Isaiah 40:14 Meaning and Explanation
“With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →God's understanding and right judgment are entirely His own; He learns from no one, needs no mentor.
The Context of Isaiah 40:14
The continuation and intensification of the rhetorical questions about God's self-sufficient wisdom and judgment.
What Does Isaiah 40:14 Mean?
The questions pile on, each one more emphatic than the last. With whom did God take counsel? No one. Who instructed Him? No one. Who taught Him the path of judgment? No one. God's capacity to judge rightly, His knowledge, His understanding are not acquired from outside sources. They are inherent to His nature. The effect of these accumulating questions is to strip away any doubt: God is utterly self-sufficient. He does not operate from a manual written by someone else. His judgments are not the product of consultation with subordinates.
In the context of Isaiah 40, this matters profoundly for the exiles. God's decision to restore them, to send them home, to end their exile is not a compromise or a grudging concession wrung from Him by some other party. It is an expression of His own justice and wisdom. When God says they will return, that decision rests on His infinite knowledge, not on mere sentiment.
Isaiah 40:14 in the Original Language
mishpat (Hebrew), 'judgment/justice/the way things should be' -- right ordering, the standard by which all things are measured
Where Isaiah 40:14 Echoes in Scripture
Deuteronomy 32:4 declares God's judgments perfect and all His ways just; Psalm 147:4-5 celebrates God's infinite understanding
How to Apply Isaiah 40:14 Today
God does not need your advice or anyone else's. His judgment is right. Entrust your cause to His wisdom.