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Isaiah 40:20

He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved.

KJV

Forte lignum et imputribile elegit ; artifex sapiens quærit quomodo statuat simulacrum, quod non moveatur.

Vulgate

ξύλον γὰρ ἄσηπτον ἐκλέγεται τέκτων, καὶ σοφῶς ζητήσει πῶς στήσει αὐτοῦ εἰκόνα καὶ ἵνα μὴ σαλεύηται.

LXX

He that is too impoverished for such an oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a skilful workman to set up a graven image, that shall not be moved.

ASV

הַֽ/מְסֻכָּ֣ן תְּרוּמָ֔ה עֵ֥ץ לֹֽא יִרְקַ֖ב יִבְחָ֑ר חָרָ֤שׁ חָכָם֙ יְבַקֶּשׁ ל֔/וֹ לְ/הָכִ֥ין פֶּ֖סֶל לֹ֥א יִמּֽוֹט

Hebrew

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In the original Hebrew

12 distinct Hebrew words appear in this verse.

בַקֵּ֥שׁ
bqsh
verb · 225×
בָּחַ֣ר
bchr
verb · 168×
חָכָ֣ם
chkm
noun · 135×
חָרָ֖שׁ
chrsh
noun · 35×
יִמּֽוֹט
ymvt
verb · 39×
יִסָּ֥כֶן
yskn
verb · 2×
יִרְקַ֖ב
yrqb
verb · 2×
לֹ֣א
l'
proper_noun · 5171×
נָכ֣וֹן
nkvn
verb · 217×
עֵ֣ץ
'ts
noun · 324×
פָּ֑סֶל
psl
noun · 30×
תְּרוּמַ֣ת
trvmt
noun · 75×

Historic Christian voices

3 passages from patristic writers, Reformers, and church catechisms citing this verse.

Cross-references

  • Dan 5:23 — But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and
  • Isa 2:8 — Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:
  • Isa 41:7 — So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be mo
  • Isa 44:14 — He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it.
  • Isa 46:7 — They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of
  • Jer 10:3 — For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.