Comfort for Zion and the Majesty of God
Isaiah 40:1-31
Isa.40.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- נחמו: VERB,piel,impv,2,m,pl
- נחמו: VERB,piel,impv,2,m,pl
- עמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- יאמר: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- אלהיכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Isaiah 66:13 (verbal): Uses the same root of comfort (נ־ח־ם); God promises to comfort his people ‘as a mother comforts,’ echoing the assurance in 40:1.
- Isaiah 51:3 (thematic): Continues Isaiah’s theme of divine consolation—God will ‘comfort Zion’ and restore her desolate places, amplifying the promise of comfort in 40:1.
- 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (verbal): Paul calls God the ‘God of all comfort’ who comforts us in affliction; echoes the divine voice of consolation and the function of Scripture to console believers.
- Matthew 5:4 (thematic): ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted’ parallels Isaiah’s promise of divine consolation for a distressed people.
- Revelation 21:3-4 (thematic): The vision of God wiping away every tear and ending mourning resonates with Isaiah’s proclamation of comfort as ultimate divine redress.
Alternative generated candidates
- Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
- Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Isa.40.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- דברו: INF,qal,inf+3ms
- על: PREP
- לב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וקראו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אליה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- כי: CONJ
- מלאה: ADV
- צבאה: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,f,sg
- כי: CONJ
- נרצה: VERB,niphal,perf,3,f,sg
- עונה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- לקחה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- מיד: PREP
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- כפלים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חטאתיה: NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 40:1 (structural): Immediate context: Isaiah 40:1–2 form a unit of consolation ('Comfort, comfort my people') and set the theme of speaking tenderly to Jerusalem.
- Isaiah 61:7 (verbal): Uses the same notion of 'double' (Heb. כפלים) as a reversal of punishment/shame — 'instead of your shame you shall have a double portion' — echoing the idea of recompense in 40:2.
- Jeremiah 31:34 (thematic): Promise of divine forgiveness and removal of remembered sin — 'for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more' — parallels 'her iniquity is pardoned' in Isa 40:2.
- Isaiah 1:18 (thematic): God's offer to cleanse and pardon sin ('though your sins be as scarlet... they shall be as white as snow') echoes the theme of pardon and restoration in Isa 40:2.
- Luke 7:48 (thematic): New Testament instance of an authoritative pronouncement of forgiveness ('Your sins are forgiven') reflecting the same motif of declared pardon present in Isa 40:2.
Alternative generated candidates
- Speak tenderly to Jerusalem; call to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned—for she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.
- Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins.
Isa.40.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- קול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- קורא: VERB,qal,ptc,NA,m,sg
- במדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פנו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- דרך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ישרו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- בערבה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מסלה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לאלהינו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+SUFF,1,pl
Parallels
- Matthew 3:3 (quotation): Directly quotes Isaiah 40:3 to identify John the Baptist as the voice crying in the wilderness who prepares the way of the Lord.
- Mark 1:3 (quotation): Cites Isaiah 40:3 to introduce John the Baptist and his role in making straight the way for the Lord.
- Luke 3:4 (quotation): Explicitly references Isaiah 40:3 (’As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah’) linking John’s ministry to the prophetic call to prepare the Lord’s way.
- John 1:23 (quotation): John the Baptist self-identifies with Isaiah’s voice: ‘I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness,’ directly echoing Isaiah 40:3.
- Malachi 3:1 (thematic): Pronounces the coming of a messenger who will prepare the way before the Lord, a conceptual parallel to Isaiah’s call to prepare the Lord’s way.
Alternative generated candidates
- A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
- A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Isa.40.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כל: DET
- גיא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ינשא: VERB,niphal,impf,3,ms,sg
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- הר: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- וגבעה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ישפלו: VERB,niphal,impf,3,m,pl
- והיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- העקב: NOUN,m,sg,def
- למישור: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- והרכסים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,def
- לבקעה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 40:3-5 (structural): Immediate context: verses 3–5 form a unit with 40:4, calling to 'prepare the way' and using the same sequence—valleys raised, mountains lowered, crooked made straight—so 40:4 is integral to this prophetic commissioning.
- Luke 3:5 (quotation): Luke explicitly cites Isaiah 40:4–5 in the description of John the Baptist: 'Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill brought low…'—applying the leveling imagery to the preparation of the Lord's way.
- Isaiah 49:11 (verbal): Shares closely related imagery of transforming mountains into a road and exalting highways ('I will make all my mountains a road, and my highways shall be raised'), echoing the theme of making the way level.
- Isaiah 57:14 (thematic): Commands to 'build up, build up; prepare the way… take up the stumbling block' resonate with 40:4's idea of removing obstacles and straightening the path—same motif of preparing a clear way for God.
Alternative generated candidates
- 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.
- Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.
