Isaiah · The Prophet

Isaiah · Chapter 40יְשַׁעְיָהוּ

The incomparable God comforts His exiled people with promises of deliverance and restoration.

Comfort begins with a declaration of pardon. Isaiah 40 opens the second major section of the book with God's command to console Jerusalem, announcing that her exile is ending and her sins are paid for. The chapter contrasts human frailty with God's eternal power, establishing that the Creator who measures oceans and moves nations will personally shepherd His people home. This theological foundation—God's absolute sovereignty and tender care—answers Israel's despair and prepares them for the salvation to come.

Isaiah 40:1-11

Comfort and the Coming of the Lord

LSB Text

¹"Comfort, O comfort My people," says your God. ²"Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and call out to her, that her warfare has ended, that her iniquity has been satisfied, that she has received of Yahweh's hand double for all her sins." ³A voice is calling out, "Clear the way for Yahweh in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. ⁴Let every valley be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; and let the rough ground become a plain, and the rugged terrain a broad valley; ⁵then the glory of Yahweh will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together; for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken." ⁶A voice is saying, "Call out." Then he said, "What shall I call out?" All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. ⁷The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of Yahweh blows upon it; surely the people are grass. ⁸The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. ⁹Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, "Behold, your God!" ¹⁰Behold, Lord Yahweh will come with might, with His arm ruling for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him. ¹¹Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, in His arm He will gather the lambs and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.

Greek Text

¹נַחֲמוּ נַחֲמוּ עַמִּי יֹאמַר אֱלֹהֵיכֶם׃ ²דַּבְּרוּ עַל־לֵב יְרוּשָׁלִַם וְקִרְאוּ אֵלֶיהָ כִּי מָלְאָה צְבָאָהּ כִּי נִרְצָה עֲוֺנָהּ כִּי לָקְחָה מִיַּד יְהוָה כִּפְלַיִם בְּכָל־חַטֹּאתֶיהָ׃ ³קוֹל קוֹרֵא בַּמִּדְבָּר פַּנּוּ דֶּרֶךְ יְהוָה יַשְּׁרוּ בָּעֲרָבָה מְסִלָּה לֵאלֹהֵינוּ׃ ⁴כָּל־גֶּיא יִנָּשֵׂא וְכָל־הַר וְגִבְעָה יִשְׁפָּלוּ וְהָיָה הֶעָקֹב לְמִישׁוֹר וְהָרְכָסִים לְבִקְעָה׃ ⁵וְנִגְלָה כְּבוֹד יְהוָה וְרָאוּ כָל־בָּשָׂר יַחְדָּו כִּי פִּי יְהוָה דִּבֵּר׃ ⁶קוֹל אֹמֵר קְרָא וְאָמַר מָה אֶקְרָא כָּל־הַבָּשָׂר חָצִיר וְכָל־חַסְדּוֹ כְּצִיץ הַשָּׂדֶה׃ ⁷יָבֵשׁ חָצִיר נָבֵל צִיץ כִּי רוּחַ יְהוָה נָשְׁבָה בּוֹ אָכֵן חָצִיר הָעָם׃ ⁸יָבֵשׁ חָצִיר נָבֵל צִיץ וּדְבַר־אֱלֹהֵינוּ יָקוּם לְעוֹלָם׃ ⁹עַל הַר־גָּבֹהַּ עֲלִי־לָךְ מְבַשֶּׂרֶת צִיּוֹן הָרִימִי בַכֹּחַ קוֹלֵךְ מְבַשֶּׂרֶת יְרוּשָׁלִָם הָרִימִי אַל־תִּירָאִי אִמְרִי לְעָרֵי יְהוּדָה הִנֵּה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם׃ ¹⁰הִנֵּה אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה בְּחָזָק יָבוֹא וּזְרֹעוֹ מֹשְׁלָה לוֹ הִנֵּה שְׂכָרוֹ אִתּוֹ וּפְעֻלָּתוֹ לְפָנָיו׃ ¹¹כְּרֹעֶה עֶדְרוֹ יִרְעֶה בִּזְרֹעוֹ יְקַבֵּץ טְלָאִים וּבְחֵיקוֹ יִשָּׂא עָלוֹת יְנַהֵל׃

