Isaiah40

Isaiah 40 opens with a divine command to comfort Jerusalem, declaring her warfare accomplished and iniquity pardoned. A voice in the wilderness calls for preparation of the Lord's way, contrasting the fleeting nature of humanity with the eternal Word of God. The chapter then extols God's incomparable majesty as Creator, dismissing the futility of idols and assuring His people that He, the everlasting God, gives strength to those who wait upon Him.
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A Message of Comfort and Pardon

1
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. ​
2
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem; and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she hath received of Jehovah’s hand double for all her sins. ​

Prepare the Way of the LORD

3
The voice of one that crieth, Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of Jehovah; make level in the desert a highway for our God. ​
4
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the uneven shall be made level, and the rough places a plain:
5
and the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it. ​

The Eternity of God's Word

6
The voice of one saying, Cry. And one said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. ​
7
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the breath of Jehovah bloweth upon it; surely the people is grass.
8
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand forever. ​

Proclaim the Arrival of God

9
O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up on a high mountain; O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold, your God! ​
10
Behold, the Lord Jehovah will come as a mighty one, and his arm will rule for him: Behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.
11
He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and will gently lead those that have their young. ​

The Incomparable Creator

12
Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? ​
13
Who hath directed the Spirit of Jehovah, or being his counsellor hath taught him? ​
14
With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of understanding?
15
Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are accounted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. ​
16
And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt-offering.
17
All the nations are as nothing before him; they are accounted by him as less than nothing, and vanity.

The Folly of Idolatry

18
To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him? ​
19
The image, a workman hath cast it, and the goldsmith overlayeth it with gold, and casteth for it silver chains.
20
He that is too impoverished for such an oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a skilful workman to set up a graven image, that shall not be moved.
21
Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22
It is he that sitteth above the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in; ​
23
that bringeth princes to nothing; that maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.
24
Yea, they have not been planted; yea, they have not been sown; yea, their stock hath not taken root in the earth: moreover he bloweth upon them, and they wither, and the whirlwind taketh them away as stubble.
25
To whom then will ye liken me, that I should be equal to him? saith the Holy One.
26
Lift up your eyes on high, and see who hath created these, that bringeth out their host by number; he calleth them all by name; by the greatness of his might, and for that he is strong in power, not one is lacking. ​

Assurance for Weary Israel

27
Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from Jehovah, and the justice due to me is passed away from my God? ​
28
Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard? The everlasting God, Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary; there is no searching of his understanding. ​

Strength for Those Who Wait

29
He giveth power to the faint; and to him that hath no might he increaseth strength. ​
30
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31
but they that wait for Jehovah shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint. ​

Study Notes for Isaiah 40

Verse 1

This verse marks the beginning of the second major section of Isaiah (chapters 40–66), shifting the prophetic focus from judgment and warning to comfort and restoration following the Babylonian exile.

Verse 2

The phrase 'her warfare is accomplished' (or 'time of service is completed') refers to the period of punishment or forced labor. 'Double for all her sins' is likely a hyperbolic idiom signifying that the punishment was full, complete, and fully paid.

Verse 3

This promise of preparation for God’s arrival was later interpreted by the Gospel writers (Matt 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4) as directly fulfilled by John the Baptist, preparing the way for Christ, the true manifestation of God's glory.

Verse 5

The revelation of the 'glory of the LORD' is not hidden but is intended to be seen universally, demonstrating that God's plan of salvation encompasses all humanity.

Verse 6

This initiates a powerful contrast between the frailty and transience of humanity ('all flesh is grass') and the enduring, eternal nature of God’s spoken word and promises.

Verse 8

While human life and power fade, the divine word stands forever. This promise provides the firm foundation for the hope and comfort offered to the exiles.

Verse 9

Zion (Jerusalem) is personified as the messenger, tasked with proclaiming the good news ('good tidings') of God's imminent arrival and return to reign over Judah.

Verse 11

This tender image portrays Yahweh as the ideal Shepherd, balancing the strength and rule described in verse 10 with compassion and careful attention to the most vulnerable members of the flock (the lambs and nursing ewes).

Verse 12

This series of rhetorical questions begins the argument for God’s unmatched cosmic power, describing His control over the vast elements of creation using simple, human measurements (hand, span, scales).

Verse 13

The question emphasizes God's inherent, perfect wisdom. He is the ultimate source of knowledge and judgment, needing no counselor or external direction from creation.

Verse 15

When compared to God, the greatest worldly powers and nations are utterly insignificant, reduced to a negligible drop or fine dust on the scale.

Verse 18

This challenge is central to the argument against idolatry: If God is the majestic Creator described in verses 12–17, how can a human-made statue or image possibly represent Him?

Verse 22

The phrase 'circle of the earth' (*chug*) suggests God's sovereign position above the entire expanse of the earth, viewing its mighty inhabitants as tiny, insignificant grasshoppers.

Verse 26

God’s creative power is demonstrated by His command over the stars, which were often worshipped as deities by surrounding nations. He calls them by name and none fail to appear.

Verse 27

The prophet directly addresses the specific complaint of the exiles, who felt that God had overlooked their suffering or forgotten their plight in the midst of their captivity.

Verse 28

The response to Israel’s doubt is a theological affirmation of God's nature: He is the 'everlasting God' and 'Creator' who possesses infinite power and wisdom, and unlike humans, He never tires.

Verse 29

God’s inexhaustible power is not just a cosmic fact, but a resource provided directly to His people, strengthening those who are weak and lacking might.

Verse 31

This famous promise assures that spiritual renewal and sustained strength are granted to those who place their hope and reliance ('wait') upon the LORD, enabling them to overcome exhaustion and despair.

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