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.

A Message of Comfort and Pardon

1
"Comfort and keep comforting my people," says your God. ​
2
"Tell Yerushalayim to take heart; proclaim to her that she has completed her time of service, that her guilt has been paid off, that she has received at the hand of ADONAI double for all her sins." ​

Prepare the Way of the LORD

3
A voice cries out: "Clear a road through the desert for ADONAI! Level a highway in the 'Aravah for our God! ​
4
Let every valley be filled in, every mountain and hill lowered, the bumpy places made level and the crags become a plain.
5
Then the glory of ADONAI will be revealed; all humankind together will see it, for the mouth of ADONAI has spoken." ​

The Eternity of God's Word

6
A voice says, "Proclaim!" And I answer, "What should I proclaim?" "All humanity is merely grass, all its kindness like wildflowers: ​
7
the grass dries up, the flower fades, when a wind from ADONAI blows on it. Surely the people are grass!
8
The grass dries up, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever." ​

Proclaim the Arrival of God

9
You who bring good news to Tziyon, get yourself up on a high mountain; you who bring good news to Yerushalayim, cry out at the top of your voice! Don't be afraid to shout out loud! Say to the cities of Y'hudah, "Here is your God! ​
10
Here comes Adonai ELOHIM with power, and his arm will rule for him. Look! His reward is with him, and his recompense is before him.
11
He is like a shepherd feeding his flock, gathering his lambs with his arm, carrying them against his chest, gently leading the mother sheep." ​

The Incomparable Creator

12
Who has counted the handfuls of water in the sea, measured off the sky with a ruler, gauged how much dust there is on the earth, weighed the mountains on scales, or the hills in a balance? ​
13
Who has measured the Spirit of ADONAI? Who has been his counselor, instructing him? ​
14
Whom did he consult, to gain understanding? Who taught him how to judge, taught him what he needed to know, showed him how to discern?
15
The nations are like a drop in a bucket, they count like a grain of dust on the scales. The islands weigh as little as specks of dust. ​
16
The L'vanon would not suffice for fuel or its animals be enough for burnt offerings.
17
Before him all the nations are like nothing. He regards them as less than nothing.

The Folly of Idolatry

18
With whom, then, will you compare God? By what standard will you evaluate him? ​
19
An image made by a craftsman, which a goldsmith overlays with gold, for which he then casts silver chains?
20
A man too poor to afford an offering chooses a piece of wood that won't rot, then seeks out a skilled artisan to prepare an image that won't fall over.
21
Don't you know? Don't you hear? Haven't you been told from the start? Don't you understand how the earth is set up?
22
He who sits above the circle of the earth - for whom its inhabitants appear like grasshoppers - stretches out the heavens like a curtain, spreads them out like a tent to live in. ​
23
He reduces princes to nothing, the rulers of the earth to emptiness.
24
Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely their stem taken root in the ground, when he blows on them, they dry up, and the whirlwind carries them off like straw.
25
"With whom, then, will you compare me? With whom am I equal?" asks the Holy One.
26
Turn your eyes to the heavens! See who created these? He brings out the army of them in sequence, summoning each by name. Through his great might and his massive strength, not one of them is missing. ​

Assurance for Weary Israel

27
Why do you complain, Ya'akov; why do you say, Isra'el, "My way is hidden from ADONAI, my rights are ignored by my God"? ​
28
Haven't you known, haven't you heard that the everlasting God, ADONAI, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not grow tired or weary? His understanding cannot be fathomed. ​

Strength for Those Who Wait

29
He invigorates the exhausted, he gives strength to the powerless. ​
30
Young men may grow tired and weary, even the fittest may stumble and fall;
31
but those who hope in ADONAI will renew their strength, they will soar aloft as with eagles' wings; when they are running they won't grow weary, when they are walking they won't get tired. ​

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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