¹naḥămû naḥămû ʿammî yōʾmar ʾĕlōhêkem. ²dabbĕrû ʿal-lēb yĕrûšālaim wĕqirʾû ʾēleyhā kî mālĕʾâ ṣĕbāʾāh kî nirṣâ ʿăwōnāh kî lāqĕḥâ miyyad yhwh kiplayim bĕkol-ḥaṭṭōʾteyhā. ³qôl qôrēʾ bammidbār pannû derek yhwh yaššĕrû bāʿărābâ mĕsillâ lēʾlōhênû. ⁴kol-gêʾ yinnāśēʾ wĕkol-har wĕgibʿâ yišpālû wĕhāyâ heʿāqōb lĕmîšôr wĕhārĕkāsîm lĕbiqʿâ. ⁵wĕniglâ kĕbôd yhwh wĕrāʾû kol-bāśār yaḥdāw kî pî yhwh dibbēr. ⁶qôl ʾōmēr qĕrāʾ wĕʾāmar mâ ʾeqrāʾ kol-habbāśār ḥāṣîr wĕkol-ḥasdô kĕṣîṣ haśśādeh. ⁷yābēš ḥāṣîr nābēl ṣîṣ kî rûaḥ yhwh nāšĕbâ bô ʾākēn ḥāṣîr hāʿām. ⁸yābēš ḥāṣîr nābēl ṣîṣ ûdĕbar-ʾĕlōhênû yāqûm lĕʿôlām. ⁹ʿal har-gābōaḥ ʿălî-lāk mĕbaśśeret ṣiyyôn hārîmî bakōaḥ qôlēk mĕbaśśeret yĕrûšālaim hārîmî ʾal-tîrāʾî ʾimrî lĕʿārê yĕhûdâ hinnēh ʾĕlōhêkem. ¹⁰hinnēh ʾădōnāy yhwh bĕḥāzāq yābôʾ ûzĕrōʿô mōšĕlâ lô hinnēh śĕkārô ʾittô ûpĕʿullātô lĕpānāyw. ¹¹kĕrōʿeh ʿedrô yirʿeh bizrōʿô yĕqabbēṣ ṭĕlāʾîm ûbĕḥêqô yiśśāʾ ʿālôt yĕnahēl.

Key Words

נָחַם nāḥam to comfort / console / have compassion

The Piel intensive form (naḥămû) appears twice in verse 1, creating an emphatic doubling that signals the end of judgment and the beginning of restoration. The root nḥm carries a range of meanings from "comfort" to "repent" to "be sorry," depending on context and stem. Here the Piel conveys active, intentional consolation—God commanding His prophets to speak tenderly to a people who have endured exile. This verb will echo through the New Testament in the paraklēsis word-group, where the Holy Spirit is called the Paraclete, the Comforter. The doubled imperative is not mere repetition but Hebrew intensification, underscoring the urgency and certainty of God's compassionate turn toward His covenant people.

צָבָא ṣābāʾ warfare / hard service / appointed time

Derived from the root meaning "to wage war" or "to serve," ṣābāʾ in verse 2 refers to Jerusalem's period of compulsory military service or hard labor—a metaphor for the Babylonian exile. The term is used elsewhere for the service of Levites in the tabernacle and for the host of heaven (ṣĕbāʾôt, as in "Yahweh of hosts"). Here it captures the grueling, enforced nature of exile as a kind of penal servitude that has now reached its divinely appointed end. The declaration that her ṣābāʾ "has ended" (mālĕʾâ, "is fulfilled/completed") announces not merely the passage of time but the satisfaction of a judicial sentence, preparing the way for the announcement of pardon in the next clause.

רָצָה rāṣâ to be pleased with / to accept favorably / to make amends

The Niphal form nirṣâ in verse 2 indicates that Jerusalem's iniquity "has been accepted" or "paid for"—a term drawn from the sacrificial system where an offering is "accepted" by God as satisfactory atonement. The root rṣh appears in Leviticus when a sacrifice is deemed acceptable (rāṣôn) before Yahweh. Isaiah's use here is forensic: the debt of sin has been settled, the penalty served. This is not cheap grace but costly satisfaction—the double portion received "from Yahweh's hand" suggests not excessive punishment but complete, unmistakable payment. The passive voice (Niphal) emphasizes divine initiative: God Himself has accepted the atonement, foreshadowing the ultimate satisfaction accomplished in the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53.

כָּבוֹד kābôd glory / weight / honor

From the root kbd, meaning "to be heavy," kābôd denotes the weighty, substantial presence of God—His manifest glory. In verse 5, the promise that "the glory of Yahweh will be revealed" (wĕniglâ kĕbôd yhwh) recalls the Shekinah glory that filled the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-35) and the temple (1 Kings 8:10-11). The Niphal verb niglâ ("will be revealed") is passive, indicating divine self-disclosure rather than human discovery. This is theophany language: God will make Himself visible in a way that "all flesh will see together." The New Testament sees this prophecy fulfilled in the incarnation (John 1:14, "we beheld His glory") and anticipates its consummation in the parousia when every eye will see Him (Revelation 1:7).

חָצִיר ḥāṣîr grass / green herb

A common term for grass or vegetation, ḥāṣîr becomes in verses 6-8 the central metaphor for human frailty and mortality. The image is drawn from the Palestinian climate where spring grass flourishes briefly after winter rains, then withers under the scorching east wind (the rûaḥ yhwh, "breath of Yahweh"). The contrast is stark: "all flesh is grass" but "the word of our God stands forever." Peter quotes this passage in 1 Peter 1:24-25 to ground Christian hope not in human achievement or endurance but in the imperishable seed of God's living and abiding word. The metaphor democratizes mortality—kings and peasants alike are ḥāṣîr—while exalting the eternal stability of divine revelation.

בָּשַׂר bāśar to bring good news / to announce glad tidings

The Piel participle mĕbaśśeret (feminine singular) in verse 9 means "one who brings good news"—the herald of gospel. This is the root from which we derive the term "gospel" (via Greek euangelion). In Isaiah's context, Zion herself is personified as the herald, commanded to ascend a high mountain and proclaim to the cities of Judah, "Behold, your God!" The verb bśr appears throughout the latter half of Isaiah (52:7, 61:1) and becomes programmatic for understanding the mission of the Messiah. Jesus applies Isaiah 61:1 ("to bring good news to the afflicted") to Himself in Luke 4:18. The gospel is not abstract doctrine but concrete announcement: the King has come, the exile is over, God is here.

רָעָה rāʿâ to shepherd / to pasture / to tend

The verb rāʿâ in verse 11 portrays Yahweh as shepherd (rōʿeh), a royal metaphor throughout the ancient Near East but uniquely personalized in Israel's Scriptures. The shepherd imagery combines authority (the arm that rules, v. 10) with tenderness (gathering lambs in His bosom, gently leading nursing ewes). This is not the absentee deity of Deism but the covenant Lord who knows His flock by name. Psalm 23 and Ezekiel 34 develop this theme extensively, and Jesus claims the title explicitly in John 10:11-14 ("I am the good shepherd"). The juxtaposition of verses 10-11—God coming "with might" yet tending His flock with gentleness—captures the paradox of divine sovereignty and compassion that defines biblical theology.

Grammar & Argument

Isaiah 40 opens the so-called "Book of Comfort" (chapters 40-66) with a dramatic shift in tone and structure. The imperative verbs in verses 1-2 are plural, addressed not to Isaiah alone but to a heavenly council or prophetic company: "Comfort, comfort... speak... call out." The doubled imperative (naḥămû naḥămû) is not redundant but emphatic, a rhetorical device signaling the intensity and certainty of God's compassionate turn. The threefold kî clauses in verse 2 ("that her warfare has ended, that her iniquity has been satisfied, that she has received...") build a legal case for comfort, each clause providing grounds for the announcement of pardon. The structure moves from completed judgment (warfare ended) to accepted atonement (iniquity satisfied) to full payment (double received), creating a crescendo of assurance.

Verses 3-5 introduce an anonymous "voice" (qôl) calling for highway preparation in the wilderness—a reversal of the exodus motif where Israel journeyed from Egypt through the desert to Canaan. Now the highway runs the opposite direction, from Babylon back to Zion, but more profoundly it is a highway "for Yahweh" and "for our God." The landscape transformation (valleys lifted, mountains lowered, rough ground smoothed) is cosmic in scope, suggesting not merely civil engineering but eschatological renewal. The passive verbs (yinnāśēʾ, yišpālû) indicate divine agency: God Himself will level the obstacles. The climax in verse 5—"the glory of Yahweh will be revealed"—shifts from geography to theophany, from road-building to revelation. The phrase "all flesh will see it together" universalizes the vision beyond Israel to encompass the nations, a theme Isaiah will develop throughout these chapters.

Verses 6-8 present a second anonymous voice, this time engaging in dialogue. The command "Call out" receives the response "What shall I call out?"—a question that frames the central contrast of the passage. The answer is a meditation on mortality: "All flesh is grass." The repetition of "the grass withers, the flower fades" (vv. 7-8) creates a refrain that hammers home human transience, but the final line breaks the pattern: "but the word of our God stands forever." The rûaḥ yhwh (breath/wind/Spirit of Yahweh) that causes withering is the same divine breath that spoke creation into being (Genesis 1:2) and will breathe new life into dry bones (Ezekiel 37). The contrast is not between nature and supernature but between creature and Creator, between the contingent and the absolute.

Verses 9-11 return to the imperative mood with a commission to Zion/Jerusalem (personified as feminine herald) to announce the arrival of God. The fourfold "Behold" (hinnēh) in verses 9-10 functions as a dramatic pointer, directing attention to the spectacle of divine advent. Verse 10 presents Yahweh as conquering king ("with might," "His arm ruling"), while verse 11 immediately softens the image to shepherd gathering lambs. This juxtaposition is deliberate and profound: the God who comes in strength is the same God who carries the weak in His bosom. The shepherd imagery draws on ancient Near Eastern royal ideology but subverts it—this King does not merely rule from a distance but personally tends His flock. The verb yĕnahēl ("He will gently lead") in verse 11 is a Piel form suggesting careful, sustained guidance, particularly for the vulnerable nursing ewes. The grammar

Isaiah 40:12-26

The Incomparable God of Creation

LSB Text

¹²Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And measured the heavens by the span, And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales? ¹³Who has directed the Spirit of Yahweh, Or as His counselor has informed Him? ¹⁴With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge And made Him know the way of understanding? ¹⁵Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are regarded as the dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust. ¹⁶Even Lebanon is not enough to burn, Nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering. ¹⁷All the nations are as nothing before Him, They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless. ¹⁸To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him? ¹⁹As for the idol, a craftsman casts it, A goldsmith plates it with gold, And a silversmith fashions chains of silver. ²⁰He who is too impoverished for such an offering Selects timber that will not rot; He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman To set up an idol that will not totter. ²¹Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? ²²It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. ²³He it is who reduces rulers to nothing, Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless. ²⁴Scarcely have they been planted, Scarcely have they been sown, Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, But He merely blows on them, and they wither, And the storm wind carries them away like stubble. ²⁵To whom then will you liken Me That I would be his equal? says the Holy One. ²⁶Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing.

