Isaiah 40:26

40:26 Look up at the sky! ¹ 

Who created all these heavenly lights? ² 

He is the one who leads out their ranks; ³ 

he calls them all by name.

Because of his absolute power and awesome strength,

not one of them is missing.

Isaiah 45:18

45:18 For this is what the Lord says,

the one who created the sky –

he is the true God, ⁴ 

the one who formed the earth and made it;

he established it,

he did not create it without order, ⁵ 

he formed it to be inhabited –

“I am the Lord, I have no peer.

[40:26]  ¹ tn Heb “Lift on high your eyes and see.”

[40:26]  ² tn The words “heavenly lights” are supplied in the translation for clarification. See the following lines.

[40:26]  ³ tn Heb “the one who brings out by number their host.” The stars are here likened to a huge army that the Lord leads out. Perhaps the next line pictures God calling roll. If so, the final line may be indicating that none of them dares “go AWOL.” (“AWOL” is a military acronym for “absent without leave.”)

[45:18]  ⁴ tn Heb “he [is] the God.” The article here indicates uniqueness.

[45:18]  ⁵ tn Or “unformed.” Gen 1:2 describes the world as “unformed” (תֹהוּ, tohu) prior to God’s creative work, but God then formed the world and made it fit for habitation.