Isa.40.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ונגלה: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- כבוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- וראו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- כל: DET
- בשר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יחדו: ADV
- כי: CONJ
- פי: NOUN,m,sg,construct
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Luke 3:4-6 (quotation): Direct NT quotation of Isaiah 40:3–5; Luke applies the promise that 'all flesh shall see' God's salvation to John the Baptist's preparatory ministry.
- Isaiah 52:10 (verbal): Uses similar language about the nations/earth seeing God's salvation and the revealing of God's power/glory—echoes the universal revelation motif.
- Habakkuk 2:14 (thematic): Declares that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, paralleling Isaiah 40:5's theme of God's glory being revealed to all.
- Isaiah 6:3 (thematic): 'The whole earth is full of his glory' parallels Isaiah 40:5's proclamation that God's glory will be revealed and seen by all creation.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
- And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
Isa.40.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- קול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- קרא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ואמר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- מה: PRON,int
- אקרא: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- כל: DET
- הבשר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- חציר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- חסדו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- כציץ: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- השדה: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- 1 Peter 1:24-25 (quotation): Direct quotation of Isaiah 40:6–8 in the NT to illustrate human transience (‘all flesh is like grass…’).
- Psalm 103:15-16 (verbal): Uses the same simile: ‘As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field,’ closely echoing Isaiah’s language.
- Psalm 90:5-6 (thematic): Describes human life as like grass—flourishing briefly and then fading—sharing the theme of human transience.
- Job 14:2 (thematic): Compares human life to a flower that is cut down, parallel imagery emphasizing brevity and fragility of life.
- James 1:10-11 (allusion): Speaks of the rich man fading ‘like a flower of the field,’ echoing the prophetic/wisdom motif found in Isaiah and the Psalms.
Alternative generated candidates
- A voice said, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
- A voice said, "Cry!" And I said, "What shall I cry?" All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
Isa.40.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יבש: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- חציר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נבל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ציץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- רוח: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- נשבה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- אכן: ADV
- חציר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- 1 Peter 1:24-25 (quotation): Direct NT citation of the Isaiah tradition: 'All flesh is like grass... the grass withers, the flower falls,' used to underline human transience contrasted with the enduring word of God (quotes Isa. 40:6–8).
- Psalm 103:15-16 (verbal): Shares the same simile: 'As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field,' emphasizing human frailty and shortness of life like the withering grass and flower.
- Psalm 90:5-6 (thematic): The psalm likewise compares human life to grass that flourishes and is then cut down and withers, highlighting mortality and God's sovereign action over human life (thematic parallel to Isaiah's withering imagery).
- James 1:10-11 (verbal): Uses the same motif of human glory fading 'like the flower of the grass' and the withering under sun/heat, reiterating the transient nature of earthly life and honor echoing Isaiah's image.
Alternative generated candidates
- The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows upon it—surely the people are grass.
- The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows upon it; surely the people are grass.
Isa.40.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יבש: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- חציר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נבל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ציץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ודבר: VERB,qal,fut,3,m,sg
- אלהינו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:1,pl
- יקום: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לעולם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 1 Peter 1:24-25 (quotation): Direct quotation of Isaiah 40:6–8 to contrast the transience of human life with the enduring word of God.
- Matthew 24:35 (verbal): Jesus declares that heaven and earth will pass away but his words will not, echoing Isaiah’s contrast between fading creation and God’s lasting word.
- Psalm 103:15-16 (thematic): Uses the image of grass and a flower to describe human mortality, paralleling Isaiah’s motif of transience.
- James 1:10-11 (thematic): Compares human glory to the fading flower/grass, reiterating the theme of temporal human life versus divine permanence.
Alternative generated candidates
- The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.
- The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.
Isa.40.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- על: PREP
- הר: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- גבה: ADJ,m,sg
- עלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- מבשרת: VERB,piel,part,f,sg
- ציון: NOUN,prop,f,sg,abs
- הרימי: VERB,hiphil,imp,2,f,sg
- בכח: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- קולך: NOUN,m,sg,suf
- מבשרת: VERB,piel,part,f,sg
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הרימי: VERB,hiphil,imp,2,f,sg
- אל: NEG
- תיראי: VERB,qal,impv,2,f,sg
- אמרי: VERB,qal,impv,2,f,sg
- לערי: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,cons
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- הנה: PART
- אלהיכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Isaiah 52:7 (verbal): Closely related imagery of a messenger bringing good tidings from the mountains — both celebrate the herald who proclaims peace and salvation to Zion/Jerusalem.
- Romans 10:15 (quotation): NT citation of the Isaiah tradition about 'beautiful feet' of those who bring good news; connects the Isaiah herald motif to Christian proclamation of the gospel.
