Yesaya 40:28

40:28 Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The Lord is an eternal God,

the creator of the whole earth. ¹ 

He does not get tired or weary;

there is no limit to his wisdom. ² 

Mazmur 89:12-14

89:12 You created the north and the south.

Tabor and Hermon ³  rejoice in your name.

89:13 Your arm is powerful,

your hand strong,

your right hand ⁴  victorious. ⁵ 

89:14 Equity and justice are the foundation of your throne. ⁶ 

Loyal love and faithfulness characterize your rule. ⁷ 

Yesaya 42:5

42:5 This is what the true God, ⁸  the Lord, says –

the one who created the sky and stretched it out,

the one who fashioned the earth and everything that lives on it, ⁹ 

the one who gives breath to the people on it,

and life to those who live on it: ¹⁰ 

[40:28]  ¹ tn Heb “the ends of the earth,” but this is a merism, where the earth’s extremities stand for its entirety, i.e., the extremities and everything in between them.

[40:28]  ² sn Exiled Israel’s complaint (v. 27) implies that God might be limited in some way. Perhaps he, like so many of the pagan gods, has died. Or perhaps his jurisdiction is limited to Judah and does not include Babylon. Maybe he is unable to devise an adequate plan to rescue his people, or is unable to execute it. But v. 28 affirms that he is not limited temporally or spatially nor is his power and wisdom restricted in any way. He can and will deliver his people, if they respond in hopeful faith (v. 31a).

[89:12]  ³ sn Tabor and Hermon were two of the most prominent mountains in Palestine.

[89:13]  ⁴ sn The Lord’s arm, hand, and right hand all symbolize his activities, especially his exploits in war.

[89:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “is lifted up.” The idiom “the right hand is lifted up” refers to victorious military deeds (see Pss 89:42; 118:16).

[89:14]  ⁶ sn The Lord’s throne symbolizes his kingship.

[89:14]  ⁷ tn Heb “are in front of your face.” The idiom can mean “confront” (Ps 17:13) or “meet, enter the presence of” (Ps 95:2).

[42:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “the God.” The definite article here indicates distinctiveness or uniqueness.

[42:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “and its offspring” (so NASB); NIV “all that comes out of it.”

[42:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and spirit [i.e., “breath”] to the ones walking in it” (NAB, NASB, and NRSV all similar).