Bible Study Reader
Isaiah Overview 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66

Isaiah 40

Introduction

Isaiah 40 marks a dramatic transition in the book. After thirty-nine chapters dominated by warnings of judgment against Judah, Israel, and the surrounding nations -- culminating in the prophecy of Babylonian exile in Isaiah 39:6-7 -- the tone shifts suddenly and completely. The opening words, "Comfort, comfort my people," announce a new phase in God's dealings with his people: the exile is presupposed as already accomplished, and what follows is a message of consolation, restoration, and hope. This chapter opens what scholars commonly call "Second Isaiah" or the "Book of Consolation" (chapters 40--66), a sustained theological meditation on God's sovereignty, his incomparability, and his power to save.

The chapter moves through several distinct movements: a heavenly proclamation of comfort and pardon (vv. 1--2), the voice calling for preparation in the wilderness (vv. 3--5), the contrast between human frailty and the enduring word of God (vv. 6--8), a herald announcing God's arrival as both warrior and shepherd (vv. 9--11), a series of rhetorical questions establishing God's incomparable greatness over creation and nations (vv. 12--26), and a climactic reassurance to weary Israel that those who wait on the LORD will find renewed strength (vv. 27--31). The chapter's theological vision is vast -- it moves from the tenderness of a shepherd carrying lambs to the cosmic power of a God who measures the oceans in his palm and calls every star by name.

Comfort and Pardon Proclaimed (vv. 1--2)

1 "Comfort, comfort My people," says your God. 2 "Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her forced labor has been completed; her iniquity has been pardoned. For she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins."

1 "Comfort, comfort my people," says your God. 2 "Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, and cry out to her that her term of service is finished, that her guilt has been accepted as paid. For she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins."

Notes

The chapter opens with a double imperative: נַחֲמוּ נַחֲמוּ ("comfort, comfort"). The repetition is emphatic, conveying urgency and intensity rather than redundancy. The verb is in the plural, suggesting that the command is addressed to a heavenly council or to the prophets collectively, not to Isaiah alone. The scene recalls the divine council of Isaiah 6:8, but where that earlier commission was one of judgment ("Go and tell this people..."), this one is entirely consolation.

The phrase דַּבְּרוּ עַל לֵב יְרוּשָׁלִַם ("speak to the heart of Jerusalem") is an idiom of tenderness and reassurance. The same expression is used when a man speaks lovingly to a woman (Genesis 34:3, Ruth 2:13), or when someone seeks to comfort the grieving (Genesis 50:21). God is not issuing commands here but offering consolation to a devastated city.

The word צְבָאָהּ is variously rendered "forced labor" or "term of service." The root can mean military service, hard labor, or an appointed time of hardship. The image is of a soldier whose tour of duty is over — one who has completed an appointed term of hard service. Jerusalem's season of punishment has reached its ordained end.

The final clause -- "she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins" -- has generated much discussion. The word כִּפְלַיִם ("double") could mean (1) that Jerusalem has been punished twice as much as she deserved, expressing God's compassion that the suffering has been more than enough; (2) that she has received the full, complete measure of what was due, with "double" meaning "equivalent" or "matching portion" (as in a legal receipt); or (3) that the punishment has been abundant, emphasizing not excess but thoroughness. The second reading finds support in ancient Near Eastern legal practice, where a "double document" served as a receipt acknowledging full payment.

The Voice in the Wilderness (vv. 3--5)

3 A voice of one calling: "Prepare the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground will become smooth, and the rugged land a plain. 5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all humanity together will see it." For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

3 A voice is crying out: "In the wilderness, prepare the way of the LORD; in the desert, make straight a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together." For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Notes

Verse 3 is quoted by all four Gospels in connection with John the Baptist (Matthew 3:3, Mark 1:3, Luke 3:4, John 1:23). The Hebrew text reads קוֹל קוֹרֵא בַּמִּדְבָּר פַּנּוּ דֶּרֶךְ יְהוָה. The phrase "in the wilderness" (בַּמִּדְבָּר) can be connected either to the voice ("a voice crying in the wilderness") or to the action ("in the wilderness, prepare the way"). The Hebrew parallelism favors the latter: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; in the desert make straight a highway for our God." The "wilderness" and "desert" (עֲרָבָה) are the terrain between Babylon and Jerusalem -- the route of return from exile. The image draws on ancient Near Eastern royal practice: when a king traveled, highways were prepared, obstacles removed, and the road made smooth for his procession. Here it is the LORD himself whose royal highway is being prepared.

