This verse begins the response to the questions in the previous one. It speaks about God as the Creator. The link between verses 21-22 is not immediately obvious. Good News Translation provides a link by beginning verse 22 with “It was made by…,” which connects with “how the world began” at the end of verse 21. Revised English Bible links these two verses by making the first two lines of verse 22 the direct object of the verbs in verse 21: “21 Do you not know … 22 that God sits enthroned….” Revised English Bible adds “God” to clarify who is in view here (also Contemporary English Version; similarly Bible en français courant with “The Lord”), but it seems the prophet deliberately avoided an explicit reference to God here. If possible, translators should do this also.

It is he who sits above the circle of the earth: This line is very poetic, referring to God on his throne above the world he has made. The Hebrew verb rendered sits can also mean “to dwell.” Most versions understand it here to mean that God sits on his throne as king, ruling his universe. Good News Translation is quite explicit with “sits on his throne” (similarly New International Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Bible en français courant). The Hebrew word rendered circle may refer either to the horizon of the earth or to the sky above it. It occurs also in Job 22.14 (where it is translated “vault”) and Pro 8.27, but these passages shed little light on its specific meaning. This line may be rendered “He is the one who dwells above the sky/firmament of the earth” or “He is the one who sits on a throne above the earth.” The first rendering is closer to the Hebrew text.

And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers describes how God, sitting above the universe, sees the human beings below. They are small and insignificant like grasshoppers. This simile may also point to the weakness of humans (compare Num 13.32-33). Grasshoppers are winged insects with six legs. Their third pair of legs is elongated, so they hop when they start to fly. They are known for eating plants. In cultures that do not have grasshoppers, translators may use another insect that is small. Even in cultures that do have them, translators may want to use another insect if readers misunderstand the point of comparison here to be destruction instead of smallness. For this reason Good News Translation and Bible en français courant use “ants.” For some languages it will be helpful to make the point of comparison by saying “and its inhabitants are small [or, weak] like grasshoppers/ants.”

Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain is a poetic description of God creating the sky (compare Psa 104.2). He put the sky into place like a person pulling a curtain across an opening. The phrase stretches out the heavens appears again in 42.5; 44.24; 45.12 and 51.13. The Hebrew word rendered curtain only occurs here in the Old Testament. It seems to refer to thin cloth that is used to separate parts of a tent into separate rooms. New American Bible says “veil.” The simile like a curtain refers to the way in which someone pulls a curtain across an opening in a tent. In a similar manner God “pulled” the blue sky into place. For this whole line Bible en français courant provides a helpful model with “He has spread out the sky as a big canvas/cloth.”

And spreads them like a tent to dwell in is parallel to the previous line. God spread out the sky like a person setting up a tent. The Hebrew verb rendered spreads only occurs here in the Old Testament. It has the same meaning as stretches out (see 42.5, where a synonymous word is parallel with stretches out). The simile like a tent refers to the way someone pitches a tent. In a similar manner God “pitched” the sky. For tent see the comments on 13.20 and 33.20. The phrase to dwell in simply describes the tent as a dwelling place.

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• He is the one who dwells above the earth’s circle,
and the earth’s inhabitants are as small as grasshoppers [to him].
He is the one who stretched out the heavens as someone stretches a curtain,
and spread them like someone pitching a tent in which to live.

• He is the one who sits [on his throne] above the earth’s sky,
and the earth’s inhabitants seem as tiny as insects [to him].
He is the one who stretched out the sky like a curtain,
and pitched it like a tent for dwelling.

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 .