Isaiah 40:24 (YLT)

Passage

Yea, they have not been planted, Yea, they have not been sown, Yea, not taking root in the earth is their stock, And also He hath blown upon them, and they wither, And a whirlwind as stubble taketh them away.

Nearby Context

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.

Isaiah 40:23 He who is making princes become nothing, Judges of earth as emptiness hath made;

Isaiah 40:24 Yea, they have not been planted, Yea, they have not been sown, Yea, not taking root in the earth is their stock, And also He hath blown upon them, and they wither, And a whirlwind as stubble taketh them away.

Isaiah 40:25 And unto whom do ye liken Me, And <FI>am<Fi> I equal? saith the Holy One.

Isaiah 40:26 Lift up on high your eyes, And see--who hath prepared these? He who is bringing out by number their host, To all of them by name He calleth, By abundance of strength (And <FI>he is<Fi> strong in power) not one is lacking.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "been", "planted", "sown", "taking", "root", "earth", and "stock". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "been" and "planted", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 23's "He who is making princes become nothing..." into verse 25's "And unto whom do ye liken Me...", so "been" and "planted" 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 "been" and "planted" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.