Isaiah 40

1 “Comfort [give comfort, encourage], comfort [show pity, sympathy] My people [nation, those who belong to God],” says [speaks, declares] your God [Elohim, the supreme One]. word study 2 “Speak [with gentle comfort] tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim [cry out, declare] to her that her forced labor [hard times, warfare] has been completed [finished, accomplished]; her iniquity [moral evil, sin] has been pardoned [forgiven, accepted]. For she has received [taken, gotten] from the hand [power, direction] of the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] double [twice, a duplicate] for all her sins [guilt, punishment].” word study 3 A voice [of one crying, a sound] of one calling: “Prepare [make ready, clear the path] the way [road, path, or journey] for the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] in the wilderness [desert, open field]; make [create, construct] a straight [level, smooth] highway [raised road, public path] for our God [Elohim, the supreme God] in the desert [wilderness, Arabah]. word study 4 Every [all, everything] valley [low area, geological depression] shall be lifted up [exalted, raised], and every mountain [hill] and hill [small hill] made low [abased, humbled]; the uneven [insidious, crooked] ground will become smooth [level, plain], and the rugged [rough, difficult] land a plain [level area, valley]. word study 5 And the glory [great honor, splendor] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] will be revealed [uncovered, made known], and all [everything, every person] humanity [flesh, all living things] together [in unity, as one] will see [look upon, behold] it. For [because, since] the mouth [lip, edge] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] has spoken [declared, commanded].” word study 6 A voice [of one, a heavenly sound] says, “Cry out [shout, give a loud call]!” And I asked, “What [should I proclaim, what message] should I cry out [shout, proclaim]?” “All [every, the whole of] flesh [humanity, mortal beings] is like [comparable to, similar to] grass [a type of plant, temporary], and all [every, the whole of] its glory [beauty, splendor, kindness] like [resembling, similar to] the flowers [blooms, blossoms] of the field [a cultivated area, the world]. word study 7 The grass withers [withering away, drying up] and the flowers [bright, gleaming things] fall when the breath [spirit, wind] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] blows on them; indeed, the people [a nation, a group of individuals] are grass [like a leek, a type of plant]. word study 8 The grass withers [dries up] and the flowers [fade, lose their beauty] fall, but the word [divine expression, promise] of our God [Elohim, the supreme Lord] stands [remains, endures] forever [for all eternity, always].” word study 9 Go up on a [lofty, elevated] high mountain, O Zion [the city of God], herald of [bearing, announcing] good news [glad tidings, joyful message]. Raise your voice [sound, cry] loudly, O Jerusalem [the city of peace, God’s dwelling place], herald of [proclaiming, declaring] good news. Lift it up, do not be [filled with fear, anxious] afraid! Say to the cities [towns, communities] of Judah [the tribe, region], “Here is [behold, look] your God [Elohim, the supreme Lord]!” word study 10 Behold [look, see], the Lord [Adonay, Master] GOD [Yehovah] comes [will come, is coming] with might [strength, power], and His arm [the arm as stretched out; strength, might, power] establishes [rules, has power over] His rule [kingdom, dominion]. His reward [wages, payment] is with Him [near, accompanying], and His recompense [just payment, wages] accompanies [goes before, follows] Him. word study 11 He tends [cares for, feeds, and guides] His flock [a group of people or sheep under His care] like a shepherd [one who watches over and protects]; He gathers [collects, assembles] the lambs [young, innocent ones] in His arms and carries them close to His heart [bosom, a place of intimacy and love]. He gently [with kindness and compassion] leads the nursing ewes [those who are nurturing and caring for others]. word study 12 Who [the One] has measured [meted out, calculated] the waters [the oceans, the deep] in the hollow [palm, hand] of his hand, or marked off [measured, spanned] the heavens [the sky, the universe] with the span [distance from thumb to little finger] of his hand? Who has held [sustained, comprehended] the dust [dry earth, clay] of the earth [the land, the ground] in a basket [a measure, a container], or weighed [measured, calculated] the mountains [hills, peaks] on a scale [balances] and the hills [small mountains, high places] with a balance [scales, a weighing device]? word study 13 Who [which person, no one] has directed [measured, taught] the Spirit [breath of life, divine presence] of the LORD [Yehovah, the Lord God], or informed [taught, given counsel to] Him as His counselor [wise advisor, guide]? word study 14 Whom did He consult [to seek advice, to inquire] to enlighten Him, and who taught [instructed, guided] Him the paths [ways, journeys] of justice [righteousness, judgment]? Who imparted [gave, shared] knowledge [understanding, insight] to Him and showed [revealed, made known] Him the way [path, journey] of understanding [discernment, wisdom]? word study 15 Surely the nations [Gentile, non-Hebrew peoples] are like a drop [small amount of liquid] in a bucket [vessel for carrying water]; they are considered [reckoned, thought of as] a speck of dust [small, insignificant particle] on the scales [balance, instrument for weighing]; He lifts up [takes away, bears] the islands [coastlands, habitable spots] like fine dust [thin, small particles]. word study 16 Lebanon [a mountain range in Israel, named for its white snow or limestone peaks] is not sufficient [lacking, inadequate] for fuel [to burn, for a fire], nor its animals [beasts, living creatures] enough [sufficient, ample] for a burnt offering [a step or stairs, often used to describe the ascent to the altar for a sacrifice]. word study 17 All [every single one, the entirety of] the nations [Gentile peoples, non-Hebrew groups] are as [counted as, regarded as] nothing [emptiness, void] before [in the presence of, facing] Him; He regards [considers, thinks of] them as [to be] nothingness [absolute void, non-existence] and [complete] emptiness [worthlessness, vanity]. word study 18 To whom [what being, which entity] will you liken God [the Almighty, divine Strength]? To what image [likeness, resemblance] will you compare [set up as a similarity, arrange for comparison] Him [the supreme One]? word study 19 To an idol [a carved image, false god] that a craftsman [artificer, skilled worker] casts [pours out, installs] and a metalworker [goldsmith, refiner] overlays with gold [a valuable, brilliant metal] and fits with silver [precious, monetary] chains [fastened, tied together]? word study 20 To one bereft of an offering [lacking a contribution, impoverished] who chooses wood [a tree, strong and firm] that will not rot [decay, fall apart], who seeks [searches for, looks to] a skilled craftsman [wise, cunning artificer] to set up an idol [carved image, false god] that will not topple [be moved, shaken]? word study 21 Do you [not have knowledge of] not know? Have you [not been informed, not heard the message] not heard? Has it [been openly declared, told] not been declared to you from the [very] beginning? Have you [not gained insight, not understood the truth] not understood since the [established, foundational] foundation of the [physical, terrestrial] earth? word study 22 He sits [seated in sovereign power] enthroned above the circle [vault] of the earth [land, terrestrial sphere]; its dwellers [inhabitants, people] are like [as small as] grasshoppers [locusts]. He stretches out [expands, spreads] the heavens [sky, celestial realm] like a curtain [thin veil], and spreads them out [stretches, extends] like a tent [tabernacle, dwelling place] to dwell [reside, abide] in. word study 23 He brings [to nothing, reduces to powerlessness] the princes [leaders, rulers] to nothing [emptiness, void] and makes [renders, causes to be] the rulers [judges, authorities] of the earth [land, world] meaningless. word study 24 No sooner are they planted [scarcely even planted], no sooner are they sown [hardly even sown], no sooner have their stems [stock, trunk] taken root [established themselves] in the ground [land, earth], than He blows [sends out His breath] on them and they wither [dry up, become barren], and a whirlwind [strong storm, tempest] sweeps them away like stubble [dry straw, worthless chaff]. word study 25 “To whom [or what, to which one] will you liken Me, or who [is there anyone, what being] is My equal [comparable, having the same nature]?” asks [says, declares] the Holy One [set apart, sacred, the divine]. word study 26 Lift up your eyes [to the heavens] on high: Who [the Almighty, Creator of all] created [brought into existence, formed] all these [things, stars, heavenly bodies]? He leads forth [brings out, sends out] the starry host [army of stars, celestial bodies] by number [one by one, in order]; He calls [invites, summons] each one [every single star, individually] by name [their specific identity, designation]. Because of His great power [abundance of strength, mighty strength] and mighty strength [strong, powerful], not one [none, no single one] of them is missing [lacking, faileth]. word study 27 Why do you say, O Jacob [son of Isaac, a key figure in God’s plan], and why do you assert, O Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, referring to his descendants], “My way [path, journey, or manner of life] is hidden [concealed, or unseen] from the LORD [Yehovah, the one supreme God], and my claim [justice, or righteous judgment] is ignored [passed over, or disregarded] by my God [Elohim, the supreme ruler and judge]”? word study 28 Do you not know [have no knowledge of]? Have you not heard [been informed, been told]? The LORD [Yehovah, the eternal God] is the everlasting [eternal, forever] God, the Creator [Maker, One who brings into existence] of the ends [farthest reaches, extremities] of the earth [land, world]. He will not grow tired [become weary, faint] or weary [exhausted, fatigued]; His understanding [insight, wisdom] is beyond [transcending, exceeding] searching out [investigation, examination]. word study 29 He gives [supplies, grants] power [strength, might] to the faint [weary, exhausted] and increases [multiplies, grows] the strength [power, might, oz] of the weak [powerless, having no might, ein koach]. word study 30 Even youths [young people, from infancy to adolescence] grow tired [become weak, exhausted] and weary [toil, be fatigued], and young men [chosen, select individuals] stumble [lose balance, falter] and fall [utterly, completely]. word study 31 But those who wait [expecting, trusting] upon the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] will renew [restore, regain] their strength [power, might]; they will mount up [ascend, rise] with wings [pinions] like eagles [birds of prey]; they will run [rush, move quickly] and not grow weary [be exhausted, toil], they will walk [go, move] and not faint [become weak, lose strength]. word study