Lexical Summary mar: Bitter Original Word: מַר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance drop From marar in its original sense of distillation; a drop -- drop. see HEBREW marar NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition a drop NASB Translation drop (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs II. [מַר] noun [masculine] drop, only גּוֺיִם כְּמַר מִדְּלִי Isaiah 40:15 nations are like a drop hanging from a bucket. Topical Lexicon Biblical contextIsaiah 40:15 is situated within the larger oracle of comfort that begins with “Comfort, comfort My people” (Isaiah 40:1). As the exile loomed and the people’s perspective of God had shrunk, the prophet broadened their vision: “Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket” (Isaiah 40:15). By employing מַר, Isaiah reduces the combined might of every empire to a single droplet falling from a water-carrier’s pail. In the alternating cadence of consolation and confrontation that characterizes Isaiah 40, this vivid comparison magnifies God’s sovereignty and exposes the pretension of human power. Theological significance of the “drop” metaphor 1. God’s incomparability. The infinitesimal size of a drop juxtaposed with the immensity of the “Holy One” (Isaiah 40:25) underscores that no political confederacy or cultural achievement can rival the Creator. Historical and cultural background Ancient water-carriers often transported large clay jars or leather skins. A slight slosh that spilled over the rim would evaporate on the dry ground, unnoticed and unrecovered. Isaiah’s audience, familiar with the value of every drop in an arid land, would perceive the insignificance Isaiah intended. The imagery also engages the ancient Near-Eastern practice of weighing trade goods: “they are regarded as dust on the scales” (Isaiah 40:15). Together, the drop and the dust nullify any claim that geopolitical forces can thwart God’s redemptive agenda. Intertextual echoes Though מַר appears only here, Scripture frequently employs the motif of a small “drop” to display God’s power: • Deuteronomy 32:2 – “Let my teaching fall as rain, my speech drop as the dew.” Each passage, using different Hebrew terms, enriches Isaiah’s proclamation: from revelation (Deuteronomy) to mortality (2 Samuel) to providence (Job), God presides over every particle of liquid. Ministry applications • Worship: Meditating on Isaiah 40:15 leads believers to exalt God above cultural, political, or personal anxieties. Christological perspective Isaiah’s message culminates in the revelation of the Servant who will “bring justice to the nations” (Isaiah 42:1). The One before whom emperors shrink to a drop is also the Good Shepherd who “gathers the lambs in His arms” (Isaiah 40:11). In Jesus Christ, the grandeur of deity and the gentleness of redemption meet. The “nations” reduced to a drop are the same nations He purchases with His blood (Revelation 5:9). Practical reflection When believers grasp that the Lord holds the oceans in the hollow of His hand (Isaiah 40:12) and counts the nations as a drop, personal fears and communal challenges recede. Prayer, preaching, and daily obedience are emboldened by the certainty that God’s purposes prevail irresistibly. Suggestions for further study • Trace God’s sovereignty over nations in Isaiah 13–23; Jeremiah 46–51; Daniel 2; Acts 17:26–31. Forms and Transliterations כְּמַ֣ר כמר kə·mar keMar kəmarLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Isaiah 40:15 HEB: הֵ֤ן גּוֹיִם֙ כְּמַ֣ר מִדְּלִ֔י וּכְשַׁ֥חַק NAS: the nations are like a drop from a bucket, KJV: Behold, the nations [are] as a drop of a bucket, INT: Behold the nations A drop A bucket A speck |
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