- Isaiah 40:3 (structural): Another line in the Isaiah 40 herald sequence ('a voice cries... prepare the way'); both verses form part of the prophetic summons announcing God's coming.
- Isaiah 40:5 (thematic): Announces the revelation of the LORD's glory so that 'all flesh shall see it' — dovetails with 40:9's call to announce 'Behold your God,' emphasizing theophanic revelation.
- Matthew 3:3 (quotation): New Testament citation of Isaiah's herald language (cf. Isa.40:3) in the context of John the Baptist; links Isaiah's proclamation motif to the arrival of God's messenger announcing God's advent.
Alternative generated candidates
- O you who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain; lift up your voice with strength, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”
- Go up on a high mountain, O herald of Zion; lift up your voice with strength, O herald of Jerusalem; lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, "Behold your God!"
Isa.40.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הנה: PART
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- בחזק: PREP
- יבוא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- וזרעו: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs+prsuf:3,m,sg
- משלה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- הנה: PART
- שכרו: NOUN,m,sg,suff,3,m
- אתו: PRON,3,m,sg,acc
- ופעלתו: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs,3msPoss
- לפניו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 52:10 (verbal): Declares that the LORD has 'made bare his holy arm' so that all nations see salvation—uses the same 'arm' imagery of divine power and salvation as Isa 40:10.
- Isaiah 59:16-17 (verbal): Speaks of God's 'arm' bringing salvation and God putting on strength/vengeance—closely parallels the motif of the LORD coming in power and executing his work.
- Psalm 110:1-2 (thematic): The LORD (or the Lord to the king) will send out the 'rod of strength' and rule over enemies—echoes Isa 40:10's theme of coming with power and exercising rule.
- Psalm 98:9 (thematic): Proclaims that the LORD comes to judge the earth with righteousness—parallels the announcement of the LORD's coming in power and the execution of his work/judgment in Isa 40:10.
- Revelation 19:11-16 (allusion): The risen Christ comes on a white horse to wage judgment and bears authoritative titles—New Testament apocalyptic vision that echoes Isa 40:10's depiction of the Lord coming with strength, reward, and effective action.
Alternative generated candidates
- Behold, the Sovereign LORD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.
- Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.
Isa.40.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כרעה: VERB,qal,part,ms,sg
- עדרו: NOUN,m,sg,suff
- ירעה: VERB,qal,imprf,3,f,sg
- בזרעו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,3ms
- יקבץ: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- טלאים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ובחיקו: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,suff
- ישא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עלות: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- ינהל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 23:1-4 (thematic): Uses the shepherd motif to describe God's guidance, provision, and gentle leading (e.g., 'The Lord is my shepherd... he leads me'), paralleling Isaiah's image of gathering lambs and gently leading the flock.
- Ezekiel 34:11-16 (verbal): God promises to seek out, gather, feed, bind up the injured and strengthen the weak sheep—language and actions closely echoing Isaiah's portrayal of the caring shepherd.
- John 10:11-16 (allusion): Jesus identifies himself as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep and knows/gathers his flock, echoing Israelite prophetic shepherd imagery like Isaiah 40:11.
- Matthew 18:12-13 (thematic): Parable of the lost sheep emphasizes the shepherd seeking and rescuing the vulnerable lamb, reflecting Isaiah's concern for gathering and carrying lambs.
- 1 Peter 2:25 (allusion): Speaks of returning 'to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls,' invoking the shepherd motif that Isaiah uses to depict God's tender care for his people.
Alternative generated candidates
- 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 the nursing ewes.
- He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.
Isa.40.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- מדד: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בשעלו: PREP+NOUN+PRON,3,m,sg
- מים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ושמים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בזרת: PREP+NOUN+PRON,3,m,sg
- תכן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- בשלש: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עפר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ושקל: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בפלס: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הרים: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- וגבעות: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- במאזנים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Job 38:4-11 (thematic): God's challenge to Job describes laying the earth's foundations and setting limits for the sea—parallels Isaiah's imagery of measuring waters, spanning the heavens, and weighing mountains.
- Psalm 104:2-9 (verbal): The psalm celebrates God who stretches out the heavens, covers the earth with the deep, and sets boundaries for the waters and mountains—closely echoing the same creation-control motifs.
- Isaiah 44:24 (structural): Within Isaiah the LORD declares he alone stretched out the heavens and formed the earth—a direct theological parallel asserting God's sole authority as creator and measurer of the cosmos.
- Psalm 147:4-5 (thematic): God 'counts the number of the stars' and has infinite understanding and power—resonates with the theme of divine measurement, enumeration, and sovereign knowledge of creation.
- Amos 9:6 (thematic): Attributes to God the building of the heavens, founding of the earth, and ordering of the waters—parallels Isaiah's emphasis on God's cosmic sovereignty and ordering of elements.
