Isaiah 40:26

26 ¹Lift up your eyes on high And see ²who has created these stars, The ³One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the ⁴greatness of His might and the strength of His power, ⁵Not one of them is missing.

Isaiah 40:26 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 40:26

Lift up your eyes on high
From the earth, and the inhabitants of it, even those of the greatest power and influence in it, to the heavens above, those that are visible to the eye: and behold who hath created these things;
that are seen in the heavens, the sun, moon, and stars; consider the Creator of them, what a glorious Being he must be; what power he must be possessed of; what dazzling light he must dwell in; what glory and majesty he must be clothed with; and how infinitely transcending all mortal creatures he must be: that bringeth out their host by number;
not only into being, at the first creation of them, but at every proper season; causing the sun to rise every morning, the stars to appear at night, and the moon in its revolution; as a general brings forth his army, marshals it in order, musters it, and takes the number of his soldiers: he calleth them all by names;
suitable to their position and influence; he knows the proper names of them all, which no astrologer can pretend unto; and this is such knowledge as no general of an army has; for though the stars are innumerable to men, the names of most unknown, they are all known to him that made them, ( Psalms 147:4 ) : by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power not one
faileth;
through the omnipotence of God, not only the sun and moon, the great luminaries, are continued in being, and constantly observe their order; but even every star keeps its place, or performs its course, and retains its influence, and in every instance obeys the commands of its Creator; never fails of appearing at his order, and of doing what he appoints it should. Kimchi gives the sense thus, that according to the virtue and efficacy that there is in every star, so is its name; and because of the strength and power that is in everyone of them, they remain unchangeably and unalterably the same as when they were first created; which not only holds true of the sun and moon, but of the stars lesser and greater. The Targum is,

``because of the multitude of strength, and the power of might, not one is hindered from its order;''

wherefore, as there is no likeness on earth, so none in heaven, with which the Lord is to be likened, or to which he can be equalled. This may respect not the might and power of the Lord, in supporting and maintaining these creatures in their being and usefulness; but the strength and power of the mightiest creatures, to hinder their influence and service: for the words may be rendered, "through the multitude of strength", or anyone being "strong in power, not one indeed fails ^F4"; or is wanting, that is, through the strength or power of the mightiest creatures, angels or men, the hosts of heaven cannot be stopped in their course, or hindered in their work appointed to do, or be deprived of their being.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F4 (rden al vya xwk Uymaw Mynwa bwrm) "prae multitudine virium, et robore virtutis, ut ne unum quidem deesset", Tigurine version.

Isaiah 40:26 In-Context

24 Scarcely have they been planted, Scarcely have they been sown, Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, But He merely blows on them, and they wither, And the storm carries them away like stubble.

25 "To whom then will you liken Me That I would be his equal?" says the Holy One.

26 Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing.

27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD , And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God "?

28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD , the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable .

Cross References

• 1. Isaiah 51:6
• 2. Isaiah 42:5; Isaiah 48:12, 13
• 3. Psalms 147:4
• 4. Psalms 89:11-13
• 5. Isaiah 34:16; Isaiah 48:13

Footnotes

• [a]. So DSS and ancient versions; M.T. "strong"