A second question follows in Isaiah 40:13, Isaiah 40:14. "Who regulated the Spirit of Jehovah, and (who) instructed Him as His counsellor? With whom took He counsel, and who would have explained to Him and instructed Him concerning the path of right, and taught Him knowledge, and made known to Him a prudent course?" The first question called to mind the omnipotence of Jehovah; this recalls His omniscience, which has all fulness in itself, and therefore precludes all instruction from without. "The Spirit of Jehovah" is the Spirit which moved upon the waters at the creation, and by which chaos was reduced to order. "Who," inquires this prophet - "who furnished this Spirit with the standard, according to which all this was to be done?" תּכּן as in Isaiah 40:12, to bring into conformity with rule, and so to fit for regulated working. Instead of mercha tifchah athnach, which suggests the Targum rendering, "quis direxit spiritum? Jehova" (vid., Proverbs 16:2), it would be more correct to adopt the accentuation tifchah munach athnach (cf., Exodus 21:24; Exodus 23:9), and there are certain codices in which we find this (see Dachselt). In Isaiah 40:13 we might follow the Septuagint translation, καὶ τίς αὐτοῦ σύμβουλος ἐγένετο ὃς σύμβιβᾶ (Romans 11:34; 1 Corinthians 2:16, συμβιβάσει) αὐτόν, but in this case we miss the verb היה. The rendering we have given above is not so harsh, and the accentuation is indifferent here, since silluk is never written without tifchahif only a single word precedes it. In Isaiah 40:14 the reciprocal נוע is connected with את equals אם. The futt. cons. retain their literal meaning: with whom did He consult, so that he supplied Him with understanding in consequence (hēbhı̄n, generally to understand, here in a causative sense). The verbs of instruction are sometimes construed with בּ of the lesson taught, sometimes with a double accusative. In reply to the questions in Isaiah 40:13, Isaiah 40:14, which are essentially one, Israel must acknowledge that its God is the possessor of absolute might, and also of absolute wisdom.

Isaiah 40:20 Parallel Commentaries

is so impoverished that he hath no oblation. Heb. is poor of oblation. chooseth

Isaiah 2:8,9 Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made...

Isaiah 44:13-19 The carpenter stretches out his rule; he marks it out with a line; he fits it with planes, and he marks it out with the compass...

Jeremiah 10:3,4 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cuts a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax...

Daniel 5:23 But have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before you, and you...

shall not

Isaiah 41:7 So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smoothes with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying...

Isaiah 46:7 They bear him on the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he stands; from his place shall he not remove: yes...

1 Samuel 5:3,4 And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen on his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD...