotten doth choose, A skilful artisan he seeketh for it, To establish a graven image--not moved.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 40:18 And unto whom do ye liken God, And what likeness do ye compare to Him?

Isaiah 40:19 The graven image poured out hath a artisan, And a refiner with gold spreadeth it over, And chains of silver he is refining.

Isaiah 40:20 He who is poor <FI>by<Fi> heave-offerings, A tree not rotten doth choose, A skilful artisan he seeketh for it, To establish a graven image--not moved.

Isaiah 40:21 Do ye not know--do ye not hear? Hath it not been declared from the first to you? Have ye not understood <FI>From<Fi> the foundations of the earth?

Isaiah 40:22 He who is sitting on the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants <FI>are<Fi> as grasshoppers, He who is stretching out as a thin thing the heavens, And spreadeth them as a tent to dwell in.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "poor", "heave-offerings", "tree", "rotten", "doth", "choose", "skilful", and "artisan". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "poor" and "heave-offerings", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "The graven image poured out hath a..." into verse 21's "Do ye not know--do ye not hear...", so "poor" and "heave-offerings" 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 "poor" and "heave-offerings" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.