Isaiah 40:12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on a scale and the hills with a balance?

[フレーム]
◄ Isaiah 40:12 ►
New International Version
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?

New Living Translation
Who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?

English Standard Version
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?

Berean Standard Bible
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on a scale and the hills with a balance?

Berean Literal Bible
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand and marked off the heavens with a handspan, and has held the dust of the earth in a measure, and has weighed the mountains on a scale, and the hills in scales?

King James Bible
Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

New King James Version
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, Measured heaven with a span And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales And the hills in a balance?

New American Standard Bible
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And measured the heavens with a span, And calculated the dust of the earth with a measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales?

NASB 1995
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens by the span, And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales?

NASB 1977
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens by the span, And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance, And the hills in a pair of scales?

Legacy Standard Bible
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And encompassed the heavens by the span, And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales?

Amplified Bible
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens with a span [of the hand], And calculated the dust of the earth with a measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales?

Berean Annotated Bible
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on a scale and the hills with a balance?

Christian Standard Bible
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand? Who has gathered the dust of the earth in a measure or weighed the mountains on a balance and the hills on the scales?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand? Who has gathered the dust of the earth in a measure or weighed the mountains in a balance and the hills in the scales?

American Standard Version
Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

Contemporary English Version
Did any of you measure the ocean by yourself or stretch out the sky with your own hands? Did you put the soil of the earth in a bucket or weigh the hills and mountains on balance scales?

English Revised Version
Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Who has measured the water of the sea with the palm of his hand or measured the sky with the length of his hand? Who has held the dust of the earth in a bushel basket or weighed the mountains on a scale and the hills on a balance?

Good News Translation
Can anyone measure the ocean by handfuls or measure the sky with his hands? Can anyone hold the soil of the earth in a cup or weigh the mountains and hills on scales?

International Standard Version
"Who has measured the waters of the sea in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens by the width of his hand? Who has enclosed the dust of the earth in a measuring bowl, or weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?

NET Bible
Who has measured out the waters in the hollow of his hand, or carefully measured the sky, or carefully weighed the soil of the earth, or weighed the mountains in a balance, or the hills on scales?

New Heart English Bible
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and marked off the sky with his span, and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

Webster's Bible Translation
Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and measured heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
Majority Text Translations
Majority Standard Bible
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on a scale and the hills with a balance?

World English Bible
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and marked off the sky with his span, and calculated the dust of the earth in a measuring basket, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, "" And has meted out the heavens by a span, "" And comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, "" And has weighed the mountains in scales, "" And the hills in a balance?

Berean Literal Bible
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand and marked off the heavens with a handspan, and has held the dust of the earth in a measure, and has weighed the mountains on a scale, and the hills in scales?

Young's Literal Translation
Who hath measured in the hollow of his hand the waters? And the heavens by a span hath meted out, And comprehended in a measure the dust of the earth, And hath weighed in scales the mountains, And the hills in a balance?

Smith's Literal Translation
Who measured the water in his palm, and measured the heavens with a span, and held the dust of the earth in a third, and weighed the mountains in a balance and the bills in scales?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and weighed the heavens with his palm? who hath poised with three fingers the bulk of the earth, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

Catholic Public Domain Version
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and who has weighed the heavens with his palm? Who has suspended the mass of the earth with three fingers, and who has weighed the mountains on a balance and the hills on a scale?

New American Bible
Who has measured with his palm the waters, marked off the heavens with a span, held in his fingers the dust of the earth, weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?

New Revised Standard Version
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and meted out heaven with a span and gathered the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and he measured Heaven with a hand’s breadth and measured the dust of the Earth in the palm of his hand, and weighed the mountains in a scale and the hills in a balance
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, And meted out heaven with the span, And comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, And weighed the mountains in scales, And the hills in a balance?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Who has measured the water in his hand, and the heaven with a span, and all the earth in a handful? Who has weighed the mountains in scales, and the forests in a balance?

Additional Translations ...
[フレーム]


Context
Here is Your God!
…11He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads the nursing ewes. 12Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on a scale and the hills with a balance? 13Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or informed Him as His counselor?…
Cross References
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,

Proverbs 30:4
Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His hands? Who has bound up the waters in His cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is the name of His Son—surely you know!

Job 38:8-11
Who enclosed the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, / when I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its blanket, / when I fixed its boundaries and set in place its bars and doors, …

Psalm 33:7
He piles up the waters of the sea; He puts the depths into storehouses.
or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand?

Isaiah 45:12
It is I who made the earth and created man upon it. It was My hands that stretched out the heavens, and I ordained all their host.

Jeremiah 10:12
The LORD made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding.

Job 37:18
can you, like Him, spread out the skies, as strong as a mirror of bronze?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,

2 Chronicles 1:9
Now, O LORD God, let Your promise to my father David be fulfilled. For You have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.

Genesis 13:16
I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if one could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could be counted.

Genesis 28:14
Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east and north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.
or weighed the mountains on a scale and the hills with a balance?

Job 28:25
When God fixed the weight of the wind and measured out the waters,

Psalm 65:6
You formed the mountains by Your power, having girded Yourself with might.

Amos 4:13
For behold, He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind and reveals His thoughts to man, who turns the dawn to darkness and strides on the heights of the earth—the LORD, the God of Hosts, is His name.”
Job 38:4-11
Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. / Who fixed its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched a measuring line across it? / On what were its foundations set, or who laid its cornerstone, …

Proverbs 8:27-29
I was there when He established the heavens, when He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep, / when He established the clouds above, when the fountains of the deep gushed forth, / when He set a boundary for the sea, so that the waters would not surpass His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth.

Psalm 104:5-9
He set the earth on its foundations, never to be moved. / You covered it with the deep like a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. / At Your rebuke the waters fled; at the sound of Your thunder they hurried away— …

Jeremiah 31:35-37
Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day, who sets in order the moon and stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD of Hosts is His name: / “Only if this fixed order departed from My presence, declares the LORD, would Israel’s descendants ever cease to be a nation before Me.” / This is what the LORD says: “Only if the heavens above could be measured and the foundations of the earth below searched out would I reject all of Israel’s descendants because of all they have done,” declares the LORD.


Treasury of Scripture

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

measured

Isaiah 48:13
Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.

Job 11:7-9
Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? …

Job 38:4-11
Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding…

measure.

Job 28:25
To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.

Jump to Previous
Able Balance Basket Breadth Calculated Comprehended Dust Earth Enclosed Fingers Grasped Hand Heaven Heavens Held Hills Hollow Marked Measure Measured Meted Mountains Pair Scales Sky Span Stretched-Out Waters Weighed
Jump to Next
Able Balance Basket Breadth Calculated Comprehended Dust Earth Enclosed Fingers Grasped Hand Heaven Heavens Held Hills Hollow Marked Measure Measured Meted Mountains Pair Scales Sky Span Stretched-Out Waters Weighed
Isaiah 40
1. The promulgation of the Gospel
3. The preaching of John Baptist foretold
9. The preaching of the apostles foretold
12. The prophet, by the omnipotence of God
18. And his incomparableness
26. Comforts the people.










(追記) (追記ここまで)

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
This phrase emphasizes God's omnipotence and sovereignty over creation. The imagery of measuring the vast waters of the earth in the hollow of one's hand highlights the infinite power and wisdom of God. In biblical context, water often symbolizes chaos and the unknown, yet God is portrayed as having complete control over it. This echoes Genesis 1:2, where the Spirit of God hovers over the waters, bringing order from chaos. The hollow of the hand suggests intimacy and care, indicating God's personal involvement in creation.

or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand?
The heavens, representing the sky and the universe, are depicted as being measured by God with the span of His hand, illustrating His immense power and authority. This reflects the ancient Near Eastern understanding of the heavens as a vast, immeasurable expanse, yet God is portrayed as having mastery over it. The span, a unit of measurement from the thumb to the little finger, signifies precision and control. This connects to Psalm 19:1, where the heavens declare the glory of God, and to Job 38, where God questions Job about the creation of the world, underscoring His unmatched wisdom and power.

Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket
The dust of the earth symbolizes humanity and mortality, as seen in Genesis 2:7, where God forms man from the dust. Holding the dust in a basket suggests God's ability to contain and manage the entirety of creation. This imagery conveys God's intimate knowledge and care for the earth and its inhabitants. The basket, a common tool in ancient times for carrying goods, implies God's provision and sustenance for His creation.

or weighed the mountains on a scale and the hills with a balance?
Weighing the mountains and hills signifies God's supreme authority and precision in creation. Mountains often represent strength and stability in scripture, as seen in Psalm 125:2, where the mountains surround Jerusalem, symbolizing God's protection. The use of a scale and balance indicates fairness and justice, attributes of God's character. This imagery connects to Proverbs 16:11, where honest scales and balances are the Lord's, highlighting His righteousness and integrity. The phrase underscores God's meticulous care and governance over the natural world, affirming His role as the ultimate Creator and Sustainer.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Isaiah
A major prophet in the Old Testament, Isaiah is traditionally credited with writing the Book of Isaiah. His prophecies often focus on the themes of judgment and redemption.