Alternative generated candidates
- Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?
- Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and marked off the heavens with a span, and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure, weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?
Isa.40.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- תכן: VERB,qal,perf,3,ms
- את: PRT,acc
- רוח: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ואיש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עצתו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+3ms
- יודיענו: VERB,hif,impf,3,ms+obj:1,pl
Parallels
- Rom.11:34 (quotation): Paul echoes Isaiah's rhetorical question ('Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?') to stress God's inscrutable wisdom and human inability to counsel him.
- 1 Cor.2:16 (allusion): Paul borrows the same rhetorical challenge ('Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?') to contrast human understanding with the 'mind of Christ,' alluding to Isaiah's theme of God's incomprehensible counsel.
- Job 38:36 (verbal): God's speeches to Job include similar language about who has put wisdom or understanding in the heart, underscoring the motif that divine wisdom is not accessible to human instruction.
- Isa.40:12 (structural): Adjacent verse in the same Isaiah pericope that uses parallel rhetorical questions (measuring waters, weighing mountains) to highlight God's unmatched knowledge and power—setting the context for 40:13's question about counsel.
- Ps.147:5 (thematic): Affirms the same theological point: the Lord's understanding is beyond measure, paralleling Isaiah's claim that no one can instruct or counsel the Lord.
Alternative generated candidates
- Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or as his counselor has taught him?
- Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or as his counselor has taught him?
Isa.40.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- את: PRT,acc
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- נועץ: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ויבינהו: VERB,hiphil,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- וילמדהו: VERB,hiphil,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- בארח: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- משפט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וילמדהו: VERB,hiphil,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- דעת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ודרך: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- תבונות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- יודיענו: VERB,hiphil,imperfect,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Isa.40.13 (structural): Immediate context: the pair of rhetorical questions (Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD? / With whom did he take counsel?)—verse 13/14 form a unit denying any one who counsels or instructs God.
- Romans 11:34 (quotation): Paul directly echoes Isaiah's rhetorical question (‘Who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?’), using it to argue human inability to fathom God's ways.
- 1 Corinthians 2:16 (quotation): Paul cites the same tradition (‘Who has known the mind of the Lord?’) and contrasts human ignorance with believers’ reception of Christ’s mind—an application of Isaiah’s theme.
- Job 26:4 (verbal): Job responds with a similar challenge about human speech and divine origin of spirit (‘To whom have you uttered words? And whose spirit came from you?’), reflecting the motif that humans cannot authoritatively instruct God.
- Proverbs 3:19-20 (thematic): Affirms God's founding of the world by wisdom and understanding—echoing Isaiah’s claim that God's ways and knowledge are self-sufficient and not dependent on human counsel.
Alternative generated candidates
- With whom did he take counsel, and who instructed him and taught him the path of justice and taught him knowledge and showed him understanding?
- With whom did he take counsel, and who instructed him and taught him the path of judgment, taught him knowledge and showed him the way of understanding?
Isa.40.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הן: PART
- גוים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- כמר: PREP
- מדלי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וכשחק: CONJ
- מאזנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- נחשבו: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,pl
- הן: PART
- איים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- כדק: PREP
- יטול: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 40:17 (verbal): Immediate parallel in the same passage: explicitly states that all nations are as nothing before God, reinforcing the comparison of peoples' insignificance.
- Isaiah 40:12 (thematic): Same chapter theme of God's infinite power and sovereignty over creation (measuring waters, weighing mountains), which grounds the claim that nations are but a drop or dust.
- Daniel 4:35 (verbal): Declares that the inhabitants of the earth are regarded as nothing and that God does according to his will—verbal and thematic resonance with nations being like a drop or dust.
- Job 26:14 (thematic): Job's reflection on the unfathomable greatness of God (‘these are but the outskirts of his ways…’) parallels Isaiah's emphasis on how small nations are compared to God's majesty.
Alternative generated candidates
- Behold, the nations are as a drop from a bucket, are counted as the small dust on the scales; behold, he lifts up the islands like fine dust.
- Behold, the nations are as a drop from a bucket, are accounted as the small dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the islands like fine dust.
Isa.40.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ולבנון: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אין: PART,neg
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בער: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וחיתו: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs+3ms
- אין: PART,neg
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עולה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 50:9-12 (verbal): Explicitly denies God's need for sacrifices and notes that every beast of the forest and cattle are God's — closely parallels Isaiah's claim that Lebanon and its beasts are insufficient for God.
- Isaiah 40:12-17 (structural): Immediate context: the chapter contrasts God's incomparable greatness with the insufficiency of nations and creation (Lebanon), of which v.16 is a part.
- Job 41:11 (thematic): God affirms that all under heaven is his and thus does not owe Him anything — echoing the theme that creatures (even Lebanon's beasts) cannot supply or satisfy God.
- 1 Chronicles 29:14 (thematic): David's confession that everything comes from God and that offerings are from what He has given reflects the idea that creation does not ‘provide’ for God's needs.
Alternative generated candidates
- Lebanon is not sufficient for fuel, nor are its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering.
- Lebanon is not sufficient for fuel, nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering.
Isa.40.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כל: DET
- הגוים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- כאין: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נגדו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- מאפס: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ותהו: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נחשבו: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,pl
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 40:15 (verbal): Uses closely related imagery and language: nations compared to something insignificant (a drop in a bucket), stressing the smallness of the nations before God—an immediate verbal/thematic parallel.
- Isaiah 40:23-24 (thematic): Speaks of God bringing princes and rulers to nothing and making them like emptiness—same theme and similar wording about the futility/insignificance of earthly powers before Yahweh.
- Isaiah 41:11-12 (thematic): Promises that those hostile to Israel will be put to shame and become 'as nothing'—reiterates the motif of enemies and nations being reduced to nonexistence by God.
- Job 7:17-18 (thematic): Job's reflection 'What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him?' underscores human/political insignificance before the divine, echoing the humility of nations in Isaiah 40:17.
- Psalm 62:9 (thematic): Declares that both low and high men are vanity and a lie—similar theological judgment on human/political worthlessness compared with God’s sovereignty.
Alternative generated candidates
- All the nations are as nothing before him; they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.
- All the nations are nothing before him; they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.
Isa.40.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- תדמיון: VERB,qal,impf,2,pl
- אל: NEG
- ומה: CONJ+PRON,int
- דמות: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- תערכו: VERB,qal,impf,2,pl
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 40:25 (structural): Immediate internal parallel in the chapter: reiterates the question of whom God can be likened to, stressing God’s incomparability.
- Deuteronomy 4:15-16 (thematic): Warns Israel not to fashion visible images of God because God has no human form—background law against comparing God to idols, thematically echoing Isaiah’s question.
- Psalm 115:4-8 (thematic): Contrasts the living God with man-made idols that have no breath or power; underscores the absurdity of likening God to crafted images.
- Acts 17:29 (allusion): Paul’s address in Athens rejects imagining the divine nature as gold or stone—an NT reflection of the same idea that God cannot be compared to crafted likenesses.
- Romans 1:23 (thematic): Speaks of exchanging God’s glory for images resembling mortal beings, reinforcing the OT critique of equating God with created forms found in Isaiah 40:18.
Alternative generated candidates
- To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness will you compare with him?
- To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness will you compare to him?
Isa.40.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הפסל: NOUN,m,sg,def
- נסך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חרש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וצרף: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בזהב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ירקענו: VERB,qal,perf,1,pl
- ורתקות: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- כסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- צורף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 44:9-20 (verbal): Extended prophetic satirical critique of idol makers that uses the same vocabulary of craftsmen, casting, carving, and the folly of worshipping what humans fashion—close verbal and thematic parallel to Isaiah 40:19.
- Jeremiah 10:3-5 (thematic): Condemns the making of idols from wood and metal and the practice of bowing down to them; echoes the denunciation of manufactured gods and the artisans who produce them.
- Psalm 115:4-8 (thematic): Contrasts mute, powerless idols fashioned by human hands with the living God; like Isaiah 40:19 it highlights the impotence and artificiality of crafted images and the absurdity of worshiping them.
- Habakkuk 2:18-19 (thematic): Rhetorical questioning of the value and reality of an idol made by craftsmen—'what profit is an idol?'—paralleling Isaiah's portrayal of gods produced by smiths and metalworkers.
- Romans 1:22-23 (allusion): New Testament summary of idolatry: humans 'exchanged the glory of God for images' and worshiped created things; echoes Isaiah's critique of substituting crafted objects for the true God.
Alternative generated candidates
- An idol— a craftsman casts it, a goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts for it silver chains.
- An idol—its maker fashions it; a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains.
Isa.40.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- המסכן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- תרומה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- ירקב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- יבחר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- חרש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חכם: ADJ,m,sg
- יבקש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- להכין: VERB,hiph,inf
- פסל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- ימוט: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 44:9-20 (verbal): A near-parallel within Isaiah that satirizes craftsmen who fashion idols from wood and metal; repeats imagery and arguments against trusting man-made gods.
- Psalm 115:4-8 (verbal): Describes idols made of silver and gold that cannot speak or act, and says those who make them are like them—language and critique closely parallel Isaiah’s depiction of lifeless, craft-made gods.
- Psalm 135:15-18 (thematic): Similar denunciation of idols as works of human hands that cannot move or speak, emphasizing the impotence of images and their makers.
- Jeremiah 10:3-5 (thematic): Condemns the making of idols from trees and the worship of lifeless images; echoes the motif of human artisans fashioning powerless gods.
