King James Version

Isaiah 40:17

All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

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Hebrew

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כָּלkalallכֹּלnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “all”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3605properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).הַגּוֹיִ֖םhagoyimthe Gentileגּוֹיdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “the Gentile”, the ordinary formH1471a foreign nation; hence, a Gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locustsGentile, heathen, nation, people.כְּאַ֣יִןkeayinas elseאַיִןpreposition, particle, negative — “as else”H369a non-entity; generally used as a negative particleelse, except, fail, (father-) less, be gone, in(-curable), neither, never, no (where), none, nor, (any, thing), not, nothing, to nought, past, un(-searchable), well-nigh, without. Compare H370 (אַיִן).נֶגְדּ֑וֹnegdvoagainstנֶגֶדpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “against”H5048a front, i.e. part opposite; specifically a counterpart, or mate; usually (adverbial, especially with preposition) over against or beforeabout, (over) against, [idiom] aloof, [idiom] far (off), [idiom] from, over, presence, [idiom] other side, sight, [idiom] to view.מֵאֶ֥פֶסmeefesfrom ankleאֶפֶסpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “from ankle”, the ordinary formH657cessation, i.e. an end (especially of the earth); often used adverb, no further; also the ankle (in the dual), as being the extremity of the leg or footankle, but (only), end, howbeit, less than nothing, nevertheless (where), no, none (beside), not (any, -withstanding), thing of nought, save(-ing), there, uttermost part, want, without (cause).וָתֹ֖הוּvatohvand vainתֹּהוּconjunction, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “and vain”, the ordinary formH8414a desolation (of surface), i.e. desert; figuratively, a worthless thing; adverbially, in vainconfusion, empty place, without form, nothing, (thing of) nought, vain, vanity, waste, wilderness.נֶחְשְׁבוּnechshevvregardחָשַׁבverb, 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.לֽוֹlvotoלֽוֹpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “to”to

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

All the nations are as nothing before Him; they are accounted by Him as things of nought, and vanity.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

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

American Standard Version (1901)

All the nations are as nothing before him; they are accounted by him as less than nothing, and vanity.

Young’s Literal Translation

All the nations [are] as nothing before Him, Less than nothing and emptiness, They have been reckoned to Him.

World English Bible

All the nations are like nothing before him. They are regarded by him as less than nothing, and vanity.

Darby Translation

All the nations are as nothing before him; they are esteemed by him less than a cipher, and vanity.

Douay-Rheims

All nations are before him as if they had no being at all, and are counted to him as nothing, and vanity.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

All the nations are as nothing before Him; they are accounted by Him as things of nought, and vanity.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

and all the nations are as nothing, and counted as nothing.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

καὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ὡς οὐδέν εἰσι, καὶ εἰς οὐθὲν ἐλογίσθησαν.