The word מְסִלָּה ("highway" or "raised road") recurs as a key motif throughout Isaiah 40--66 (see Isaiah 49:11, Isaiah 62:10). It represents the way of divine salvation -- God clearing a path through every obstacle to bring his people home.

Verse 5 declares that כְּבוֹד יְהוָה ("the glory of the LORD") will be revealed -- not to Israel alone but to כָל בָּשָׂר ("all flesh"), meaning all humanity. The scope of the revelation is universal. The phrase כִּי פִּי יְהוָה דִּבֵּר ("for the mouth of the LORD has spoken") functions as a divine seal of certainty, guaranteeing that what has been promised will come to pass.

Interpretations

The connection between verse 3 and John the Baptist raises an important interpretive question:

All Flesh Is Grass (vv. 6--8)

6 A voice says, "Cry out!" And I asked, "What should I cry out?" "All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field. 7 The grass withers and the flowers fall when the breath of the LORD blows on them; indeed, the people are grass. 8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."

6 A voice says, "Cry out!" And I said, "What shall I cry?" "All flesh is grass, and all its faithfulness is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the LORD blows upon it. Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever."

Notes

A second voice now commands the prophet to cry out. The response -- "What shall I cry?" -- echoes the commissioning pattern of Isaiah 6:8-11, but here the message is not judgment but a meditation on human transience and divine permanence.

The metaphor is stark: כָּל הַבָּשָׂר חָצִיר ("all flesh is grass"). In the semi-arid climate of the ancient Near East, grass sprang up quickly after the rains but withered just as quickly under the scorching east wind. The צִיץ ("flower" or "blossom") of the field is even more fleeting -- beautiful but gone in a day. The word חַסְדּוֹ is striking. Most translations render it "glory" or "beauty," but the word is actually חֶסֶד, normally translated "steadfast love," "loyalty," or "faithfulness." The point may be that even humanity's best qualities -- its loyalty, its achievements, its devoted love -- are as transient as wildflowers. What seems most enduring in human life is still subject to decay.

The רוּחַ יְהוָה ("breath/spirit of the LORD") that withers the grass is the same divine power that creates and sustains. When God breathes upon human endeavor, it is revealed for what it is: fragile and fleeting. The exclamation אָכֵן חָצִיר הָעָם ("surely the people are grass") drives the point home with blunt finality.

But verse 8 introduces the great contrast: וּדְבַר אֱלֹהֵינוּ יָקוּם לְעוֹלָם ("but the word of our God will stand forever"). The verb יָקוּם ("will stand" or "will arise") suggests not mere survival but active, enduring power. While everything human withers, God's word remains effective and accomplishing. This verse is quoted in 1 Peter 1:24-25, where Peter applies it to the gospel message as the imperishable word that has been preached to believers.

Herald of Good News (vv. 9--11)

9 Go up on a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news. Raise your voice loudly, O Jerusalem, herald of good news. Lift it up, do not be afraid! Say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!" 10 Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and His arm establishes His rule. His reward is with Him, and His recompense accompanies Him. 11 He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads the nursing ewes.

9 Get up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news! Raise your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news! Raise it up, do not be afraid! Say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!" 10 Behold, the Lord GOD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. Behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense goes before him. 11 Like a shepherd he tends his flock; with his arm he gathers the lambs, and in his bosom he carries them. He gently leads those that are nursing.