- Habakkuk 2:18-19 (thematic): Rhetorical challenge about the profit and sense of making graven images and worshiping them, questioning the value of idols and their makers in a way that parallels Isaiah’s critique.
Alternative generated candidates
- He who is too impoverished for such an offering chooses a tree that will not rot; he seeks out a skillful craftsman to set up an idol that will not totter.
- He who is too poor for such an offering chooses a tree that does not rot; he seeks out a skillful craftsman to set up a god that will not totter.
Isa.40.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הלוא: PART
- תדעו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- הלוא: PART
- תשמעו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- הלוא: PART
- הגד: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- מראש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- הלוא: PART
- הבינתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,pl
- מוסדות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Job 38:4-7 (thematic): God challenges human knowledge about the creation by asking where the complainant was when the foundations of the earth were laid—directly parallels Isaiah’s question about understanding the earth’s foundations.
- Proverbs 3:19-20 (verbal): Speaks of the Lord founding the earth by wisdom and establishing the heavens—echoes Isaiah’s concern with the Creator and the foundations/establishment of the world.
- Psalm 104:5 (verbal): Affirms that God 'laid the foundations of the earth,' using similar language about the earth’s foundations and God’s sovereign creative act.
- Isaiah 40:28 (structural): Repeats the rhetorical questions ('Have you not known? Have you not heard?') and develops the same theme—human ignorance contrasted with God’s eternal power and knowledge.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood the foundations of the earth?
- Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood the foundations of the earth?
Isa.40.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הישב: PTCP,qal,act,ms,sg,def
- על: PREP
- חוג: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- וישביה: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs+3fs
- כחגבים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- הנוטה: ART+VERB,qal,ptc,m,sg
- כדק: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שמים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וימתחם: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,ms+3mp.obj
- כאהל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לשבת: PREP+VERB,qal,inf
Parallels
- Job 26:7 (thematic): Depicts God’s transcendence over the earth—‘He hangs the earth on nothing’ echoes Isaiah’s image of God seated above the earth’s circle.
- Job 26:10 (verbal): Speaks of God inscribing a ‘circle’ on the face of the waters; echoes Isaiah’s motif of the earth as a circle (חוג) and divine ordering of creation.
- Proverbs 8:27 (verbal): Wisdom’s description of God ‘drawing a circle on the face of the deep’ closely parallels Isaiah’s language of the earth’s circle at creation.
- Psalm 104:2 (verbal): Direct verbal parallel: God ‘stretches out the heavens like a curtain,’ the same simile Isaiah uses for the heavens spread as a dwelling.
- Acts 17:24-25 (thematic): Paul’s proclamation of God as Creator who transcends the world and determines human habitation resonates with Isaiah’s portrayal of God enthroned above the earth and its tiny inhabitants.
Alternative generated candidates
- 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 like a tent to dwell in.
- 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 like a tent to dwell in.
Isa.40.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הנותן: VERB,qal,part,3,m,sg
- רוזנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לאין: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שפטי: NOUN,m,pl,const
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כתהו: VERB,hiph,perf,3,m,sg
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Dan.2:21 (verbal): Declares that God 'removeth kings, and setteth up kings'—a close verbal parallel to God bringing princes to nothing and controlling rulers' rise and fall.
- Dan.4:17 (thematic): Proclaims the Most High's sovereignty over the kingdoms of men, assigning them to whom he wills—echoes Isaiah's theme that God makes earthly rulers powerless.
- Ps.75:7 (verbal): 'God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another'—directly parallels the motif of God humbling and removing princes.
- Job 12:21 (verbal): Speaks of God taking away the heart of the chiefs of the earth, causing leaders to wander—similar imagery of reducing and disorienting rulers.
- 1 Sam.2:7 (thematic): 'The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich; he bringeth low, and lifteth up'—a broader, thematic statement of divine control over human status and rulers.
Alternative generated candidates
- He brings rulers to nothing and makes the judges of the earth as emptiness.
- He it is who reduces princes to nothing, who makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.
Isa.40.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אף: ADV
- בל: PART
- נטעו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אף: ADV
- בל: PART
- זרעו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- אף: ADV
- בל: PART
- שרש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def
- גזעם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,pl
- וגם: CONJ
- נשף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ויבשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- וסערה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כקש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תשאם: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg+3,m,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 1:4 (verbal): The wicked are compared to chaff driven by the wind—same imagery of insubstantial people swept away by a breeze.
- Proverbs 10:25 (thematic): When the whirlwind passes the wicked are no more—parallels the image of being carried off by a storm/whirlwind.
- Job 8:11-13 (verbal): Speaks of plants withering for lack of root and the fate of the godless—close verbal and thematic parallel to 'no root' and withering.
