Isaiah 40:22

40:21 Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?

It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: It is: or, Him that

KJV

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It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in;

It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

It is he that sits on the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretches out the heavens as a curtain, and spreads them out as a tent to dwell in:

40:23 That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

What does Isaiah 40:22 mean?

Isaiah 40:22 is a verse in the book of Isaiah, in the Old Testament. In the original Hebrew, key words include יָשַׁב (yâshab), חוּג (chûwg), אֶרֶץ (ʼerets).

Hebrew interlinear

that

sittethיָשַׁבyâshab/yaw-shab'/H3427properly, to sit down (specifically as judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to remain; causatively, to settle, to marry

upon

the

circleחוּגchûwg/khoog/H2329a circle

the

earth,אֶרֶץʼerets/eh'-rets/H776the earth (at large, or partitively a land)

and

the

inhabitantsיָשַׁבyâshab/yaw-shab'/H3427properly, to sit down (specifically as judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to remain; causatively, to settle, to marry

thereof

are

grasshoppers;חָגָבchâgâb/khaw-gawb'/H2284a locust

that

stretcheth

outנָטָהnâṭâh/naw-taw'/H5186to stretch or spread out; by implication, to bend away (including moral deflection); used in a great variety of application

the

heavensשָׁמַיִםshâmayim/shaw-mah'-yim/H8064the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve)

curtain,דֹּקdôq/doke/H1852something crumbling, i.e. fine (as a thin cloth)

and

spreadeth

them

outמָתַחmâthach/maw-thakh'/H4969to stretch out

tentאֹהֶלʼôhel/o'-hel/H168a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance)

dwell

in:יָשַׁבyâshab/yaw-shab'/H3427properly, to sit down (specifically as judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to remain; causatively, to settle, to marry

is:

or,

Him

that

Topics

Idolatry Tents

Verses like this

Other verses that share key original-language words with Isaiah 40:22.

Ezekiel 32:4

Then will I leave thee upon the land, I will cast thee forth upon the open field, and will cause all the fowls of the heaven to remain upon thee, and I will fill the beasts of the whole earth with thee.

Ezekiel 32:8

All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD. bright: Heb. lights of the light in heaven dark: Heb. them dark

Zechariah 12:1

The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.

Frequently asked questions

What does Isaiah 40:22 say?

Isaiah 40:22 (King James Version) reads: "It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: It is: or, Him that"

Is Isaiah 40:22 in the Old or New Testament?

Isaiah 40:22 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Isaiah.

Reflect

As you read Isaiah 40:22, what is one truth here you can carry into today?

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