Notes

The word מְבַשֶּׂרֶת ("bearer of good news," feminine participle) is the verb from which the noun בְּשׂוֹרָה ("good news, gospel") derives. The grammar allows two readings: either Zion/Jerusalem is the herald who brings good news to others, or Zion/Jerusalem is the recipient of good news brought by someone else. On the first reading, the restored city herself becomes the evangelist, proclaiming God's arrival to the surrounding cities of Judah. The message she proclaims is strikingly simple: הִנֵּה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם -- "Here is your God!"

Verses 10--11 present a sharp juxtaposition. God comes בְּחָזָק ("with power" or "as a mighty one"), his זְרֹעוֹ ("arm") ruling on his behalf -- an image of military conquest and sovereign authority. His שָׂכָר ("reward") and פְּעֻלָּה ("recompense") accompany him, suggesting both the reward for the faithful and the recompense for the wicked. This is a warrior king arriving in triumph. But immediately, in verse 11, the same God is a רֹעֶה ("shepherd") who gathers lambs in his arms and carries them בְּחֵיקוֹ ("in his bosom" or "against his chest"). The nursing ewes (עָלוֹת) he leads gently -- the verb יְנַהֵל suggests leading at a pace the weakest can manage. The God who commands armies cradles the vulnerable. This is a striking image of divine care (cf. Psalm 23:1, Ezekiel 34:11-16, John 10:11).

The Incomparable God: Creator and Sustainer (vv. 12--17)

12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on a scale and the hills with a balance? 13 Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or informed Him as His counselor? 14 Whom did He consult to enlighten Him, and who taught Him the paths of justice? Who imparted knowledge to Him and showed Him the way of understanding?

15 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are considered a speck of dust on the scales; He lifts up the islands like fine dust. 16 Lebanon is not sufficient for fuel, nor its animals enough for a burnt offering. 17 All the nations are as nothing before Him; He regards them as nothingness and emptiness.

12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and marked off the heavens with a span? Who has contained the dust of the earth in a measure, or weighed the mountains with a scale and the hills with a balance? 13 Who has directed the spirit of the LORD, or as his counselor has instructed him? 14 With whom did he take counsel, that he might gain understanding? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of discernment?

15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are counted as dust on the scales. Behold, he lifts up the coastlands like fine powder. 16 Lebanon would not suffice for fuel, nor its animals be enough for a burnt offering. 17 All the nations are as nothing before him; they are regarded by him as less than nothing and emptiness.

Notes

This section launches a series of rhetorical questions designed not to solicit answers but to overwhelm the hearer with the incomprehensibility of God.

Verse 12 uses images of measurement to show that what is immeasurable to humans is a trifle to God. The שֹׁעַל ("hollow of the hand") is the cupped palm -- God measures the world's oceans in his cupped hand. The זֶרֶת ("span") is the distance from thumb to little finger of a spread hand -- God marks off the heavens with this casual gesture. The שָׁלִשׁ ("measure" or "third") was a dry measure -- God scoops up the dust of the earth as one might scoop grain. Mountains are weighed on scales, hills in a balance, as if God were a merchant weighing produce.

Verse 13 is quoted by Paul in Romans 11:34 and alluded to in 1 Corinthians 2:16. The word רוּחַ can mean "spirit," "wind," or "mind" -- Paul's citation follows the LXX rendering "mind" (νοῦς). The point is that God has no advisor, no teacher, no counselor. His wisdom is entirely self-originating.

Verses 15--17 apply this cosmic perspective to the political realities confronting the exiles. The great empires -- Babylon, Assyria, Egypt -- that seemed so overwhelming are כְּמַר מִדְּלִי ("like a drop from a bucket"), the tiny drip that falls unnoticed when a bucket is carried from a well. They are כְּשַׁחַק מֹאזְנַיִם ("like dust on the scales"), so negligible they do not even register on the balance. The reference to Lebanon in verse 16 -- famous for its vast cedar forests and abundant wildlife -- makes the striking claim that even its entire forest would not provide sufficient fuel, nor all its animals enough sacrifice, for a burnt offering worthy of this God. Verse 17 culminates with two devastating words: אֶפֶס ("nothingness, zero") and תֹהוּ ("emptiness, chaos") -- the same word used for the primordial formlessness in Genesis 1:2. The nations, in God's estimation, are less than zero.

