The Meaning of Isaiah 40:18 Explained

Isaiah 40:18

KJV: To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?

YLT: And unto whom do ye liken God, And what likeness do ye compare to Him?

Darby: To whom then will ye liken God? and what likeness will ye compare unto him?

ASV: To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

To whom then will ye liken  God?  or what likeness  will ye compare  unto him? 

What does Isaiah 40:18 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The transcendent God (Heb. "el) is incomparable; no one and nothing approaches Him in His greatness and glory.

Context Summary

Isaiah 40:18-31 - The Everlasting God The Giver Of Strength
Day changes to night, and as the twilight deepens, the stars come out in their myriads, Isaiah 40:26. To the poetic eye of the watcher, they appear as a vast flock following the shepherd, who calls each by its name. Not one falls out of its place, or is lacking. Will Jehovah do so much for stars and nought for men? Will He not have a name for each? Will He not guard and guide each? If He has sustained the orbs of light in their mighty rounds, will He fail the poor soul that clings to His feet?
They that wait on God change their strength. In their earliest days they rely on the energy and vigor of youth, on their blameless, unstained character, in the consciousness of their glorious manhood; but as years pass, they come to count all these as refuse in comparison with Jesus Christ the Lord, Philippians 3:8. Notice the order in Isaiah 40:31! At first sight we should have expected that it would advance from walking to running, and so to flying. But that order is reversed. It is more difficult to walk than to mount! Every cyclist will tell you that the hardest task is to keep your cycle at walking pace. [source]

Chapter Summary: 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

What do the individual words in Isaiah 40:18 mean?

Then to whom will you liken God Or what likeness will you compare to Him
וְאֶל־ מִ֖י תְּדַמְּי֣וּן ؟ אֵ֑ל וּמַה־ דְּמ֖וּת תַּ֥עַרְכוּ לֽוֹ

וְאֶל־  Then  to 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
מִ֖י  whom 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: מִי  
Sense: who?, whose?, whom?, would that, whoever, whosoever.
תְּדַמְּי֣וּן  will  you  liken 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, second person masculine plural, Paragogic nun
Root: דָּמָה  
Sense: to be like, resemble.
؟ אֵ֑ל  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֵל 
Sense: god, god-like one, mighty one.
וּמַה־  Or  what 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interrogative
Root: לָמָּה 
Sense: what, how, of what kind.
דְּמ֖וּת  likeness 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: דְּמוּת  
Sense: likeness, similitude adv.
תַּ֥עַרְכוּ  will  you  compare 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: עָרַךְ  
Sense: to arrange, set or put or lay in order, set in array, prepare, order, ordain, handle, furnish, esteem, equal, direct, compare.
לֽוֹ  to  Him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular