Isaiah 40:31

Commentary on Isaiah 40:31

“But those who wait on 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.”

This verse stands at the pinnacle of Isaiah 40[i], offering profound comfort and encouragement. It underscores both the sovereignty of God in renewing His people and the believer’s active dependence on divine grace.

Context within Isaiah 40

Isaiah 40 marks a dramatic shift from pronouncements of judgment (chapters 1–39) to messages of consolation and hope. Verses 1–2 open with “Comfort, comfort My people,” signalling God’s promise to deliver Israel from exile. The ensuing passages emphasise God’s incomparable majesty (v. 12–26) and tender care as Shepherd (v. 11). Verse 31 then crowns this section by assuring that those who place their hope in Yahweh will experience continual renewal and endurance.

Exegetical Analysis of Isaiah 40:31

• “Wait on the LORD”
  The Hebrew verb here conveys expectant faith—actively looking to God for help rather than passively idling. To “wait” implies confident reliance on God’s timing and wisdom, a central Christian theme emphasising sola fide (faith alone) in God’s provision.
• “Shall renew their strength”
  The word translated “renew” literally means “to change” or “revive.” It pictures God restoring vitality, much like new shoots on a withered tree. This highlights that all spiritual strength is God-wrought, not self-generated.
• “Mount up with wings like eagles”
  Eagles symbolise renewal and ascent above earthly burdens. Just as an eagle relies on thermals rather than beating its own wings constantly, believers soar by God’s Spirit, not their own efforts.
• “Run and not be weary; walk and not faint”
  Running evokes vigorous pursuit of God’s call, while walking suggests steady perseverance in daily sanctification. Both images affirm that divine grace sustains believers through every pace of life.

Theological Significance

God’s Sovereignty in Strengthening
Every gift—including endurance—flows from God’s sovereign will. Isaiah 40:31 portrays the Lord as the sole source of renewal, confirming that spiritual fortitude arises from grace alone.

1. Human Dependence and Divine Grace
   The call to “wait” underscores total human inability apart from God. Believers acknowledge their weakness and cling to the promise of divine empowerment, reflecting the doctrine of total depravity and monergistic[ii] sanctification.
2. Active Faith and Sanctification
   Waiting is not passive resignation but an active posture of worship, prayer, and obedience. This parallels the Christian emphasis on faith working through love (Galatians 5:6) and the believer’s role in pursuing holiness by God’s enabling.

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Application to Modern Christian Living

• Personal Devotions
  Begin each day by “waiting on the Lord” through prayer, Scripture reading and quiet reflection. Invite God to renew your strength before challenges arise.
• Perseverance in Trials
  In seasons of weariness—be it ministry fatigue, personal loss or spiritual dryness—recall this promise. Trust that God will grant fresh endurance to “run” through trials without giving in to discouragement.
• Corporate Worship and Community
  Encourage one another with Isaiah 40:31 in gatherings. Testimonies of God’s renewing power build communal faith and remind believers that they are not alone in their struggles.
• Lifelong Sanctification
  Embrace both the “run” and the “walk.” Pursue vigorous ministry endeavours with God’s strength, and sustain a steady daily witness, knowing that divine grace is sufficient for every pace of life.

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Central Teaching of Isaiah 40:31

Those who place their hope entirely in the Lord—trusting His timing, power and promises—will experience ongoing renewal of spiritual strength. This divine empowerment enables believers to rise above life’s pressures, sustain fervent pursuit of Christ and maintain steady faithfulness without succumbing to weariness.

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[i] Isaiah 40

New King James Version

God’s People Are Comforted

40 “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!”
Says your God.
2 “Speak [a]comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out 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.”

3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make straight [b]in the desert
A highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made [c]straight
And the rough places smooth;
5 The glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
And all flesh shall see it together;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

6 The voice said, “Cry out!”
And [d]he said, “What shall I cry?”

“All flesh is grass,
And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades,
Because 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,
You who bring good tidings,
Get up into the high mountain;
O Jerusalem,
You who bring good tidings,
Lift up your voice with strength,
Lift it up, be not afraid;
Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”

10 Behold, the Lord God shall come [e]with a strong hand,
And His arm shall rule for Him;
Behold, His reward is with Him,
And His [f]work before Him.
11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom,
And gently lead those who are with young.

12 Who has measured the [g]waters in the hollow of His hand,
Measured heaven with a [h]span
And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure?
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 With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him,
And taught Him in the path of justice?
Who taught Him knowledge,
And showed Him the way of understanding?

15 Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket,
And are counted as the small dust on the scales;
Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.
16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn,
Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering.
17 All nations before Him are as nothing,
And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless.

18 To whom then will you liken God?
Or what likeness will you compare to Him?
19 The workman molds an image,
The goldsmith overspreads it with gold,
And the silversmith casts silver chains.
20 Whoever is too impoverished for such [i]a contribution
Chooses a tree that will not rot;
He seeks for himself a skillful workman
To prepare a carved image that will not totter.

21 Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 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 out like a tent to dwell in.
23 He [j]brings the princes to nothing;
He makes the judges of the earth useless.

24 Scarcely shall they be planted,
Scarcely shall they be sown,
Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth,
When He will also blow on them,
And they will wither,
And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.

25 “To whom then will you liken Me,
Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high,
And see who has created these things,
Who brings out their host by number;
He calls them all by name,
By the greatness of His might
And the strength of His power;
Not one is missing.

27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
And speak, O Israel:
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
And my just claim is passed over by my God”?
28 Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 But those who wait on 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.

Footnotes

Isaiah 40:2 Lit. to the heart of

Isaiah 40:3 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX omits in the desert

Isaiah 40:4 Or a plain

Isaiah 40:6 So with MT, Tg.; DSS, LXX, Vg. I

Isaiah 40:10 in strength

Isaiah 40:10 recompense

Isaiah 40:12 So with MT, LXX, Vg.; DSS adds of the sea; Tg. adds of the world

Isaiah 40:12 A span .5 cubit, 9 inches; or the width of His hand

Isaiah 40:20 an offering

Isaiah 40:23 reduces

[ii] Monergism derives from the Greek monos (sole) and ergon (work) and refers to a single source acting alone. In Christian theology, it primarily denotes the belief that God is the sole agent in human salvation. This view, known as “divine monergism,” is characteristic of Calvinist soteriology. It describes a process in which God alone authors for every step of salvation, without human participation.