The Folly of Idols (vv. 18--20)

18 To whom will you liken God? To what image will you compare Him? 19 To an idol that a craftsman casts and a metalworker overlays with gold and fits with silver chains? 20 One lacking such an offering chooses wood that will not rot. He seeks a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not topple.

18 To whom, then, will you liken God? What likeness will you set up alongside him? 19 An idol? -- a craftsman casts it, and a metalworker overlays it with gold and forges silver chains for it. 20 The one too poor for such an offering selects wood that will not rot; he seeks out a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not fall over.

Notes

The rhetorical question of verse 18 -- וְאֶל מִי תְּדַמְּיוּן אֵל ("to whom will you liken God?") -- initiates one of Isaiah's recurring anti-idol polemics (developed further in Isaiah 41:6-7, Isaiah 44:9-20, and Isaiah 46:5-7). The verb דמה ("to liken, to compare") and the noun דְּמוּת ("likeness") directly challenge any attempt to represent the incomparable God with a physical image.

The description in verses 19--20 is deliberately satirical. The wealthy man has a craftsman (חָרָשׁ) cast a metal idol, then a goldsmith overlays it with gold leaf and attaches decorative silver chains. The poor man, who cannot afford such extravagance, must settle for a piece of non-rotting hardwood and hires a skilled worker to carve an idol that will not topple over. The irony is devastating: a god that needs to be fastened down so it will not fall is no god at all. The idol must be stabilized by its maker -- a complete inversion of the Creator-creature relationship.

God Enthroned Above the Earth (vv. 21--26)

21 Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the foundation of the earth? 22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth; its dwellers are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. 23 He brings the princes to nothing and makes the rulers of the earth meaningless. 24 No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner have their stems taken root in the ground, than He blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like stubble.

25 "To whom will you liken Me, or who is My equal?" asks the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high: Who created all these? He leads forth the starry host by number; He calls each one by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

21 Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a veil, and spreads them out like a tent to live in; 23 who brings rulers to nothing, who makes the judges of the earth as emptiness. 24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely are they sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them and they wither, and the storm wind carries them off like stubble.

25 "To whom will you compare me, that I should be his equal?" says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name. By the greatness of his might and the strength of his power, not one is missing.

Notes

The fourfold question of verse 21 -- "Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told? Have you not understood?" -- builds with cumulative force, expressing near-exasperation at the failure to grasp what should be obvious. The knowledge of God as Creator has been available מֵרֹאשׁ ("from the beginning") and from מוֹסְדוֹת הָאָרֶץ ("the foundations of the earth") -- it is embedded in the very structure of creation.

Verse 22 presents a vivid image. God הַיֹּשֵׁב עַל חוּג הָאָרֶץ ("sits above the circle of the earth"). The word חוּג means "circle," "vault," or "horizon" -- it describes the circular horizon line visible from any elevated point, suggesting the dome of the sky or the curvature of the earth's surface. From God's vantage point, earth's inhabitants are like חֲגָבִים ("grasshoppers" or "locusts") -- tiny, insignificant, and seen from an immense distance. The heavens are stretched out like דֹּק ("a thin fabric" or "veil") and spread like אֹהֶל ("a tent"). What is unimaginably vast to humans is for God as simple as draping a cloth.

Verses 23--24 apply this cosmic sovereignty to political power. Rulers and judges -- the very figures who seem most formidable from a human perspective -- God reduces to אָיִן ("nothing") and תֹּהוּ ("emptiness"). The triple repetition of אַף בַּל ("scarcely... scarcely... scarcely") in verse 24 emphasizes the brevity of human power: no sooner have these rulers taken root than God blows on them and they wither. This echoes the grass-and-flower imagery of verses 6--8 but applies it specifically to political authority.

Verse 25 repeats the incomparability question from verse 18, but now God himself is the speaker: יֹאמַר קָדוֹשׁ ("says the Holy One"). This is the קָדוֹשׁ ("Holy One"), Isaiah's signature divine title -- the transcendent God who is utterly set apart.