- Mark 4:6 (thematic): In the Parable of the Sower seed on rocky ground withers 'because it had no root'—echoes the motif of lack of root leading to withering.
- Hosea 8:7 (thematic): 'They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind'—similar whirlwind imagery and the idea of futile, transitory endeavors swept away.
Alternative generated candidates
- They are planted—yet they are broken, they are barely rooted in the soil; but he blows upon them, and they wither; the whirlwind carries them off like chaff.
- They are planted, they are sown; yet he blows upon them and they wither; the whirlwind carries them off like stubble.
Isa.40.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- תדמיוני: VERB,qal,impf,2,pl
- ואשוה: CONJ,VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- יאמר: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- קדוש: ADJ,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 40:18 (verbal): A closely parallel rhetorical challenge—’To whom then will ye liken God?’—using the same question-form of comparing God to anything.
- Isaiah 46:5 (verbal): Repeats the motif and similar wording—’To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal?’—emphasizing God’s uniqueness and incomparable status.
- Exodus 15:11 (thematic): Ancient hymn-like taunt—’Who is like unto thee, O LORD?’—echoing the theme of God’s uniqueness and unmatched holiness.
- Psalm 113:5–6 (thematic): Rhetorical praise asking who is like the LORD, underscoring the same theological point of God’s incomparable greatness invoked in Isaiah 40:25.
Alternative generated candidates
- To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
- To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
Isa.40.26 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שאו: VERB,qal,imp,2,pl
- מרום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עיניכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וראו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- ברא: VERB,qal,perf,3,ms
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- המוציא: VERB,hif,ptc,3,m,sg
- במספר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- צבאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- לכלם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- בשם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יקרא: VERB,niphal,impf,3,m,sg
- מרב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אונים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ואמיץ: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg
- כח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- נעדר: VERB,nifal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 147:4 (verbal): Direct verbal parallel: God 'counts the number of the stars' and 'calls them all by name,' echoing Isaiah's claim that God names and numbers the host of heaven.
- Job 38:31-33 (allusion): God's rhetorical challenge about controlling constellations (Pleiades, Orion) and governing the heavens parallels Isaiah's emphasis on God's sovereign ordering and knowledge of the stars.
- Amos 5:8 (thematic): Affirms God as maker of the Pleiades and Orion and controller of day and night—a related theme of divine creation and cosmic authority found in Isaiah 40:26.
- Psalm 148:3-5 (structural): Calls the sun, moon and stars to praise God because he commanded them into being—echoing Isaiah's point that the heavens were created and ordered by God's powerful will.
Alternative generated candidates
- Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing.
- Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He brings out their host by number; he calls them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing.
Isa.40.27 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- למה: ADV
- תאמר: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ותדבר: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נסתרה: VERB,niphal,perf,3,f,sg
- דרכי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,1,_,sg
- מיהוה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומאלהי: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg+1cs
- משפטי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- יעבור: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 10:1 (verbal): Both open with an address of 'Why...' and complain that God seems distant or hidden in times of trouble ('Why do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself?'), echoing Israel’s sense that the LORD’s ways are hidden.
- Psalm 44:24-25 (thematic): A communal lament that God has hidden his face and forgotten the affliction of his people, paralleling Israel’s complaint that God’s ways are concealed and justice disregarded.
- Habakkuk 1:2 (thematic): Habakkuk’s cry—'How long, O LORD, must I cry for help... and you do not save?'—expresses the same protest against perceived divine inaction and hiddenness found in Isaiah 40:27.
- Job 23:8-9 (verbal): Job’s testimony that he cannot find God ('I go forward, but he is not there; I go backward, but I cannot perceive him') resonates with the motif of God being unseen or inaccessible in Isaiah 40:27.
- Psalm 22:1 (verbal): The anguished cry 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' parallels the feeling of abandonment and the question of God's apparent absence in Isaiah’s address to Israel.
Alternative generated candidates
- Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God”?
- Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is passed over by my God"?
Isa.40.28 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הלוא: PART
- ידעת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- אם: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- שמעת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- עולם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- בורא: VERB,qal,ptcp,m,sg
- קצות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- לא: PART_NEG
- ייעף: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- ייגע: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אין: PART,neg
- חקר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לתבונתו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 147:5 (verbal): “Great is our Lord… his understanding is infinite” — directly parallels Isaiah’s assertion that God’s understanding is unsearchable (אין חקר לתבונתו).
- Job 11:7 (verbal): “Can you find out the deep things of God?… Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?” — a close verbal/thematic parallel about the inscrutability of God’s wisdom and knowledge.
- Psalm 121:3-4 (thematic): “He will not let your foot be moved… He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” — echoes the idea that God does not grow faint or weary (לא ייעף ולא ייגע).
