Isaiah 40

Isaiah has sixty-six chapters, and chapter 40 is the first of the book's second half. In chapter 39, Isaiah foretold that the treasures of Hezekiah would be carried away to Babylon. Chapter 40 turns to the message of comfort and restoration that follows that judgment.

Structure

• Verses 1–2 God commands, "Comfort ye my people." He directs that Jerusalem be told that her warfare is accomplished and her iniquity is pardoned.
• Verses 3–5 The voice of one crying calls for the way of the LORD to be prepared in the wilderness. Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain made low, and all flesh shall see the glory of the LORD together.
• Verses 6–8 All flesh is like grass that withers and a flower that fades, but the word of God stands forever.
• Verses 9–11 The one who brings good tidings to Zion is told to cry out, "Behold your God!" The LORD comes as a mighty one, and like a shepherd He feeds His flock and carries them in His bosom.
• Verses 12–17 Before the Creator, who has measured the seas and the heavens, the nations are as a drop in a bucket, and even Lebanon's beasts and forests are not sufficient for a burnt offering.
• Verses 18–20 The passage asks to whom God can be likened and exposes the futility of idols that craftsmen fashion from gold and wood.
• Verses 21–26 God, who sits upon the circle of the earth, brings princes to nothing and brings out the stars by number, calling them all by name.
• Verses 27–31 The chapter answers Jacob and Israel, who complain that their way is hidden from God. The God who does not grow weary gives power to the faint, and those who wait upon the LORD renew their strength like eagles.

Key Verses

• Isaiah 40:3 "Prepare ye the way of the LORD." All four Gospels apply this verse to John the Baptist.
• Isaiah 40:8 "The word of our God shall stand for ever." This verse is frequently cited in discussions of the eternal nature of God's word and is quoted in 1 Peter 1.
• Isaiah 40:31 "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength." This is a classic verse of comfort for those in affliction.

People and Places

• The one who cries: The voice of an unnamed herald.
• Jerusalem and Zion: The recipients of comfort and good tidings.
• The cities of Judah: The places to which the message "Behold your God!" is proclaimed.
• Lebanon: A mountainous region north of Israel, known for its dense forests.
• Jacob and Israel: Here, names for the exiled people as a whole.

Points for Reflection

• Many biblical scholars regard chapters 40–55 as "Second Isaiah" (Deutero-Isaiah), the work of an anonymous prophet active near the end of the Babylonian exile. Conservative evangelicals hold that the prophet Isaiah wrote the entire book and prophesied the exile beforehand.
• In the Hebrew text, verse 3 reads "Prepare ye in the wilderness the way," with "in the wilderness" attached to the command. The New Testament largely follows the Septuagint in reading it as "the voice of one crying in the wilderness" and applies it to John the Baptist (Matthew 3:3; John 1:23).
• Verse 13 is echoed in Romans 11:34 and 1 Corinthians 2:16, and the shepherd imagery of verse 11 is read alongside the parable of the Good Shepherd.

In the Korean Church

• Verse 31 is widely used as a New Year's motto, as a verse of encouragement for students preparing for examinations and for the sick, and as a memory verse. Many gospel songs use this verse as their lyrics.
• In churches that follow the Revised Common Lectionary (a schedule of Scripture readings arranged according to the church year), verses 1–11 are read on the Second Sunday of Advent in Year B.
• The opening of Handel's Messiah, often sung by church choirs around Christmas, uses verses 1–5 and 9–11 as its text.