Verse 26 directs the gaze upward to the night sky. God הַמּוֹצִיא בְמִסְפָּר צְבָאָם ("brings out their host by number") -- he marshals the stars like a general mustering troops, and he לְכֻלָּם בְּשֵׁם יִקְרָא ("calls them all by name"). In the ancient world, naming implied authority and intimate knowledge. The God who knows every star by name also knows every exile by name. The final declaration -- אִישׁ לֹא נֶעְדָּר ("not one is missing") -- reassures: if God can keep track of every star in the cosmos, he has certainly not lost track of his people.

Strength for the Weary (vv. 27--31)

27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and why do you assert, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD, and my claim is ignored by my God"? 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary; His understanding is beyond searching out. 29 He gives power to the faint and increases the strength of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall. 31 But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint.

27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God"? 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not grow faint, and he does not grow weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and to the one who has no might he increases strength. 30 Youths may grow faint and weary, and young men may utterly fall; 31 but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Notes

The chapter reaches its emotional and theological climax in this final section. God now addresses the complaint of his exiled people directly. The names יַעֲקֹב ("Jacob") and יִשְׂרָאֵל ("Israel") -- the patriarch's original and covenant names -- are used in parallel to address the entire nation with intimacy and solemnity. Their complaint is quoted: "My way is hidden from the LORD" (נִסְתְּרָה דַרְכִּי מֵיְהוָה). The verb נסתר ("is hidden") suggests that they believe God cannot see their suffering or has deliberately looked away. Their מִשְׁפָּט ("right," "just cause," "claim") is being יַעֲבוֹר ("passed over, ignored") by their God. This is the cry of the exile: has God forgotten us?

Verse 28 responds with another double question -- "Have you not known? Have you not heard?" -- echoing the fourfold question of verse 21. The answer is a confession of faith: אֱלֹהֵי עוֹלָם יְהוָה ("the LORD is the everlasting God"). He is בּוֹרֵא קְצוֹת הָאָרֶץ ("Creator of the ends of the earth") -- not a local deity limited to one territory but the maker of everything. And critically, לֹא יִיעַף וְלֹא יִיגָע ("he does not grow faint and he does not grow weary"). These are the very words used of human exhaustion in verses 30--31; God is immune to them. His תְּבוּנָה ("understanding, discernment") is אֵין חֵקֶר ("without searching out, unsearchable") -- his ways may seem hidden to us, but our ways are never hidden from him.

Verse 29 turns from theology to pastoral assurance. This unsearchable, unwearying God נֹתֵן לַיָּעֵף כֹּחַ ("gives power to the faint"). To the one who has אֵין אוֹנִים ("no strength, no virility, no resources"), he עָצְמָה יַרְבֶּה ("multiplies strength"). The divine power that holds up the stars (v. 26) flows downward to the weakest of his people.

Verse 30 presses the point further: even נְעָרִים ("youths") -- those at the peak of natural vitality -- grow faint. Even בַּחוּרִים ("young men," the strongest members of society) כָּשׁוֹל יִכָּשֵׁלוּ ("utterly stumble") -- the doubling of the verb emphasizes totality. Human strength, even at its best, has a ceiling.

The verb קוה ("to wait for, to hope in") means more than passive waiting; it implies eager expectation, taut with hope, like a rope stretched tight. Those who קוֹיֵ יְהוָה ("wait for the LORD") will יַחֲלִיפוּ כֹחַ ("renew their strength" -- literally "exchange" their strength, trading human exhaustion for divine energy). The three images that follow move in descending order of exertion: soaring like eagles, running, walking. The progression is deliberate -- it is one thing to soar in a moment of spiritual ecstasy, another to run with sustained effort, but the hardest test is the daily walk, the long obedience in the same direction. The promise covers all three: the one who waits on the LORD will not fail at any level. The נְשָׁרִים ("eagles" or "vultures") were the largest and most powerful birds in the ancient Near East, known for riding thermals to incredible heights with seemingly effortless flight -- a perfect image for strength that comes from a source beyond oneself.

Interpretations

The concept of "waiting on the LORD" in verse 31 has been applied differently: