Isaiah 40:20 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 40:20 mean?

Isaiah 40:20 describes a person with little money arranging for a wooden image to be made as an object of worship. The verse draws attention to the care and human skill needed to make the image durable and keep it standing.

The description follows the picture of a metal-covered image in verse 19. Here, the person chooses wood that will resist decay and looks for someone skilled enough to shape it. The final phrase pictures an image set firmly in place.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 40:20

• “cunning” — חָכָם (ḥakham): This word can mean wise or skilled. Here it describes a worker with the practical ability to make an image.
• “graven image” — פֶּסֶל (pesel): This means a carved image. The word helps explain why the person seeks a craftsman to work the chosen wood.
• “moved” — מוּט (mut): This can carry the sense of tottering or being shaken. The phrase points to an image made stable enough to stay upright.

Why Isaiah 40:20 matters

• The verse includes a person of limited means in its picture of image-making. “So impoverished” identifies someone who cannot afford the offering described in the KJV, yet still seeks materials and skilled labor.
• The image’s stability depends on choices made by people. The person selects wood that “will not rot” and seeks a worker to prepare an image “that shall not be moved.”
• The description belongs to a comparison about God. In verse 18, the speaker asks what likeness could be compared to God; verses 19–20 then describe likenesses made by human hands.