- Romans 11:33 (allusion): “O the depth of the riches… how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways!” — New Testament echo of the theme of God’s unsearchable wisdom and inscrutability found in Isaiah 40:28.
Alternative generated candidates
- Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
- Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
Isa.40.29 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- נתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ליעף: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולאין: CONJ+PREP+PART
- אונים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- עצמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ירבה: VERB,qal,impf,3,ms
Parallels
- Isaiah 40:31 (structural): Direct continuation of the thought: those who wait on the LORD will have renewed/increased strength; closely linked language and theme of divine strengthening for the weary.
- Psalm 68:35 (verbal): Uses similar language: God 'gives power and strength to his people,' echoing Isaiah's wording about granting strength to the weak.
- Psalm 46:1 (thematic): Affirms the same theme—God as source of strength and help in trouble ('God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble').
- 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (allusion): Paul's paradoxical claim that God's power is shown in human weakness ('for when I am weak, then I am strong') echoes Isaiah's promise that God strengthens the faint.
- Philippians 4:13 (thematic): New Testament affirmation of divine enabling ('I can do all things through him who strengthens me'), resonating with the motif of God supplying strength to the weak.
Alternative generated candidates
- He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.
- He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Isa.40.30 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעפו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- נערים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ויגעו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- ובחורים: CONJ+PREP,NOUN,m,pl,abs
- כשול: PREP
- יכשלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Isaiah 40:29 (structural): Immediate context: verse 29 states God gives power to the faint and increases strength, setting up the contrast with 40:30’s statement that even youths grow weary.
- Isaiah 40:31 (thematic): Direct counterpart/resolution: after noting that youths may faint, v.31 promises renewed strength for those who wait on the LORD.
- Psalm 103:5 (verbal): Speaks of God renewing one’s youth like the eagle—a parallel image of divine restoration of strength against human frailty.
- Proverbs 20:29 (thematic): Affirms the common association of youth with strength, providing a contrast to Isaiah’s claim that even the young can become weary and fall.
- Hebrews 12:12-13 (thematic): New Testament exhortation to strengthen 'weak hands and feeble knees' so the lame may 'run'—echoes the concern with human weakness and God-enabled renewal of strength.
Alternative generated candidates
- Even youths faint and grow weary, and young men stumble and fall;
- Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;
Isa.40.31 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וקוי: VERB,qal,part,NA,m,pl
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- יחליפו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- כח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יעלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- אבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כנשרים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ירוצו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ולא: CONJ
- ייגעו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ילכו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ולא: CONJ
- ייעפו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Exodus 19:4 (verbal): Uses the image of God bearing Israel 'on eagles' wings'—the same eagle-wing motif of being lifted and carried that underlies Isaiah 40:31's language of rising like eagles.
- Deuteronomy 32:11 (verbal): Compares God to an eagle that hovers over and bears its young on its wings—similar imagery of uplift, protection, and strength conveyed by eagles' wings.
- Psalm 103:5 (verbal): Speaks of renewal like the eagle's ('your youth is renewed like the eagle'), echoing Isaiah 40:31's promise of renewed strength and soaring vitality.
- Isaiah 40:29 (structural): Immediate contextual parallel within the same chapter: verse 29 promises God gives strength to the weary, which Isaiah 40:31 expands—promising renewed strength and endurance for those who wait on the LORD.
- Hebrews 12:1 (thematic): Calls believers to 'run with perseverance the race' without growing weary—echoing Isaiah 40:31's theme of sustained strength and not growing faint while running or walking.
Alternative generated candidates
- but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
- but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins.
A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God."
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.
Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
A voice said, "Cry!" And he said, "What shall I cry?" "All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field."
The grass withers, the flower fades; when the breath of the LORD blows upon it. Surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.
O Zion, who brings good tidings, lift up your voice with strength; O Jerusalem, lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, "Behold your God!"
Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.
He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and marked off the heavens with a span, and measured the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?
Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or who has been his counselor to instruct him?
With whom did he take counsel, and who taught him? Who instructed him in the path of justice, taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?
Behold, the nations are as a drop from a bucket; they are regarded as the small dust on the scales; behold, the coastlands are like fine dust.
Even Lebanon is not sufficient for fuel, nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering.
All the nations are as nothing before him; they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.
To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness will you compare to him?
The idol is cast by a workman; he plates it with gold and hammers it into shape, fastening it with silver chains.
The poor man makes it a gift—he chooses a tree that will not rot; he seeks out a skilled craftsman to set up an image that will not be moved.
Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood the foundations of the earth?
He it is who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; he stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them like a tent to dwell in.
He brings princes to nothing and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.
They plant, they take root, they put forth shoots in the land; yet he blows upon them and they wither, and the whirlwind carries them off like stubble.
To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high and see: who has created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing.
Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is passed over by my God?"
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted. But those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.