Isa 40:12 | NET2full | STEP | Who has measured out the waters in the hollow of his hand , or carefully measured the sky , or carefully weighed the soil of the earth , or weighed the mountains in a balance , or the hills on scales ?

‏ Isaiah 40:12

12 Who has measured out the waters ^{▼▼tn The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has מי ים (“waters of the sea”), a reading followed by NAB.} in the hollow of his hand,
or carefully ^{▼▼tn Heb “with a span.” A “span” was the distance between the ends of the thumb and the little finger of the spread hand” (BDB 285 s.v. זֶרֶת).} measured the sky, ^{▼▼tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.}
or carefully weighed ^{▼▼tn Heb “or weighed by a third part [of a measure].”} the soil of the earth,
or weighed the mountains in a balance,
or the hills on scales? ^{▼▼sn The implied answer to the rhetorical questions of v. 12 is, “No one but the Lord.” The Lord, and no other, created the world. Like a merchant weighing out silver or commodities on a scale, the Lord established the various components of the physical universe in precise proportions.}