What does “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people” mean in this passage?

The words “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people” are God’s command to speak kindly to His weary people. They had suffered because of their sins, and more trouble was ahead, but God wants them to know He has not cast them off. He calls them “my people” and “your God,” showing the covenant bond still stands. The comfort is not empty talk. It rests on real promises: their warfare will end, their iniquity will be pardoned, and He Himself will come near to save and care for them.

What does it mean that Jerusalem’s warfare is accomplished and her iniquity is pardoned?

“Her warfare is accomplished” means that a set time of hard service and affliction is coming to an end. God is saying there will be a limit to their suffering. “Her iniquity is pardoned” points to His forgiveness. Their troubles were tied to their sin, but God will not keep His anger forever. The phrase about receiving “double for all her sins” shows that the correction has been enough in God’s sight. He is satisfied to put away their guilt and to restore them in mercy.

Who is the “voice crying in the wilderness” that prepares the way of the LORD?

The “voice of him that crieth in the wilderness” is first a call from God through His messengers to prepare for His coming. In the bigger story of the Bible, this is closely linked with the work of John the Baptist, who preached in the desert and called people to repent and get ready for the Lord. The picture of valleys lifted up and mountains made low shows hearts being humbled or raised, obstacles removed, and a straight, clear path made for God to come and visit His people with salvation.

Why does the passage say all flesh is grass and the word of God stands forever?

The picture of “all flesh is grass” reminds us how brief and weak human life is. People are like grass and flowers that quickly wither and fade when the wind blows. Our strength, beauty, and plans do not last. In contrast, “the word of our God shall stand for ever.” God’s promises do not fade or fail. This contrast is meant to humble human pride and move us to lean on what God has said, not on human power or glory. When everything else passes, His word remains solid.

What does it mean when Zion and Jerusalem are told, “Behold your God”?

When Zion and Jerusalem are told, “Behold your God,” they are being urged to lift their eyes from their fears and look at who God is and what He is doing. God is coming with strong hand, ruling with His own arm, with reward and work in His hand. At the same time, He comes like a gentle shepherd, feeding His flock, gathering lambs, and carrying them close to His heart. To “behold” Him is to see both His mighty power and His tender care, and to find courage and joy in His presence.

What does this chapter teach about God’s power over creation and nations?

This chapter paints a huge picture of God’s power. He measures the waters in the hollow of His hand and the heavens with a span. He weighs mountains like a man might weigh small items on a scale. No one has ever been His counsellor or taught Him wisdom. All nations together are like a drop from a bucket or dust on a balance. Their princes and judges can be blown away like stubble. This shows that God is far above the world’s powers and that His people should fear Him, not men.

Why does the passage speak so strongly against idols and those who make them?

The passage asks, “To whom then will ye liken God?” and then shows how people make idols from metal or wood. Even the poor will spend what little they have on a piece of wood and a skilled worker, hoping for a god that “shall not be moved.” This is meant to show how foolish idolatry is. These man-made images cannot compare to the living Creator who sits above the circle of the earth, stretches out the heavens, and rules over nations. God’s people are being warned not to trust or fear idols.

Why were Jacob and Israel saying their way was hidden from the LORD?

Jacob and Israel were in trouble and felt forgotten. They said, “My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God,” as if God did not see or care about their case. God answers by reminding them who He is: the everlasting God, Creator of the ends of the earth, who does not faint or grow weary, and whose understanding cannot be searched out. Their feelings of being ignored were not the truth. He sees them, knows their situation, and has power to help at the right time.

What does it mean to wait upon the LORD and renew strength like eagles?

To “wait upon the LORD” means to trust Him, look to Him, and patiently expect His help instead of leaning on our own strength. Even strong youths grow tired and fall, but God “giveth power to the faint” and increases strength to those who have no might. Those who wait for Him will have their strength renewed. The picture of mounting up with wings as eagles shows new energy and freedom. They will be able to run without weariness and walk without fainting, because God Himself is carrying and keeping them.

How can this passage encourage someone who feels tired and discouraged today?

Someone who feels worn out can hear in this chapter that God cares and speaks comfort. He knows our sins and sorrows, yet still calls us His people and promises pardon. He is not weak or distant; He is the Creator who never grows tired and who rules over every power that troubles us. At the same time, He is a gentle shepherd who gathers and carries the weak. If you feel exhausted or overlooked, these words invite you to wait on Him, trust His promises, and expect Him to renew your strength in His time.

Isa.40.1

Isaiah 40:1

KJV GOD

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

Prepare the Way for the LORD

1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord’S hand double for all her sins.

3 ¶ The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:

5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

The Enduring Word

6 The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:

7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.

8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

Here Is Your God!

9 ¶ O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

10 Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

12 ¶ Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

13 Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him?

14 With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?

15 Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.

16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.

17 All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

18 ¶ To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?

19 The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.

20 He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved.

21 Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?

22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

23 That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

24 Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.

25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.

26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?

28 ¶ Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Cross References

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