Greek Text

¹²מִֽי־מָדַ֨ד בְּשָׁעֳל֜וֹ מַ֗יִם וְשָׁמַ֙יִם֙ בַּזֶּ֣רֶת תִּכֵּ֔ן וְכָ֥ל בַּשָּׁלִ֖שׁ עֲפַ֣ר הָאָ֑רֶץ וְשָׁקַ֤ל בַּפֶּ֙לֶס֙ הָרִ֔ים וּגְבָע֖וֹת בְּמֹאזְנָֽיִם׃ ¹³מִֽי־תִכֵּ֥ן אֶת־ר֖וּחַ יְהוָ֑ה וְאִ֥ישׁ עֲצָת֖וֹ יוֹדִיעֶֽנּוּ׃ ¹⁴אֶת־מִ֤י נוֹעָץ֙ וַיְבִינֵ֔הוּ וַֽיְלַמְּדֵ֖הוּ בְּאֹ֣רַח מִשְׁפָּ֑ט וַיְלַמְּדֵ֣הוּ דַ֔עַת וְדֶ֥רֶךְ תְּבוּנ֖וֹת יוֹדִיעֶֽנּוּ׃ ¹⁵הֵ֤ן גּוֹיִם֙ כְּמַ֣ר מִדְּלִ֔י וּכְשַׁ֥חַק מֹאזְנַ֖יִם נֶחְשָׁ֑בוּ הֵ֥ן אִיִּ֖ים כַּדַּ֥ק יִטּֽוֹל׃ ¹⁶וּלְבָנ֕וֹן אֵ֥ין דֵּ֖י בָּעֵ֑ר וְחַיָּת֔וֹ אֵ֥ין דֵּ֖י עוֹלָֽה׃ ¹⁷כָּל־הַגּוֹיִ֖ם כְּאַ֣יִן נֶגְדּ֑וֹ מֵאֶ֥פֶס וָתֹ֖הוּ נֶחְשְׁבוּ־לֽוֹ׃ ¹⁸וְאֶל־מִ֖י תְּדַמְּי֣וּן אֵ֑ל וּמַה־דְּמ֖וּת תַּ֥עַרְכוּ לֽוֹ׃ ¹⁹הַפֶּ֙סֶל֙ נָסַ֣ךְ חָרָ֔שׁ וְצֹרֵ֖ף בַּזָּהָ֣ב יְרַקְּעֶ֑נּוּ וּרְתֻק֥וֹת כֶּ֖סֶף צוֹרֵֽף׃ ²⁰הַֽמְסֻכָּ֣ן תְּרוּמָ֔ה עֵ֥ץ לֹֽא־יִרְקַ֖ב יִבְחָ֑ר חָרָ֤שׁ חָכָם֙ יְבַקֶּשׁ־ל֔וֹ לְהָכִ֥ין פֶּ֖סֶל לֹ֥א יִמּֽוֹט׃ ²¹הֲל֤וֹא תֵֽדְעוּ֙ הֲל֣וֹא תִשְׁמָ֔עוּ הֲל֛וֹא הֻגַּ֥ד מֵרֹ֖אשׁ לָכֶ֑ם הֲלוֹא֙ הֲבִ֣ינֹתֶ֔ם מוֹסְד֖וֹת הָאָֽרֶץ׃ ²²הַיֹּשֵׁב֙ עַל־ח֣וּג הָאָ֔רֶץ וְיֹשְׁבֶ֖יהָ כַּחֲגָבִ֑ים הַנּוֹטֶ֤ה כַדֹּק֙ שָׁמַ֔יִם וַיִּמְתָּחֵ֥ם כָּאֹ֖הֶל לָשָֽׁבֶת׃ ²³הַנּוֹתֵ֥ן רוֹזְנִ֖ים לְאָ֑יִן שֹׁ֥פְטֵי אֶ֖רֶץ כַּתֹּ֥הוּ עָשָֽׂה׃ ²⁴אַ֣ף בַּל־נִטָּ֗עוּ אַ֚ף בַּל־זֹרָ֔עוּ אַ֛ף בַּל־שֹׁרֵ֥שׁ בָּאָ֖רֶץ גִּזְעָ֑ם וְגַם־נָשַׁ֤ף בָּהֶם֙ וַיִּבָ֔שׁוּ וּסְעָרָ֖ה כַּקַּ֥שׁ תִּשָּׂאֵֽם׃ ²⁵וְאֶל־מִ֥י תְדַמְּי֖וּנִי וְאֶשְׁוֶ֑ה יֹאמַ֖ר קָדֽוֹשׁ׃ ²⁶שְׂאוּ־מָר֨וֹם עֵינֵיכֶ֤ם וּרְאוּ֙ מִי־בָרָ֣א אֵ֔לֶּה הַמּוֹצִ֥יא בְמִסְפָּ֖ר צְבָאָ֑ם לְכֻלָּם֙ בְּשֵׁ֣ם יִקְרָ֔א מֵרֹ֤ב אוֹנִים֙ וְאַמִּ֣יץ כֹּ֔חַ אִ֖ישׁ לֹ֥א נֶעְדָּֽר׃