2. God
The central figure in this verse, God is depicted as the Creator with immense power and wisdom, capable of measuring the universe with ease.

3. Creation
The verse poetically describes elements of creation—waters, heavens, earth, mountains, and hills—highlighting God's sovereignty over all.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty and Power
Isaiah 40:12 reminds us of God's unmatched power and authority over creation. Recognizing His sovereignty can bring comfort and assurance in times of uncertainty.

Human Limitations
The rhetorical questions highlight human limitations in contrast to God's infinite capabilities. This should lead us to humility and reliance on God.

Worship and Awe
Understanding the vastness of God's creation should inspire worship and awe. Reflect on the majesty of God in your daily life and let it deepen your worship.

Trust in God's Wisdom
Just as God has perfectly measured and balanced creation, we can trust His wisdom in the details of our lives. Seek His guidance and trust His plans.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1. What is the meaning of Isaiah 40:12?

2. How does Isaiah 40:12 reveal God's sovereignty over creation and our lives?

3. What does "measured the waters" teach about God's power and wisdom?

4. How can Isaiah 40:12 deepen our trust in God's control over circumstances?

5. Connect Isaiah 40:12 with Genesis 1:1 on God's role as Creator.

6. How should acknowledging God's greatness in Isaiah 40:12 affect daily decision-making?

7. How does Isaiah 40:12 demonstrate God's omnipotence and sovereignty over creation?

8. What historical context influenced the writing of Isaiah 40:12?

9. How does Isaiah 40:12 challenge modern scientific understanding of the universe?

10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Isaiah 40?

What Does Isaiah 40:12 Mean
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand

- Isaiah opens with an image that dwarfs human ability: every ocean, river, lake, and drop fits in God’s palm.

- Psalm 33:7 reminds us, “He gathers the waters of the sea into a heap; He puts the depths into storehouses”. Both passages affirm that creation’s vastness is easily managed by its Maker.

- Job 38:8-11 records God setting limits for the seas; Genesis 1:9-10 depicts Him drawing dry land out of the waters. Together they show precise, controlling power—encouraging believers that nothing in creation, including the storms of life, lies outside His hand.

or marked off the heavens with the span of His hand?

- The “span” (distance between thumb and little finger) pictures God stretching the universe as effortlessly as a craftsman measures fabric.

- Psalm 19:1 declares, “The heavens proclaim the glory of God; the skies display the work of His hands”.

- Jeremiah 31:37 adds that no one can measure the heavens’ expanse, underscoring that only God possesses such capability.

- Proverbs 30:4 asks, “Who has established all the ends of the earth?”—answering implicitly that it is the LORD, echoing Isaiah’s rhetorical question.

- For the believer, the stars’ magnitude turns into a personal assurance: the One who names and spans them (Isaiah 40:26) is the same One who shepherds His people (Isaiah 40:11).

Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket

- Every grain of soil, every continent’s topsoil depth, fits within God’s “measuring basket.”

- Genesis 2:7 shows God forming man from dust, highlighting His intimate knowledge of each particle.

- Psalm 104:5 says He “set the earth on its foundations,” affirming stability that rests on His precise design.

- The image assures readers that the planet’s smallest elements—and, by extension, their ordinary details—are fully accounted for by God.

or weighed the mountains on a scale and the hills with a balance?

- Mountains inspire awe because of their size; God treats them like weighable produce on a merchant’s scale.

- Psalm 95:4-5: “In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him”.

- Job 38:4-6 features God questioning Job about earth’s foundations, again highlighting human ignorance versus divine mastery.

- Nahum 1:5 pictures mountains quaking before the LORD; the stability and the trembling both answer to Him.

- Believers draw confidence that every imposing obstacle or burden falls under the calculated control of the One who balances Everest and Sinai with ease.

summary

Isaiah 40:12 stacks four rhetorical questions to proclaim God’s unmatched sovereignty as Creator. Waters, heavens, dust, and mountains represent every dimension of the cosmos—depth, breadth, substance, and height. Each image shrinks creation to a manageable object in God’s hand, basket, or scale, reminding God’s people that no force, need, or threat is outside His precise governance. In the context of comfort to exiled Judah and to all who trust Him today, the verse invites a response of awe-filled faith: the God who handles the universe with such ease surely holds His children securely.

(12) Who hath measured . . .?--Another section opens, expanding the thought of the eternal majesty of Jehovah, as contrasted with the vanity of the idols, or "no-gods," of the heathen. The whole passage in form and thought supplies once more a parallelism with Job 38:4; Job 38:25; Job 38:37. The whole image is divinely anthropomorphic. The Creator is the great Work-master (Wisdom Of Solomon 13:1) of the universe, ordering all things, like a human artificer, by number and weight and measure. The mountains of the earth are as dust in the scales of the Infinite.

