Passage

Isaiah 40

The opening of the "Book of Comfort" (Isaiah 40 to 66). After thirty-nine chapters of indictment and warning, the prophet pivots to consolation: Jerusalem's warfare is ended, the LORD himself comes to feed his flock, and the everlasting God who measures the seas in the hollow of his hand renews the strength of those who wait on him. The chapter is quoted in all four Gospels as the prophetic anchor for John the Baptist's wilderness ministry, and it supplies the libretto for the opening movements of Handel's Messiah.

Key verses

"Comfort, O comfort My people, says your God." (Isaiah 40:1, NASB95)

"A voice is calling, 'Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.'" (Isaiah 40:3, NASB95)

"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever." (Isaiah 40:8, NASB95)

"To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him?" (Isaiah 40:18, NASB95)

"Yet those who wait for the LORD 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." (Isaiah 40:31, NASB95)

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 yet 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. 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. 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." (Isaiah 40:1-31, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"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 Yahweh’s hand double for all her sins.” 3. The voice of one who calls out, “Prepare the way of Yahweh 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. Yahweh’s glory shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken it.” 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 Yahweh’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.” 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 Yahweh 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. 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 measuring basket, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? 13. Who has directed Yahweh’s Spirit, 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. 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. 27. Why do you say, Jacob, and speak, Israel, “My way is hidden from Yahweh, and the justice due me is disregarded by my God?” 28. Haven’t you known? Haven’t you heard? The everlasting God, Yahweh, The Creator of the ends of the earth, doesn’t faint. He isn’t weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 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 Yahweh 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." (Isaiah 40:1-31, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"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: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins. ^{comfortably: Heb. to the heart} ^{warfare: or, appointed time} 3. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight 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 crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: ^{straight: or, a straight place} ^{plain: or, a plain place} 5. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. 6. The voice said, Cry. And he 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 spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. 8. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. 9. O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! ^{O Zion: or, O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion} ^{O Jerusalem: or, O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem} 10. Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. ^{with strong: or, against the strong} ^{his work: or, recompence for his work} 11. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. ^{that: or, that give suck} 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? ^{a measure: Heb. a tierce} 13. Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him? ^{his: Heb. man of his counsel} 14. With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding? ^{instructed: Heb. made him understand} ^{understanding: Heb. understandings?} 15. Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted 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 nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity. 18. To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him? 19. The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains. 20. He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved. ^{is so: Heb. is poor of oblation} 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 upon 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: ^{It is: or, Him that} 23. That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. 24. Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble. 25. To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. 26. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth. 27. Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God? 28. Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 29. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have 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 upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. ^{renew: Heb. change}" (Isaiah 40:1-31, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"1. Comfort ye, comfort ye, My people, saith your God. 2. Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, and call to her, That her warfare hath been completed, That accepted hath been her punishment, That she hath received from the hand of Jehovah Double for all her sins. 3. A voice is crying, in a wilderness, Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, Make straight in a desert a highway to our God. 4. Every valley is raised up, And every mountain and hill become low, And the crooked place hath become a plain, And the entangled places a valley. 5. And revealed hath been the honour of Jehovah, And seen [it] have all flesh together, For the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken. 6. A voice is saying, 'Call,' And he said, 'What do I call?' All flesh [is] grass, and all its goodliness [is] As a flower of the field: 7. Withered hath grass, faded the flower, For the Spirit of Jehovah blew upon it, Surely the people [is] grass; 8. Withered hath grass, faded the flower, But a word of our God riseth for ever. 9. On a high mountain get thee up, O Zion, Proclaiming tidings, Lift up with power thy voice, O Jerusalem, proclaiming tidings, Lift up, fear not, say to cities of Judah, 'Lo, your God.' 10. Lo, the Lord Jehovah with strength cometh, And His arm is ruling for Him, Lo, His hire [is] with Him, and His wage before Him. 11. As a shepherd His flock He feedeth, With His arm He gathereth lambs, And in His bosom He carrieth [them]: Suckling ones He leadeth. 12. Who hath measured in the hollow of his hand the waters? And the heavens by a span hath meted out, And comprehended in a measure the dust of the earth, And hath weighed in scales the mountains, And the hills in a balance? 13. Who hath meted out the Spirit of Jehovah, And, [being] His counsellor, doth teach Him! 14. With whom consulted He, That he causeth Him to understand? And teacheth Him in the path of judgment, And teacheth Him knowledge? And the way of understanding causeth Him to know? 15. Lo, nations as a drop from a bucket, And as small dust of the balance, have been reckoned, Lo, isles as a small thing He taketh up. 16. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt-offering. 17. All the nations [are] as nothing before Him, Less than nothing and emptiness, They have been reckoned to Him. 18. And unto whom do ye liken God, And what likeness do ye compare to Him? 19. The graven image poured out hath a artisan, And a refiner with gold spreadeth it over, And chains of silver he is refining. 20. He who is poor [by] heave-offerings, A tree not rotten doth choose, A skilful artisan he seeketh for it, To establish a graven image, not moved. 21. Do ye not know, do ye not hear? Hath it not been declared from the first to you? Have ye not understood [From] the foundations of the earth? 22. He who is sitting on the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants [are] as grasshoppers, He who is stretching out as a thin thing the heavens, And spreadeth them as a tent to dwell in. 23. He who is making princes become nothing, Judges of earth as emptiness hath made; 24. Yea, they have not been planted, Yea, they have not been sown, Yea, not taking root in the earth is their stock, And also He hath blown upon them, and they wither, And a whirlwind as stubble taketh them away. 25. And unto whom do ye liken Me, And [am] I equal? saith the Holy One. 26. Lift up on high your eyes, And see, who hath prepared these? He who is bringing out by number their host, To all of them by name He calleth, By abundance of strength (And [he is] strong in power) not one is lacking. 27. Why sayest thou, O Jacob? and speakest thou, O Israel? 'My way hath been hid from Jehovah, And from my God my judgment passeth over.' 28. Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard? The God of the age, Jehovah, Preparer of the ends of the earth, Is not wearied nor fatigued, There is no searching of His understanding. 29. He is giving power to the weary, And to those not strong He increaseth might. 30. Even youths are wearied and fatigued, And young men utterly stumble, 31. But those expecting Jehovah pass [to] power, They raise up the pinion as eagles, They run and are not fatigued, They go on and do not faint!" (Isaiah 40:1-31, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: Isaiah the Prophet (traditional unity) with LORD direct discourse opening the section
Audience: Judah under Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, with the exilic remnant in view from the prophet's foresight
Location: Jerusalem and Judah, addressing a future generation in Babylonian captivity
Time period: ministry c. 740-680 BC; the chapter speaks to the post-587 BC exile horizon

