Isaiah 40

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:29

Weakness made strong. "He giveth power to the faint," etc. The pilgrim to Zion is often weary. Lassitude and faintness steal over the soul, and energy is gone. At such seasons we cannot recover ourselves. No effort of will can give tone to the spirit and zeal to the activities. I. FAINTNESS RELIEVED . Our principles have not changed; nor have our ideals. To live for Christ is still our aim. But somehow the heart, which is the centre of the life, beats feebly. God has varied ways... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:29

He who has power alone can give it. "He giveth power to the faint." "The final verses of this chapter are remarkable for the frequent occurrence of 'fainteth' and 'is weary.' They come in every sentence, and if we note their use we shall get the essence of the hope and consolation which the prophet was anointed to pour into the wounds of his own people, and of every heavy-laden soul since then. Notice how, first, the prophet points to the unwearied God; and then his eyes drop from heaven to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:29-31

The need and the gift of spiritual power. What Israel wanted in captivity the Church of Christ now needs in its present situation, surrounded by an unsympathizing or even hostile world. It lacks power to do that which it was created to accomplish. Potentially, it has within itself all that is required to complete the great work of regeneration which its Divine Master began; in simple fact and in sad reality, it has failed to discharge its function. Every Church should be a great power for... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:30

Shall faint … shall fall ; rather, should even the youths faint and be weary , and should the young men utterly fall , yet they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength , etc. The two clauses of Isaiah 40:30 are "concessive." read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:30

Spiritual faintness. "Even the youths shall faint," ere. Then faintness is not a matter of age. Exhausted power may belong to youth. We are to learn that natural spirits are not enough for this great campaign. Health and energy will do much for the earthly soldier, and for the young mountaineer on the Swiss Alps. But it is otherwise here. From beginning to end of the Divine life we shall faint and fail unless God be with us to inspire and strengthen us. I. YOUNG EXPERIENCES . It is... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:31

They shall mount up with wings as eagles (comp. Psalms 103:5 : and, for the use of the eagle as a metaphor for strength, see Exodus 19:4 ; Deuteronomy 32:11 ). read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:31

Renewal of strength. "They that wait upon the Lord." Here we have revealed to us the secret of the soul's renewed energy. It is open to all. We are thus "changed men," for the Hebrew word here, "to renew," means "to change." Experiences like these alter alike character and countenance. God restores unto us the joy of his anointed. I. A DIVINE PROMISE . Written in the book of inspiration? Yes; and embodied in the experience of a great multitude of souls. So attest the men of old,... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 40

General Introduction to Isaiah 40–66It is admitted, on all hands, that the second part of Isaiah, comprising the prophecies which commence at the fortieth chapter, and which continue to the end of the book, is to be regarded as the most sublime, and to us the most important part of the Old Testament. In the previous portions of his prophecies there was much that was local and temporary. Indeed all, or nearly all, that occurs from Isaiah 1:0 to Isaiah 39:1-8 had direct and immediate reference to... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 40:1

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people - This is the exordium, or the general subject of this and the following chapters. The commencement is abrupt, as often happens in Isaiah and the other prophets. The scene where this vision is laid is in Babylon; the time near the close of the captivity. The topic, or main subject of the consolation, is stated in the following verse - that that captivity was about to end, and that brighter and happier days were to succeed their calamities and their exile. The... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 40:2

Speak ye comfortably - Hebrew, על־לב ‛al-lēb as in the margin, ‘To the heart.’ The heart is the seat of the affections. It is there that sorrow and joy are felt. We are oppressed there with grief, and we speak familiarly of being pained at the heart and of being of a glad or merry heart. To speak ‘to the heart,’ is to speak in such a way as to remove the troubles of the heart; to furnish consolation, and joy. It means that they were not merely to urge such topics as should convince the... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:29

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:29

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:29-31

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:30

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:30

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:31

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:31

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 40

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 40:1

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 40:2

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