Verses 12-31. - THE MIGHT AND GREATNESS OF GOD CONTRASTED WITH THE WEAKNESS OF MAN AND THE FUTILITY OF IDOLS. If captive Israel is to be induced to turn' to God, and so hasten the time of its restoration to his favour and to its own land, it must be by rising to a worthy conception of the nature and attributes of the Almighty. The prophet, therefore, in the remainder of this chapter, paints in glorious language the power and greatness, and at the same time the mercy, of God, contrasting him with man (vers. 15-17, 23, 28-31), with idols (vers. 19, 20), and with the framework of material things (vers. 21, 22, 26), and showing his infinite superiority to each and all. In contrasting him with man, he takes occasion to bring into prominence his goodness and loving-kindness to man, to whom he imparts a portion of his own might and strength (vers. 29-31 ). Verse 12. - Who hath measured the waters? (comp. Proverbs 30:4 and Job 38:4-6). The might of God is especially shown in creation, which Isaiah assumes to be God's work. How infinitely above man must he be, who arranged in such perfection, "by measure and number and weight" (Wisd. 11:20), the earth, the waters, and the heavens, so proportioning each to each as to produce that admirable order and regularity which the intelligent observer cannot but note in the material universe as among its chief characteristics! In the hollow of his hand. The anthropomorphism is strong, no doubt, but softened by the preceding mention (in ver. 10) of God's "arm," and by the comparison of God to a shepherd (in ver. 11). Isaiah's exalted notion of God renders him fearless with regard to anthropomorphism. And meted out heaven with the span; rather, with a span (comp. Isaiah 48:13, "My right hand hath spanned the heavens"). And comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure; literally, in a tierce (as in the margin). The measure intended is probably the seah, which was the third part of an ephah, and held about three gallons. The seah was "the ordinary measure for household purposes." In scales... in a balance. The peles, here translated "scales," is probably the steelyard, while the mozenaim is "the balance" or "pair of scales" ordinarily used for weighing. God metes out all things with measures, scales, and balances of his own, which are proportioned to his greatness.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Who
מִֽי־ (mî-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4310: Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix

has measured
מָדַ֨ד (mā·ḏaḏ)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4058: To stretch, to measure, to be extended

the waters
מַ֗יִם (ma·yim)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4325: Water, juice, urine, semen

in the hollow of his hand,
בְּשָׁעֳל֜וֹ (bə·šā·‘o·lōw)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 8168: Hollow hand, handful

or marked off
תִּכֵּ֔ן (tik·kên)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 8505: To balance, measure out, arrange, equalize, levelling

the heavens
וְשָׁמַ֙יִם֙ (wə·šā·ma·yim)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8064: Heaven, sky

with the span of his hand?
בַּזֶּ֣רֶת (baz·ze·reṯ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2239: The spread of the fingers, a span

Who has held
וְכָ֥ל (wə·ḵāl)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3557: To keep in, to measure, to maintain

the dust
עֲפַ֣ר (‘ă·p̄ar)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6083: Dust, clay, earth, mud

of the earth
הָאָ֑רֶץ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

in a basket,
בַּשָּׁלִ֖שׁ (baš·šā·liš)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7991: A triple, a triangle, a three-fold measure, a general of the third rank

or weighed
וְשָׁקַ֤ל (wə·šā·qal)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 8254: To suspend, poise

the mountains
הָרִ֔ים (hā·rîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2022: Mountain, hill, hill country

on a scale
בַּפֶּ֙לֶס֙ (bap·pe·les)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6425: A balance, scale

and the hills
וּגְבָע֖וֹת (ū·ḡə·ḇā·‘ō·wṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 1389: A hillock

with a balance?
בְּמֹאזְנָֽיִם׃ (bə·mō·zə·nā·yim)
Preposition-b | Noun - md
Strong's 3976: A pair of scales


Links
Isaiah 40:12 NIV
Isaiah 40:12 NLT
Isaiah 40:12 ESV
Isaiah 40:12 NASB
Isaiah 40:12 KJV

Isaiah 40:12 Study Bible
Isaiah 40:12 Biblia Paralela
Isaiah 40:12 Chinese Bible
Isaiah 40:12 French Bible
Isaiah 40:12 Catholic Bible

OT Prophets: Isaiah 40:12 Who has measured the waters (Isa Isi Is)

AltStyle によって変換されたページ (->オリジナル) /