Theological reading

The chapter's structure moves from comfort (verses 1 to 11) to the unique greatness of YHWH (verses 12 to 26) to the application: those who wait on the LORD renew their strength (verses 27 to 31). The "voice in the wilderness" of verse 3 is identified by all four Gospels as the ministry of John the Baptist (see Matthew 3.3, Mark 1.3, Luke 3.4, John 1.23). The Septuagint reads "make straight the paths of our God" where the Hebrew reads "make smooth a highway for our God," and the New Testament citations follow the LXX form. John's mission is to prepare the way for the LORD himself; the Gospel writers thereby identify Jesus as the LORD whose coming the prophet announced.

The "incomparability" passages (verses 12 to 26) form one of the strongest Old Testament defenses of monotheism. The prophet contrasts YHWH with the lifeless idols a craftsman casts in metal: YHWH measures the waters in the hollow of his hand, weighs the mountains in scales, calls the stars by name, and sits enthroned above the circle of the earth (verse 22). The nations are like a drop in a bucket. This is not henotheism (one god among many) but functional monotheism, the foundation of Israel's apologetic against idolatry. Verse 22's "circle of the earth" is often cited by apologists as a phenomenological description of the earth's curvature that no contemporary ancient Near Eastern text shares.

Verses 6 to 8 form one of the New Testament's most quoted Old Testament texts: "All flesh is grass... the word of our God stands forever" (cited in 1 Peter 1:24 to 25). The transience of human power against the permanence of the divine word grounds the prophet's confidence in eschatological consolation. Verse 11's pastoral image, "He will tend His flock like a shepherd," is taken up by Jesus in John 10 and by Hebrews 13:20.

The closing oracle (verses 27 to 31) is among the most famous in the Hebrew Bible: God does not grow weary, and those who wait on him exchange weakness for eagle's wings. Pastorally, the chapter answers the exile's complaint, "My way is hidden from the LORD" (verse 27), with the creator's untiring attention.

Key words

H3068 - YHWH, YHWH (Strong's H3068). The covenant name; the prophet's incomparability oracle is built around it.
H0430 - elohim, elohim (Strong's H430). The plural-of-majesty divine title; "your God" of verse 1.
H1697 - dabar, dabar (Strong's H1697). The "word" that stands forever in verse 8.
H6918 - qadosh, qadosh (Strong's H6918). "The Holy One" of verse 25, the prophet's signature title for YHWH.
H3519 - kavod, kavod (Strong's H3519). The "glory" of YHWH revealed to all flesh in verse 5.

Theological themes

Comfort after judgment. The pivot from oracles of indictment (chapters 1 to 39) to oracles of consolation (40 to 66). Pardon precedes return.
Monotheism by incomparability. The "to whom will you liken God" refrain (verses 18, 25) grounds the OT case against polytheism and idolatry.
The voice in the wilderness. Verse 3 supplies John the Baptist's self-identification (John 1:23) and the four-Gospel framing of his ministry.
Word over flesh. The grass-fades / word-stands contrast of verses 6 to 8 grounds biblical inerrancy and pastoral confidence (cf. 1 Peter 1:24 to 25).
Creator who does not grow weary. Verses 28 to 31 ground the doctrine of divine aseity and the believer's confidence in waiting on the LORD.

Cross-references

Matthew 3.3, Mark 1.3, Luke 3.4, John 1.23: the four-Gospel citation of verse 3 to identify John the Baptist.
Isaiah 53.1-12: the suffering-servant climax of Second Isaiah, the consolation section that opens here.
Isaiah 6.1-8: the prophet's call vision, where "the Holy One" title is first articulated.
Genesis 1.1: creation by the word, paralleling verse 26's calling-stars-by-name.
Psalms 19.1-4: the heavens declare the glory of YHWH, complementing verse 22's enthronement over the circle of the earth.

Quoted in

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.