Isaiah 40:23

Myles Coverdale Bible

That he bringeth princes to nothinge, and the iudges of the earth to dust:

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He reduces princes to nothingand makes judges of the earth like a wasteland.

Hebrew Names Version
who brings princes to nothing; who makes the judges of the eretz as vanity.

King James Version
That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

English Standard Version
who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.

New American Standard Bible
It is He who reduces rulers to nothing, Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless.

New Century Version
He makes rulers unimportant and the judges of this world worth nothing.

Amplified Bible
It is He who reduces dignitaries to nothing, Who makes the judges (rulers) of the earth meaningless (useless).

World English Bible
who brings princes to nothing; who makes the judges of the earth as vanity.

Geneva Bible (1587)
He bringeth the princes to nothing, and maketh the iudges of the earth, as vanitie,

Legacy Standard Bible
It is He who reduces rulers to nothing,Who makes the judges of the earth utterly formless.

Berean Standard Bible
He brings the princes to nothing and makes the judges of the earth meaningless.

Contemporary English Version
God brings down rulers and turns them into nothing.

Complete Jewish Bible
He reduces princes to nothing, the rulers of the earth to emptiness.

Darby Translation
that bringeth the princes to nothing, that maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

Easy-to-Read Version
He takes away the power of rulers. He makes the world's leaders completely worthless.

George Lamsa Translation
Who brings princes to nought; and makes the judges of the earth as if they were nothing.

Good News Translation
He brings down powerful rulers and reduces them to nothing.

Lexham English Bible
the one who brings princes to nothing; he makes rulers of the earth like nothing.

Literal Translation
who gives potentates into nothing. He makes judges of the earth as nothing.

American Standard Version
that bringeth princes to nothing; that maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

Bible in Basic English
He makes rulers come to nothing; the judges of the earth are of no value.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
That bringeth princes to nothing; He maketh the judges of the earth as a thing of nought.

King James Version (1611)
That bringeth the princes to nothing; hee maketh the Iudges of the earth as vanitie.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
He bringeth princes to nothing, and the iudges of the earth as though they were not.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
he that appoints princes to rule as nothing, and has made the earth as nothing.

English Revised Version
that bringeth princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Which yyueth the sercheris of priuytees, as if thei be not, and made the iugis of erthe as a veyn thing.

Update Bible Version
that brings princes to nothing; that makes the judges of the earth as vanity.

Webster's Bible Translation
That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

New English Translation
He is the one who reduces rulers to nothing; he makes the earth's leaders insignificant.

New King James Version
He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless.

New Living Translation
He judges the great people of the world and brings them all to nothing.

New Life Bible
It is He Who brings rulers down to nothing. He makes the judges of the earth as nothing.

New Revised Standard
who brings princes to naught, and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Who delivereth dignitaries to nothingness, - Judges of earth, like a desolation, hath he made:

Douay-Rheims Bible
He that bringeth the searchers of secrets to nothing, that hath made the judges of the earth as vanity.

Revised Standard Version
who brings princes to nought, and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.

Young's Literal Translation
He who is making princes become nothing, Judges of earth as emptiness hath made;

New American Standard Bible (1995)
He it is who reduces rulers to nothing, Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless.

Contextual Overview

¹⁸ To whom then will ye licke God? or what similitude will ye set vp vnto him? ¹⁹ Shal the caruer make him a carued ymage? and shal the goldsmyth couer him with golde, or cast him in to a fourme of syluer plates? ²⁰ Morouer shal the ymage maker (yt the poore man which is disposed, maye haue somthinge to set vp also) seke out and chose a tre, that is not rotten, and carue ther out an ymage, yt moueth not? ²¹ Knowe ye not this? Herde ye neuer of it? Hath it not bene preached vnto you sence the hegynnynge? Haue ye not bene enfourmed of this, sence the foundacion of ye earth was layde: ²² That he sytteth vpon the Circle of the worlde, and that all the inhabitours of the worlde are in coparison of him, but as greshoppers: That he spredeth out the heaues as a coueringe, that he stretcheth them out, as. a tent to dwell in: ²³ That he bringeth princes to nothinge, and the iudges of the earth to dust: ²⁴ so that they be not planted nor sowen agayne, nether their stocke rooted agayne in the earth? For as soone as he bloweth vpon them, they wither & fade awaye, like the strawe in a whirle wynde. ²⁵ To whom now wil ye licken me, & whom shal I be like, saieth the holy one? ²⁶ Lift vp youre eyes an hie, and considre. Who hath made those thinges, which come out by so greate heapes? and he can call them all by their names. For there is nothinge hyd vnto the greatnesse of his power, strength, and might.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Isaiah 19:13, Isaiah 19:14, Isaiah 23:9, Isaiah 24:21, Isaiah 24:22, Job 12:21, Job 34:19, Job 34:20, Psalms 76:12, Psalms 107:40, Jeremiah 25:18-27, Luke 1:51, Luke 1:52, Revelation 19:18-20

Reciprocal: Job 21:22 - he judgeth Job 35:5 - Look Jeremiah 10:24 - lest 1 Corinthians 2:6 - of the

Cross-References

Genesis 40:15
for I was preuely caried out of the lande of the Hebrues, and here also haue I done nothinge, that they shulde haue put me in this dongeon.

Genesis 40:16
Whan the chefe baker sawe, that the interpretacion was good, he sayde vnto Ioseph: I dreamed, that I bare thre wyker baskettes vpon my heade,

Job 19:14
Myne owne kyn?folkes haue forsaken me, and my frendes haue put me out of remembraunce.

Psalms 31:12
My stregth fayleth me because of my aduersite, and my bones are corrupte.

Psalms 105:19
Vntill the tyme that his worde came, and till the worde of ye LORDE had tried him.

Amos 6:6
ye that drynke wyne out of goblettes, & anoynte youre selues with the best oyle, but no man is sory for Ioseps hurte.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

That bringeth princes to nothing,.... The great men of the earth, kings, rulers, and nobles, these he brings to the dust; and all their counsels, schemes, and purposes, come to nothing; and their monarchies and kingdoms too in time. Where are now the Babylonish, Persian, and Grecian monarchies, and those great princes that formerly reigned in them?

he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity; their decrees and decisions to stand for nothing, as "tohu" and "bohu", the first of which words is used here; so that they are no more regarded and attended to.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

That bringeth the princes to nothing - That is, all princes and kings. No matter how great their power, their wealth, and their dignity, they are, by his hand, reduced to nothing before him. The design of this passage is to contrast the majesty of God with that of princes and nobles, and to show how far he excels them all. The general truth is therefore stated, that all monarchs are by him removed from their thrones, and consigned to nothing. The same idea is expressed in Job 12:21 :

He poureth contempt upon princes,

And weakeneth the strength of the mighty.

And in Psalms 107:40 :

He poureth contempt upon princes,

And causeth them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way.

The particular idea here, as appears from the next verse, is, that the princes and rulers who are opposed to God constitute no real resistance to the execution of his purposes. He can strip off their honors and glory, and obliterate even their names.

He maketh the judges of the earth - Kings and princes often executed judgment personally, and hence, the words judges and kings seem to be synonymous as they are used here, and in Psalms 2:10 :

Be wise now, therefore, O ye kings;

Be instructed, ye judges of the earth.