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, comfort my people,” says your God. ​
2
“Speak comfortably to Jerusalem; and call out to her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received of the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.” ​

Prepare the Way of the LORD

3
The voice of one who calls out, “Prepare the way of the LORD in the wilderness! Make a level highway in the desert for our God. ​
4
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The uneven shall be made level, and the rough places a plain.
5
the LORD’s glory shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken it.” ​

The Eternity of God's Word

6
The voice of one saying, “Cry!” One said, “What shall I cry?” “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory is like the flower of the field. ​
7
The grass withers, the flower fades, because the LORD’s breath blows on it. Surely the people are like grass.
8
The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God stands forever.” ​

Proclaim the Arrival of God

9
You who tell good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who tell good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with strength. Lift it up. Don’t be afraid. Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold, your God!” ​
10
Behold, the Lord GOD 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. He will gently lead those who have their young. ​

The Incomparable Creator

12
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and marked off the sky with his span, and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? ​
13
Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or has taught him as his counselor? ​
14
Who did he take counsel with, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?
15
Behold, the nations are like a drop in a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on a balance. Behold, he lifts up the islands like a very little thing. ​
16
Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor its animals sufficient for a burnt offering.
17
All the nations are like nothing before him. They are regarded by him as less than nothing, and vanity.

The Folly of Idolatry

18
To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to him? ​
19
A workman has cast an image, and the goldsmith overlays it with gold, and casts silver chains for it.
20
He who is too impoverished for such an offering chooses a tree that will not rot. He seeks a skillful workman to set up an engraved image for him that will not be moved.
21
Haven’t you known? Haven’t you heard, yet? Haven’t you been told from the beginning? Haven’t you 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 curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in; ​
23
who brings princes to nothing; who makes the judges of the earth like meaningless.
24
They are planted scarcely. They are sown scarcely. Their stock has scarcely taken root in the ground. He merely blows on them, and they wither, and the whirlwind takes them away as stubble.
25
“To whom then will you liken me? Who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
26
Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these, who brings out their army by number. He calls them all by name. by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power, Not one is lacking. ​

Assurance for Weary Israel

27
Why do you say, Jacob, and speak, Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD, and the justice due me is disregarded by my God?” ​
28
Haven’t you known? Haven’t you heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, doesn’t faint. He isn’t weary. His understanding is unsearchable. ​

Strength for Those Who Wait

29
He gives power to the weak. He increases the strength of him who has no might. ​
30
Even the youths faint and get weary, and the young men utterly fall;
31
But those who wait for the LORD will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will 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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