To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.
Parallel translations
- WEB “To whom then will you liken me? Who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
- BSB “To whom will you liken Me, or who is My equal?” asks the Holy One.
- ESV To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
- NKJV “Towhom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.
- NASB “To whom then will you compare Me That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.
- NLT “To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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
The Holy One asks again to whom He could be compared, since none is His equal.
Overview
God Himself now speaks, repeating the challenge of verse 18: no one is His equal. The title 'the Holy One' stresses His unique, set-apart majesty. This declaration prepares for the comfort that follows: the incomparable God cares for His people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Isa 40:18To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?
- Deut 4:15–18Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire:
- Deut 4:33Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live?
- Deut 5:8Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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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 40:25 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.