King James Version

Isaiah 40:15

Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.

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Hebrew

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הֵ֤ןhenifהֵןparticle, demonstrative — “if”H2005lo!; also (as expressing surprise) ifbehold, if, lo, though.גּוֹיִם֙goyimGentileגּוֹיnoun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “Gentile”, the ordinary formH1471a foreign nation; hence, a Gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locustsGentile, heathen, nation, people.כְּמַ֣רkemaras dropמַרpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “as drop”, the ordinary formH4752a dropdrop.מִדְּלִ֔יmidlifrom bucketדְּלִיpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “from bucket”, the ordinary formH1805a pail or jar (for drawing water)bucket.וּכְשַׁ֥חַקukheshachaqand as small dustשַׁחַקconjunction, preposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “and as small dust”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH7834a powder (as beaten small); by analogy, a thin vapor; by extension, the firmamentcloud, small dust, heaven, sky.מֹאזְנַ֖יִםmoznayimbalancesמֹאזֵןnoun, common, masculine, dual, absolute — “balances”, the ordinary formH3976(only in the dual) a pair of scalesbalances.נֶחְשָׁ֑בוּnechshavvregardחָשַׁבverb, niphal, perfect, 3rd person, common, plural — “regard”, a completed actionH2803properly, to plait or interpenetrate, i.e. (literally) to weave or (generally) to fabricate; figuratively, to plot or contrive (usually in a malicious sense); hence (from the mental effort) to think, regard, value, compute(make) account (of), conceive, consider, count, cunning (man, work, workman), devise, esteem, find out, forecast, hold, imagine, impute, invent, be like, mean, purpose, reckon(-ing be made), regard, think.הֵ֥ןhenifהֵןparticle, demonstrative — “if”H2005lo!; also (as expressing surprise) ifbehold, if, lo, though.אִיִּ֖יםiyimislandאִיnoun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “island”, the ordinary formH339properly, a habitable spot (as desirable); dry land, a coast, an islandcountry, isle, island.כַּדַּ֥קkadaqas smallדַּקpreposition, with the article, adjective, adjective, masculine, singular, absolute — “as small”, the ordinary formH1851crushed, i.e. (by implication) small or thindwarf, lean(-fleshed), very little thing, small, thin.יִטּֽוֹלyitolbearנָטַלverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “bear”, an unfinished actionH5190to lift; by implication, to imposebear, offer, take up.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance; behold the isles are as a mote in weight.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are accounted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.

Young’s Literal Translation

Lo, nations as a drop from a bucket, And as small dust of the balance, have been reckoned, Lo, isles as a small thing He taketh up.

World English Bible

Behold, the nations are like a drop in a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on a balance. Behold, he lifts up the islands like a very little thing.

Darby Translation

Behold, the nations are esteemed as a drop of the bucket, and as the fine dust on the scales; behold, he taketh up the isles as an atom.

Douay-Rheims

Behold the Gentiles are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the smallest grain of a balance: behold the islands are as a little dust.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance; behold the isles are as a mote in weight.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

since all the nations are counted as a drop from a bucket, and as the turning of a balance, and shall be counted as spittle?

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Εἰ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ὡς σταγὼν ἀπὸ κάδου, καὶ ὡς ῥοπὴ ζυγοῦ ἐλογίσθησαν, ὡς σίελος λογισθήσονται;