¹²mî-mādad bešoʿŏlô mayim wešāmayim bazzereṯ tikkēn wəḵāl baššālîš ʿăp̄ar hāʾāreṣ wəšāqal bappeles hārîm ûḡəḇāʿôṯ bəmōʾzənāyim ¹³mî-ṯikkēn ʾeṯ-rûaḥ yhwh wəʾîš ʿăṣāṯô yôḏîʿennû ¹⁴ʾeṯ-mî nôʿāṣ wayəḇînēhû wayəlammədēhû bəʾōraḥ mišpāṭ wayəlammədēhû ḏaʿaṯ wəḏereḵ təḇûnôṯ yôḏîʿennû ¹⁵hēn gôyim kəmar middəlî ûḵəšaḥaq mōʾzənayim neḥšāḇû hēn ʾiyyîm kaddāq yiṭṭôl ¹⁶ûləḇānôn ʾên dê bāʿēr wəḥayyāṯô ʾên dê ʿôlâ ¹⁷kol-haggôyim kəʾayin negdô mēʾep̄es wāṯōhû neḥšəḇû-lô ¹⁸wəʾel-mî təḏamməyûn ʾēl ûmah-dəmûṯ taʿărəḵû lô ¹⁹happesēl nāsaḵ ḥārāš wəṣōrēp̄ bazzāhāḇ yəraqqəʿennû ûrəṯuqôṯ kesep̄ ṣôrēp̄ ²⁰haməsukkān tərûmâ ʿēṣ lōʾ-yirqaḇ yiḇḥār ḥārāš ḥāḵām yəḇaqqeš-lô ləhāḵîn pesēl lōʾ yimmôṭ ²¹hălôʾ ṯēḏəʿû hălôʾ ṯišməʿû hălôʾ huggaḏ mērōʾš lāḵem hălôʾ hăḇînōṯem môsəḏôṯ hāʾāreṣ ²²hayyōšēḇ ʿal-ḥûḡ hāʾāreṣ wəyōšəḇeyhā kaḥăḡāḇîm hannôṭeh ḵaddōq šāmayim wayyimtāḥēm kāʾōhel lāšāḇeṯ ²³hannôṯēn rôzənîmləʾāyin šōp̄əṭê ʾereṣ kattōhû ʿāśâ ²⁴ʾap̄ bal-niṭṭāʿû ʾap̄ bal-zōrāʿû ʾap̄ bal-šōrēš bāʾāreṣ gizʿām wəḡam-nāšap̄ bāhem wayyiḇāšû ûsəʿārâ kaqqaš tiśśāʾēm ²⁵wəʾel-mî ṯəḏamməyûnî wəʾešweh yōʾmar qāḏôš ²⁶śəʾû-mārôm ʿênêḵem ûrəʾû mî-ḇārāʾ ʾēlleh hammôṣîʾ ḇəmisp̄ār ṣəḇāʾām ləḵullām bəšēm yiqrāʾ mērōḇ ʾônîm wəʾammîṣ kōaḥ ʾîš lōʾ neʿdār

Key Words

מָדַד mādad to measure / to mete out

This verb denotes precise measurement, often with the connotation of sovereignty and control. In Isaiah 40:12, the rhetorical questions beginning with "Who has measured...?" establish Yahweh's incomparability by highlighting His unique capacity to quantify the cosmos. The term appears in contexts of divine judgment (Psalm 60:8) and creation ordinances (Job 28:25), underscoring God's meticulous ordering of reality. The hollow of His hand becomes the measuring cup for the seas—a vivid anthropomorphism that simultaneously reveals and conceals the transcendence of the Creator. No human counselor assisted in this cosmic architecture; the verb thus functions as a polemic against any notion of divine limitation or need.

רוּחַ rûaḥ spirit / wind / breath

A multivalent Hebrew noun that can denote wind, breath, or spirit depending on context. In verse 13, "the Spirit of Yahweh" (rûaḥ yhwh) refers to God's own animating presence and sovereign will. The question "Who has directed the Spirit of Yahweh?" expects the answer "no one," emphasizing divine autonomy. This same term appears in Genesis 1:2 where the Spirit hovers over the waters, linking creation and providence. The semantic range from physical breath to divine presence reflects Hebrew anthropology, where spirit is not a disembodied essence but the life-force that animates all creatures. Isaiah's use here anticipates the New Testament's fuller revelation of the Holy Spirit as the third person of the Trinity, yet already insists on His uncreated, self-sufficient nature.

גּוֹיִם gôyim nations / Gentiles

The plural of gôy, typically referring to non-Israelite peoples, though it can occasionally include Israel. In verse 15, the nations are compared to "a drop from a bucket" and "dust on the scales," images of utter insignificance before Yahweh. This is not ethnic contempt but theological perspective: even the mightiest empires—Babylon, Assyria, Egypt—are ephemeral before the eternal God. The term carries covenant overtones; Israel was called to be a light to the gôyim (Isaiah 42:6), yet here the prophet reminds exiled Judah that their captors are themselves under divine sovereignty. The New Testament will universalize this term positively, as the gospel goes to "all nations" (Matthew 28:19), but Isaiah's usage here stresses the Creator-creature distinction that applies to every people group without exception.

פֶּסֶל pesēl idol / graven image

A carved or sculpted image, typically of wood or stone, overlaid with precious metals. Verses 19-20 offer a scathing satire of idol manufacture: the craftsman casts, the goldsmith plates, the silversmith fashions chains—yet the result cannot move, speak, or save. The term pesēl is forbidden in the Decalogue (Exodus 20:4) and becomes a flashpoint in Israel's covenant fidelity. Isaiah's mockery is both theological and practical: these gods require human ingenuity to exist, whereas Yahweh requires nothing and creates everything. The contrast with verse 26—where God calls the stars by name—could not be sharper. Idolatry is not merely false worship but a category confusion, treating the creature as Creator, the effect as cause.

חוּג ḥûḡ circle / vault / horizon

A noun denoting the circular horizon or the vault of the heavens as perceived from earth. In verse 22, Yahweh "sits above the circle of the earth," a phrase that has sparked both ancient cosmological reflection and modern apologetic interest. The term does not necessarily imply a flat earth; rather, it describes the observable horizon-line that forms a circle around the observer. God's transcendent position "above" this circle emphasizes His otherness and sovereignty—He is not contained by the cosmos but presides over it. The imagery of stretching out the heavens "like a curtain" or "tent" further develops the Creator's effortless dominion. This same root appears in

Grammar & Argument

Isaiah 40:27-31

Strength for the Weary Who Wait on the Lord

LSB Text

²⁷Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My way is hidden from Yahweh, And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God"? ²⁸Do you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, Yahweh, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become faint or grow weary. There is no searching of His understanding. ²⁹He gives strength to the faint, And to him who has no vigor He increases power. ³⁰Though youths grow faint and become weary, And young men stumble badly, ³¹Yet those who wait for Yahweh will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

Greek Text

²⁷לָ֤מָּה תֹאמַר֙ יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב וּתְדַבֵּ֖ר יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל נִסְתְּרָ֤ה דַרְכִּי֙ מֵֽיהוָ֔ה וּמֵאֱלֹהַ֖י מִשְׁפָּטִ֥י יַעֲבֽוֹר׃ ²⁸הֲל֨וֹא יָדַ֜עְתָּ אִם־לֹ֣א שָׁמַ֗עְתָּ אֱלֹהֵ֨י עוֹלָ֤ם׀ יְהוָה֙ בּוֹרֵא֙ קְצ֣וֹת הָאָ֔רֶץ לֹ֥א יִיעַ֖ף וְלֹ֣א יִיגָ֑ע אֵ֥ין חֵ֖קֶר לִתְבוּנָתֽוֹ׃ ²⁹נֹתֵ֥ן לַיָּעֵ֖ף כֹּ֑חַ וּלְאֵ֥ין אוֹנִ֖ים עָצְמָ֥ה יַרְבֶּֽה׃ ³⁰וְיִֽעֲפ֥וּ נְעָרִ֖ים וְיִגָ֑עוּ וּבַחוּרִ֖ים כָּשׁ֥וֹל יִכָּשֵֽׁלוּ׃ ³¹וְקוֹיֵ֤ יְהוָה֙ יַחֲלִ֣יפוּ כֹ֔חַ יַעֲל֥וּ אֵ֖בֶר כַּנְּשָׁרִ֑ים יָר֙וּצוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א יִיגָ֔עוּ יֵלְכ֖וּ וְלֹ֥א יִיעָֽפוּ׃

²⁷lāmmâ tōʾmar yaʿăqōb ûtĕdabbēr yiśrāʾēl nistĕrâ darkî mēyhwh ûmēʾĕlōhay mišpāṭî yaʿăbôr ²⁸hălôʾ yādaʿtā ʾim-lōʾ šāmaʿtā ʾĕlōhê ʿôlām yhwh bôrēʾ qĕṣôt hāʾāreṣ lōʾ yîʿap wĕlōʾ yîgāʿ ʾên ḥēqer litbûnātô ²⁹nōtēn layyāʿēp kōaḥ ûlĕʾên ʾônîm ʿoṣmâ yarbeh ³⁰wĕyîʿăpû nĕʿārîm wĕyîgāʿû ûbaḥûrîm kāšôl yikkāšēlû ³¹wĕqôyê yhwh yaḥălîpû kōaḥ yaʿălû ʾēber kannĕšārîm yārûṣû wĕlōʾ yîgāʿû yēlĕkû wĕlōʾ yîʿāpû

Key Words

יָעֵף yāʿēp faint / weary / exhausted

This adjective derives from the root יעף (y-ʿ-p), describing physical or emotional exhaustion. In Isaiah's usage, it captures the depleted state of those who have expended their natural resources. The term appears in contexts of military fatigue (2 Sam 17:2), spiritual weariness (Isa 50:4), and general human limitation. Isaiah employs it twice in this passage (vv. 28, 30) to contrast human frailty with divine inexhaustibility. The prophet's rhetorical strategy places this word at the pivot point: God does not become yāʿēp, yet He gives strength to the yāʿēp. The term's semantic range encompasses both the physical reality of exhaustion and the metaphorical weight of despair.

קָוָה qāwâ wait / hope / expect

This verb (q-w-h) carries the dual sense of patient expectation and confident hope. The root appears throughout the Hebrew Bible in contexts of covenant trust, particularly in the Psalms and prophetic literature. Unlike passive resignation, qāwâ implies active, expectant waiting—a posture of faith that anticipates divine intervention. The participial form qôyê (those who wait) in verse 31 designates a community characterized by this stance toward Yahweh. The LXX typically renders it with ὑπομένω (endure, remain) or ἐλπίζω (hope), capturing both the temporal and theological dimensions. Isaiah uses this verb to describe the proper response to God's promises when circumstances seem to contradict them. The waiting is not empty but filled with the certainty of God's character revealed in verses 28-29.

