This verse highlights the contrast between humans and Yahweh. In verse 5 the prophet encouraged Israel to walk in Yahweh’s light; now he advises them to turn away from relying on human beings. He tells them it is foolish to trust in people who are so proud of their pathetic achievements. Instead they should put their confidence in the exalted Yahweh (verses 11, 17). The verse stands alone as a concluding warning. Translators may mark this by placing a blank line before it (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Bible en français courant) or by beginning a new paragraph here (Good News Translation).

Turn away from man: The Hebrew verb used here is the same as that found in 1.16, where it is rendered “remove.” For this line Revised English Bible suggests “Do not rely on mere mortals,” while New Jerusalem Bible has “Have no more to do with humankind.” Good News Translation says “Put no more confidence in mortals.” All these models are good.

In whose nostrils is breath refers back to the creation of mankind in Gen 2.7, but it is also a metaphor expressing the fragile quality of life and human weakness. The prophet is presenting human beings as God’s creatures and therefore as far less worthy of trust than Yahweh the Creator. Good News Translation renders this whole line through the use of the simple term “mortals.” This is an inadequate model since the Hebrew text marks breath as having special significance by saying “it is only breath that is in his nostrils.” Better models are Bible en français courant “his life is nothing more than a breath” and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “They [people] are nothing but a whiff [of air].”

For of what account is he?: This rhetorical question emphasizes that a human being has little real value (compare Psa 8.4). The pronoun he refers to man in the first line. This reflects the customary Israelite male form of speech, but the meaning here clearly includes all human beings. (Note New Jerusalem Bible, however, which assumes the pronoun refers to “breath” by saying “How much is this worth?”) In languages that distinguish gender in singular pronouns, it is best to use a plural pronoun that includes both men and women; for example, the question may be rendered “for what real worth do they have?” In languages that do not favor the use of rhetorical questions, translators may say “for they are of little account,” “for they are of limited worth,” or “People are of very little account [or, have very little value].”

Possible models for this verse are:

• Don’t put your faith in people,
they are merely a puff of breath after all.
What value do they have?

• Don’t trust in human beings
whose lives are nothing more than breath [or, air],
for they are of limited worth.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .