Isaiah 40:17
Douay-Rheims
All nations are before him as if they had no being at all, and are counted to him as nothing, and vanity.
Ibn Ezra
All nations, etc. All divisions of nature are reviewed by the prophet; viz. first the nations (ver. 15), that is, man, and then (ver. 16) plants and beasts.—The meaning of this verse is: since all is as nothing before Him, etc. מאפס Less than nothing. The מ denotes here the same as in מהבל lighter than vanity (Ps. Ixii. 10).—It is surprising how the Gaon could place men above angels, he must certainly have read this chapter.
Hebrew and Aramaic words are the commentator’s citations of the sacred text; the English translation that follows each is the translator’s.
Source details
1167 · Isaiah 40:17
Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.