חָלַף ḥālap renew / exchange / replace

The Hiphil form yaḥălîpû (they will renew/exchange) in verse 31 comes from the root ḥ-l-p, which fundamentally means to pass by, change, or replace. In this context, it describes the supernatural exchange of strength—the weary receive fresh vigor as if their depleted resources were swapped for new ones. Some translations render it "renew" (emphasizing restoration), while others prefer "gain new" (emphasizing acquisition). The verb appears in contexts of changing garments (Gen 35:2), relieving guards (Neh 4:12), and the passing of generations (Ps 90:5-6). Isaiah's use suggests not merely a top-up of existing strength but a qualitative transformation—the exchange of human weakness for divine power. This is not self-generated renewal but a gift received through the posture of waiting.

נֶשֶׁר nešer eagle / vulture

This noun designates large birds of prey, particularly eagles and vultures, renowned in ancient Near Eastern literature for their soaring flight and keen vision. The nešer appears frequently in biblical imagery as a symbol of swiftness (2 Sam 1:23), protection (Exod 19:4), and renewal (Ps 103:5). Eagles were observed to ride thermal currents effortlessly, ascending to great heights without flapping—a perfect metaphor for those who draw on divine rather than human strength. The comparison "mount up with wings like eagles" captures both the elevation and the ease of movement that characterizes Spirit-empowered living. In Deuteronomy 32:11, Yahweh Himself is compared to an eagle teaching its young to fly, establishing a covenantal background for Isaiah's imagery. The nešer's ability to soar without exhaustion becomes the prophetic picture of redeemed existence.

מִשְׁפָּט mišpāṭ justice / judgment / right

This crucial noun derives from the root š-p-ṭ (to judge, govern) and encompasses justice, judgment, legal rights, and proper order. In verse 27, Israel complains that her mišpāṭ—her just cause or rightful claim—passes by (yaʿăbôr) unnoticed by God. The term appears over 400 times in the Hebrew Bible, often in contexts of covenant faithfulness and divine governance. Isaiah uses mišpāṭ throughout his prophecy to describe both God's righteous standards and His commitment to vindicate His people. The complaint in verse 27 reflects the exilic community's sense that God has abandoned His covenant obligations. Isaiah's response (vv. 28-31) does not directly address the justice question but reframes it: the God who never grows weary in His governance will certainly not overlook His people's cause. The term connects to the broader Isaianic theme of Yahweh as the righteous judge who will ultimately establish justice in the earth.

תְּבוּנָה tĕbûnâ understanding / discernment / insight

This feminine noun, derived from the root b-y-n (to discern, understand), denotes intelligence, wisdom, and the capacity for insight. In verse 28, Isaiah declares there is "no searching" (ʾên ḥēqer) of God's tĕbûnâ—His understanding is unfathomable, beyond human investigation. The term appears frequently in Wisdom literature (Proverbs, Job) to describe both human and divine intelligence. Here it functions as the cognitive counterpart to God's inexhaustible strength: just as He does not grow weary physically, His mental and strategic capacities are infinite. The rhetorical question "Do you not know? Have you not heard?" (v. 28) challenges Israel to recall foundational truths about God's nature. The incomprehensibility of divine tĕbûnâ means that God's ways of governing history—including apparent delays in justice—transcend human calculation. This unsearchable wisdom becomes the ground for trust when circumstances perplex.

עָצְמָה ʿoṣmâ might / power / strength

This noun, from the root ʿ-ṣ-m (to be strong, mighty), describes robust power and vigorous strength. In verse 29, it appears in parallel with kōaḥ (strength), emphasizing the abundance of power God supplies to those lacking ʾônîm (vigor, resources). The term is less common than other strength words but carries connotations of bone-deep, structural might—the kind of strength that enables sustained action rather than momentary exertion. Isaiah's promise that God "increases" (yarbeh) this power suggests multiplication beyond original capacity. The prophet is not describing mere recovery to baseline but supernatural augmentation. The contrast with human frailty (even youths and young men stumble) makes the divine gift all the more striking. This ʿoṣmâ is not earned through training or discipline but received through the posture of waiting on Yahweh.

Grammar & Argument

The passage unfolds as a dramatic dialogue between the prophet and the despairing community. Verse 27 opens with the interrogative lāmmâ ("why?"), challenging Israel's complaint that their "way is hidden" and their justice "escapes notice." The double naming—"O Jacob... O Israel"—invokes both the patriarch's original identity and his covenant name, reminding the people of their election history. The complaint itself uses two parallel verbs (tōʾmar, tĕdabbēr) and two parallel objects (darkî, mišpāṭî), creating a balanced structure that Isaiah will systematically dismantle. The passive construction nistĕrâ ("is hidden") and the active yaʿăbôr ("passes by") suggest both divine concealment and divine neglect—twin accusations that the following verses will refute.

