That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.
Parallel translations
- WEB who brings princes to nothing; who makes the judges of the earth like meaningless.
- BSB He brings the princes to nothing and makes the rulers of the earth meaningless.
- NKJV He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless.
- NASB It is He who reduces rulers to nothing, Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless.
- NLT He judges the great people of the world and brings them all to nothing.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God reduces princes to nothing and renders the world's rulers meaningless.
Overview
The Sovereign who sits above the earth holds absolute power over its rulers, bringing the mighty to nothing. No human authority is secure apart from Him. This assures God's people that oppressive powers will not stand against His purposes.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Job 12:21He poureth contempt upon princes, and weakeneth the strength of the mighty.
- Ps 107:40He poureth contempt upon princes, and causeth them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way.
- Jer 25:18–27To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as it is this day;
- Isa 34:12They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing.
- Isa 19:13–14The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof.
- Isa 23:9The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.
- Job 34:19–20How much less to him that accepteth not the persons of princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor? for they all are the work of his hands.
- Luke 1:51–52He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
- Ps 76:12He shall cut off the spirit of princes: he is terrible to the kings of the earth.
- Isa 24:21–22And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
- Rev 19:18–20That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 40:23 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.