Isaiah 40
Isaiah Chapter 40, Explained
Isaiah 40 is a turning point in the book, a sudden flood of comfort after chapters of warning. Comfort ye my people, God says, and a voice cries to prepare the way of the LORD. It is a chapter that lifts the eyes of a weary, exiled people back to the greatness of their God.
It piles up reasons to trust Him: He measures the oceans in the hollow of His hand, He calls the stars by name, the nations are like a drop in a bucket before Him. And this immense God is tender, gathering the lambs in His arms. It ends with one of the great promises of Scripture, that those who wait on the LORD will renew their strength and mount up with wings like eagles.
Key verses from Isaiah 40
“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.”
Isaiah 40:8
“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.”
Isaiah 40:31
The main point
Isaiah 40 is about renewed strength for the weary who wait on a God great enough to carry them.
How Isaiah 40 points to Jesus
The voice preparing the way of the LORD in this chapter is fulfilled in John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Jesus. He is the Shepherd who gathers the lambs, and in Him the exhausted find strength that does not fail.
Want to sit with this chapter for yourself? Open The Living Bread to read Isaiah 40 in full, ask any question about it, and pray with others, free.
Read Isaiah 40 with its meaning · The book of Isaiah: summary · All chapter guides