1
Comfort, comfort My people,
says your God.
2
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her hard service is ended,
that her guilt has been pardoned;
for she has received from the hand of the LORD
double for all her sins.
3
A voice cries out:
“Prepare in the wilderness the way of the LORD;
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God!
4
Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain;
5
then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
6
A voice says, “Cry out!”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
“All flesh is like grass,
and all its beauty like the flower of the field.
7
The grass withers,
the flower fades,
when the breath of the LORD blows upon it.
Surely the people are grass.
8
The grass withers,
the flower fades;
but the word of our God
stands forever.”
9
O Zion, bearer of good news,
go up on a high mountain!
O Jerusalem, bearer of good news,
lift up your voice with strength,
lift it up, do not fear!
Say to the cities of Judah,
“Behold your God!”
10
Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might,
and His arm rules for Him.
Behold, His reward is with Him,
and His recompense goes before Him.
11
Like a shepherd He will tend His flock;
He will gather the lambs in His arms,
and carry them in His bosom,
and gently lead those that are with young.
12
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
or marked off the heavens with a span,
or gathered the dust of the earth in a measure,
or weighed the mountains in scales,
and the hills in a balance?
13
Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD,
or as His counselor has taught Him?
14
Whom did the LORD consult to gain understanding,
and who taught Him the path of justice,
or taught Him knowledge,
or showed Him the way of understanding?
15
Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
and are accounted as dust on the scales;
behold, the coastlands are like fine dust.
16
Lebanon is not enough for fuel,
nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering.
17
All the nations are as nothing before Him;
He counts them as less than nothing and emptiness.
18
So then, to whom will you compare God,
and what likeness will you set beside Him?
19
An idol? A craftsman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold,
making chains of silver for it.
20
One who sets up an image
chooses wood that will not quickly rot,
seeks out a skilled workman
so as to set up a statue that will not easily totter.
21
Do you not know? Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the foundations of the earth were laid?
22
He who sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
whose inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
He who stretches out the heavens like a curtain
and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in!
23
He who brings princes to nothing
and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness!
24
Scarcely have they been planted,
scarcely have they been sown,
scarcely has their stem taken root in the ground,
when He blows on them, and they wither,
and the storm carries them off like stubble.
25
To whom then will you compare Me,
as though I were like him?
says the Holy One.
26
Lift up your eyes to the heavens and see:
who created all these?
He who brings out their host by number,
calling them all by name;
not one is missing,
because He is mighty in power and strong in might.
27
Why do you say this, O Jacob,
and speak thus, O Israel:
“My way is hidden from the LORD,
and my right is disregarded by my God”?
28
Do you not know, and have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth;
He does not faint and does not grow weary,
his understanding is beyond searching out.
29
He gives power to the weary
and increases strength to the one who has no might.
30
Even youths shall faint and grow weary,
and young men shall stumble and fall,
31
but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength:
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not grow weary,
they shall walk and not faint.
🕊️📢🛤️ Summary of Isaiah 40 – Comfort from God and the Promise of New Strength
Isaiah 40 marks the beginning of the second part of the Book of Isaiah (chapters 40–66), known as the “Book of Comfort.” After the earlier chapters filled with judgment, Isaiah 40 opens with a message of hope, restoration, and new strength from the Lord. God declares that Israel’s punishment has ended, and He Himself will come as a gentle yet mighty Shepherd. This chapter introduces the central theme: God is great, faithful, and sustains His people who wait for Him.
📌 1. Comfort and the Promise of Forgiveness (verses 1–2)
“Comfort My people… their warfare is ended… their guilt has been pardoned.”
- God commands the prophets to comfort the oppressed people
- Punishment has ended, and forgiveness is available
🎯 Forgiveness is the beginning of restoration — the Lord does not only punish, but restores with love.
📌 2. Prepare the Way for the Lord (verses 3–5)
“Prepare in the wilderness a way for the LORD…”
- This is a prophecy later quoted concerning John the Baptist
- The Lord himself will come — and every eye will see his glory
🎯 Spiritual preparation is important for experiencing the real presence of the Lord in life.
📌 3. Temporary Life vs. the Everlasting Word (verses 6–8)
“The grass withers… but the word of our God stands forever.”
- Human beings are frail and fleeting
- Only the word of the Lord is everlasting and trustworthy
🎯 Do not place your hope in human strength, but in the unchanging word of the Lord.
📌 4. God Comes as Shepherd and King (verses 9–11)
“See, here is your God! He comes with power… like a shepherd he tends his flock.”
- The Lord is mighty and powerful, but also gentle and full of love
- He leads his people like a shepherd: carrying the lambs, caring with a tender heart
🎯 The character of the Lord is perfect — he is almighty and full of compassion.
📌 5. The Greatness of God vs. the Smallness of the World (verses 12–26)
“To whom will you compare God?”
- God is compared with creation and idols — all are nothing beside him
- He is the maker of heaven, earth, and the nations — his wisdom and power are beyond measure
🎯 Whenever we feel the world is bigger than us, remember: The Lord is greater than the world.
📌 6. The Lord Gives New Strength (verses 27–31)
“Those who wait for the LORD receive new strength… they are like eagles.”
- The people often feel forsaken, but the Lord is never negligent
- He gives divine strength, even when people are already weary and despairing
🎯 Waiting for the Lord is not passive — it is an active act of faith. And the Lord will surely answer it with supernatural strength.
📖 Main Teaching
- The Lord is the true source of comfort, strength, and hope
- The word of the Lord is firmer than a changing world
- Humility opens the way for the presence of the Lord
- God rules with power and loves with gentleness
- Whoever waits for the Lord will rise up and soar like eagles
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
“A voice of one crying out in the wilderness…”
➡️ Fulfilled in John the Baptist — Isaiah 40:3 is a declaration of the coming of Jesus the Messiah.
“The grass withers… but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
➡️ The word of God endures — and now is fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
“Come to Me… I will give rest…”
➡️ Jesus is the gentle Shepherd in Isaiah 40:11 — who carries and restores our souls.
“Though our outward body is wasting away, yet our inward being is renewed.”
➡️ Like the eagle, our spirit is renewed as we hope in the Lord.
🎯 Isaiah 40 is the gospel of comfort — good news that the great Lord is also very near.
🕊️ “Comfort, comfort my people…” – Isaiah 40:1
🕊️ “Prepare the way for the LORD…” – Isaiah 40:3
🕊️ “The word of our God stands forever.” – Isaiah 40:8
🕊️ “Those who wait for the LORD receive new strength…” – Isaiah 40:31