Verses 28-29 respond with a cascade of rhetorical questions and declarations about God's nature. The double question "Do you not know? Have you not heard?" appeals to received tradition, implying that Israel's complaint contradicts foundational theology. What follows is a crescendo of divine attributes: ʾĕlōhê ʿôlām (everlasting God), yhwh (the covenant name), bôrēʾ qĕṣôt hāʾāreṣ (Creator of earth's extremities). The negations lōʾ yîʿap wĕlōʾ yîgāʿ ("does not become faint or grow weary") directly counter the human condition described in verse 30. The phrase ʾên ḥēqer litbûnātô ("there is no searching of His understanding") uses the construct chain to emphasize absolute incomprehensibility—God's wisdom cannot be plumbed. Verse 29 then pivots from God's inexhaustibility to His generosity: the participle nōtēn ("giving") portrays continuous action, while the parallel structure (layyāʿēp... lĕʾên ʾônîm) identifies the recipients as those most depleted.

Verses 30-31 establish the great reversal through stark contrast. Verse 30 concedes what everyone knows: even nĕʿārîm (youths) and baḥûrîm (young men)—those at peak physical capacity—grow faint and stumble. The emphatic kāšôl yikkāšēlû ("stumble badly") uses the infinitive absolute for intensity, acknowledging that human strength inevitably fails. The waw-adversative introducing verse 31 (wĕqôyê, "yet those who wait") marks the turning point. The verb yaḥălîpû ("will renew/exchange") suggests not gradual recovery but sudden transformation. What follows is a triadic promise ascending in scope: mounting up (yaʿălû), running (yārûṣû), walking (yēlĕkû). Each action is paired with a negation of fatigue (wĕlōʾ yîgāʿû, wĕlōʾ yîʿāpû), creating a rhythmic assurance. The eagle imagery (ʾēber kannĕšārîm) evokes effortless soaring, the antithesis of stumbling. The progression from soaring to running to walking may seem anticlimactic, but it actually moves from spectacular to sustainable—the promise is not merely for mountaintop experiences but for the long obedience of ordinary faithfulness.

The grammar of waiting (qôyê) is crucial: the Qal participle functions as a substantive, defining a people by their posture toward God. This is not passive resignation but active expectation, a stance that acknowledges human limitation while trusting divine sufficiency. The future-tense verbs (yaḥălîpû, yaʿălû, yārûṣû, yēlĕkû) are not mere predictions but covenant promises, grounded in the character of the God who neither faints nor grows weary. Isaiah is not offering a technique for self-improvement but announcing a theology of dependence: strength comes not from summoning inner reserves but from waiting on the inexhaustible One.

The scandal of the gospel is not that God helps those who help themselves, but that He empowers those who acknowledge they cannot. Isaiah's promise is not for the strong who occasionally need a boost, but for the faint who have nothing left—and discover in their emptiness the place where divine strength flows most freely. The eagle does not soar by flapping harder but by spreading its wings to catch the wind; so the believer does not overcome by striving more intensely but by waiting more trustingly on the God whose understanding has no limit and whose power knows no exhaustion.

OT Connection

Exodus 19:4; Deuteronomy 32:11; Psalm 103:5

The eagle imagery in Isaiah 40:31 echoes Yahweh's self-description in Exodus 19:4: "You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself." This foundational redemption narrative establishes the eagle as a symbol of divine care and supernatural deliverance—Israel did not escape Egypt by their own strength but were carried by God. Deuteronomy 32:11 extends the metaphor: "Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that hovers over its young, He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions." Here the eagle represents not only deliverance but also the training process by which God teaches His people to trust Him in flight. The parent eagle pushes the eaglet from the nest, then swoops beneath to catch it—a picture of faith-building through apparent risk.

Psalm 103:5 adds the dimension of renewal: "Who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle." This connects the eagle's legendary longevity and vitality to the believer's experience of divine restoration. Isaiah synthesizes these traditions: the God who bore Israel on eagles' wings in the exodus, who teaches His children to fly through covenant discipline, and who renews their strength in every generation, now promises that those who wait on Him will experience the same supernatural empowerment. The progression from exodus (past deliverance) to wilderness training (present discipline) to eschatological renewal (future hope) forms a unified theology of dependence. The eagle does not symbolize human potential but divine provision—the strength to soar comes not from within but from the One who rides the wings of the wind.

LSB Choices Worth Noting

"Yahweh" for יהוה—The LSB preserves the divine name in verses 27, 28, and 31, maintaining the covenantal intimacy of Isaiah's argument. The prophet is not discussing a generic deity but addressing Israel's specific covenant partner, the One who revealed His name to Moses and bound Himself to His people. The repetition of "Yahweh" (three times in five verses) emphasizes that the God who does not grow weary is the same God who has committed Himself to Israel's cause. This is not abstract theology but relational assurance: the One whose name means "I AM" or "I will be what I will be" is inexhaustibly present and active on behalf of those who wait for Him.

"Justice due me" for מִשְׁפָּטִי—The LSB rendering captures the legal and covenantal force of mišpāṭ in verse 27. Israel is not merely complaining about bad circumstances but asserting a claim based on covenant relationship. The phrase "justice due me" preserves the sense that Israel believes God owes them vindication—a bold claim that Isaiah does not immediately refute but reframes. By emphasizing God's inexhaustible wisdom and power (vv. 28-29), the prophet suggests that the delay in justice is not divine negligence but divine strategy, incomprehensible to finite minds yet grounded in infinite understanding.

"Gain new strength" for יַחֲלִיפוּ כֹחַ—The LSB's translation of yaḥălîpû as "gain new" rather than simply "renew