When I look, there is no one; there is no counselor among them; when I ask them, they have nothing to say.
Parallel translations
- WEB When I look, there is no man; even among them there is no counselor who, when I ask of them, can answer a word.
- KJV For I beheld, and there was no man; even among them, and there was no counsellor, that, when I asked of them, could answer a word.
- NKJV For I looked, and there was no man; I looked among them, but there was no counselor, Who, when I asked of them, could answer a word.
- NASB “But when I look, there is no one, And there is no counselor among them Who, if I ask, can give an answer.
- NLT Not one of your idols told you this. Not one gave any answer when I asked.
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
Among the idols there is no one who can give counsel or answer a single question.
Overview
God surveys the false gods and finds no counselor, no one able to respond when questioned. Their total impotence is laid bare. The contrast with the all-wise God, who needs no counselor (40:13-14), is complete.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Isa 63:5I looked, but there was no one to help; I was appalled that no one assisted. So My arm brought Me salvation, and My own wrath upheld Me.
- Dan 5:8So all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the inscription or interpret it for him.
- Isa 59:16He saw that there was no man; He was amazed that there was no one to intercede. So His own arm brought salvation, and His own righteousness sustained Him.
- Dan 2:10–11The astrologers answered the king, “No one on earth can do what the king requests! No king, however great and powerful, has ever asked anything like this of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer.
- Isa 50:2Why was no one there when I arrived? Why did no one answer when I called? Is My hand too short to redeem you? Or do I lack the strength to deliver you? Behold, My rebuke dries up the sea; I turn the rivers into a desert; the fish rot for lack of water and die of thirst.
- Dan 4:7–8When the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and diviners came in, I told them the dream, and they could not interpret it for me.
- Isa 40:13–14Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or informed Him as His counselor?
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 41:28 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.