Isaiah40

English Standard Version

TranslationKJV WEB ASV ESV NIV NASB NKJV NLT

¹ , my , your .

² to , and to her her is , her is , she has from the Lord ’s for her .

³A : In the the of the Lord; in the a for our .

⁴ shall be , and and be made ; the shall , and the rough .

⁵And the of the Lord shall be , and shall it , for the of the Lord has .

⁶A , ! And I , shall I ? is , and its is like the of the .

⁷The , the the of the Lord on it; the are .

⁸The , the , but the of our will .

⁹Go on to a , O , herald of ; lift your with , O , herald of ; lift it , ; to the of , your !

¹⁰ , the God with , and his for him; , his is with him, and his him.

¹¹He will his like a ; he will the in his ; he will them in his , and those that are with .

¹² has the in the hollow of his and the with a , the of the in a and the in and the in a ?

¹³ has the of the Lord, or what him his ?

¹⁴ did he , and who made him ? Who him the of , and him , and him the of ?

¹⁵ , the are like a from a , and are as the on the ; , he the like .

¹⁶ would for , are its for a .

¹⁷ the are as him, they are by him as less than and .

¹⁸To then will you , or with him?

¹⁹An ! A it, and a it with and for it .

²⁰He who is too for an that will ; he a to an that will .

²¹Do you ? Do you ? Has it been you from the ? Have you from the of the ?

²²It is he who the of the , and its are like ; who the like a , and them like a to ;

²³who to , and the of the as .

²⁴ are they , scarcely , has their taken in the , he on them, and they , and the them off like .

²⁵To then will you me, that I should be ? the .

²⁶ your on and : ? He who their by , them by , by the of his , and because he is in is .

²⁷ do you , O , and , O , My is from the Lord, and my is by my ?

²⁸Have you ? Have you ? The Lord is the , the of the of the . He does grow ; his is .

²⁹He to the , and to him who has he .

³⁰Even shall and be , and shall ;

³¹but they who for the Lord shall their ; they shall mount with like ; they shall and be ; they shall and .

Study Guide

Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Isaiah 40.

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Chapter Summary

In this chapter: The preaching of the gospel, and glad tidings of the coming of Christ. (1-11). The almighty power of God. (12-17). The folly of idolatry. (18-26). Against unbelief. (27-31).

vv1-11

All human life is a warfare; the Christian life is the most so; but the struggle will not last always. Troubles are removed in love, when sin is pardoned. In the great atonement of the death of Christ, the mercy of God is exercised to the glory of his justice. In Christ, and his sufferings, true penitents receive of the Lord's hand double for all their sins; for the satisfaction Christ made by his death was of infinite value. The prophet had some reference to the return of the Jews from Babylon. But this is a small event, compared with that pointed out by the Holy Ghost in the New Testament, when John the Baptist proclaimed the approach of Christ. When eastern princes marched through desert countries, ways were prepared for them, and hinderances removed. And may the Lord prepare our hearts by the teaching of his word and the convictions of his Spirit, that high and proud thoughts may be brought down, good desires planted, crooked and rugged tempers made straight and softened, and every hinderance removed, that we may be ready for his will on earth, and prepared for his heavenly kingdom. What are all that belongs to fallen man, or all that he does, but as the grass and the flower thereof! And what will all the titles and possessions of a dying sinner avail, when they leave him under condemnation! The word of the Lord can do that for us, which all flesh cannot. The glad tidings of the coming of Christ were to be sent forth to the ends of the earth. Satan is the strong man armed; but our Lord Jesus is stronger; and he shall proceed, and do all that he purposes. Christ is the good Shepherd; he shows tender care for young converts, weak believers, and those of a sorrowful spirit. By his word he requires no more service, and by his providence he inflicts no more trouble, than he will strengthen them for. May we know our Shepherd's voice, and follow him, proving ourselves his sheep.

vv12-17

All created beings shrink to nothing in comparison with the Creator. When the Lord, by his Spirit, made the world, none directed his Spirit, or gave advice what to do, or how to do it. The nations, in comparison of him, are as a drop which remains in the bucket, compared with the vast ocean; or as the small dust in the balance, which does not turn it, compared with all the earth. This magnifies God's love to the world, that, though it is of such small account and value with him, yet, for the redemption of it, he gave his only-begotten Son, John 3:16. The services of the church can make no addition to him. Our souls must have perished for ever, if the only Son of the Father had not given himself for us.

vv18-26

Whatever we esteem or love, fear or hope in, more than God, that creature we make equal with God, though we do not make images or worship them. He that is so poor, that he has scarcely a sacrifice to offer, yet will not be without a god of his own. They spared no cost upon their idols; we grudge what is spent in the service of our God. To prove the greatness of God, the prophet appeals to all ages and nations. Those who are ignorant of this, are willingly ignorant. God has the command of all creatures, and of all created things. The prophet directs us to use our reason as well as our senses; to consider who created the hosts of heaven, and to pay our homage to Him. Not one fails to fulfil his will. And let us not forget, that He spake all the promises, and engaged to perform them.

Key Words

ComfortH5162Hebrew

נָחַם: properly, to sigh, i.e. breathe strongly; by implication, to be sorry, i.e. (in a favorable sense) to pity, console or (reflexively) rue; or (unfavorably) to avenge (oneself)

peopleH5971Hebrew

עַם: a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock

saysH559Hebrew

אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)

GodH430Hebrew

אֱלֹהִים: gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative

SpeakH1696Hebrew

דָבַר: perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue

tenderlyH3820Hebrew

לֵב: the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything

JerusalemH3389Hebrew

יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם: Jerushalaim or Jerushalem, the capital city of Palestine

cryH7121Hebrew

קָרָא: to call out to (i.e. properly, address by name, but used in a wide variety of applications)

thatH3588Hebrew

כִּי: (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed

warfareH6635Hebrew

צָבָא: a mass of persons (or figuratively, things), especially reg. organized forwar (an army); by implication, a campaign, literally or figuratively (specifically, hardship, worship)

Cross References

Isaiah 40

v3Matthew 3:1-3fulfillment

Direct fulfillment of the voice crying in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord.

Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, JFB

v3Luke 3:2-6fulfillment

Luke quotes the full prophecy of valleys filled and mountains made low in Christ.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v81 Peter 1:4quotation

Peter quotes this passage to contrast human frailty with the enduring word of God.

Supported by Matthew Henry, John Calvin, JFB

v11John 10:11-16typology

Jesus identifies as the Good Shepherd who feeds, gathers, and protects his flock.