Isaiah 40:8

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Isaiah 40:3-8

The time to favour Zion, yea, the set time, having come, the people of God must be prepared, by repentance and faith, for the favours designed them; and, in order to call them to both these, we have here the voice of one crying in the wilderness, which may be applied to those prophets who were with the captives in their wilderness-state, and who, when they saw the day of their deliverance dawn, called earnestly upon them to prepare for it, and assured them that all the difficulties which stood... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 40:8

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth ,.... Which is repeated, to raise attention to it, as being a matter of importance, and for the confirmation of it: but the word of our God shall stand for ever ; the Apostle Peter adds, by way of explanation, and this is the word, which by the Gospel is preached unto you ; who seems to distinguish the word from the Gospel, by which it is preached, and to intend Christ the essential Word; who stands or abides for ever as a divine Person; in his... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:1-11

The prophet's commission. He is to unfold a theme of consolation, which runs through the whole of the book, introduced by this chapter. He speaks to the prophets: "Ye prophets, prophesy consolation concerning my people" (Targum of Jonathan); or, "O priests, speak to the heart of Jerusalem," according to the LXX . The former is probably correct. The prophets were numerous both in Isaiah's time ( Isaiah 3:1 ; Isaiah 29:10 , Isaiah 29:20 ) and during the Babylonian exile ( Jeremiah... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:1-31

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:4-8

God's promises sure. With Isaiah it is enough that "the month of the Lord has spoken" a thing ( Isaiah 1:20 ; Isaiah 40:5 ). "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent" ( Numbers 23:19 ). What he has promised, he will perform; what he has said, he will do, in the sense in which he said it. It is true, his promises are of two kinds I. GOD 'S UNCONDITIONAL PROMISES ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN OF ACCOMPLISHMENT . God has promised that he... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:6-8

The passing and the abiding. We are so little affected by that with which we are most familiar, that we need to hear a voice crying in our ear and reminding us of what we well know to be true. To nothing is this more applicable than the transitory nature of our human life and our earthly interests. We want to be told— I. THAT HUMAN LIFE IS CONTINUALLY PASSING . We do well to walk in the city of the dead, and let the gravestones, with their names and dates, speak to us with... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:6-8

The transitory and the permanent. This passage is brought to our minds, in the early summer-time, by the sight and the smell of the fields. One day they shine with the glory of the golden flowers, and, in a little while, the flowers are fallen, the grass is withered, and we are freshly impressed with the mutability of all earthly things. Man changes; God is the "same, yesterday, and to-day, and for ever" Man removes; God abides, and his dwelling-place is as the everlasting hills. Man dies;... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:7-8

The imperishable. "The grass withereth," etc. The soul of man is immortal, and the Word that is to feed it is immortal too. I. THE DECAY OF NATURE . "The grass withereth"—that which feeds the dying race of creatures upon earth. "The flower fadeth"—that which regales the physical senses of man. Each generation learns this great lesson, and it is interwoven into poem and song in every literature. II. THE SYMBOLISM OF NATURE . These pictures of decay are to teach us how... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:8

The Word of our God shall stand for ever . Amid all human frailty, shiftingness, changefulness, there is one thing that endures, and stroll endure—God's Word (see the comment on the first part of Isaiah 40:6 ). In the sureness of God's promises is Israel's exceeding comfort. read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 40:8

The grass withereth ... - This is repeated from the former verse for the sake of emphasis, or strong confirmation.But the word of our God - The phrase ‘word of our God,’ refers either to his promise to be the protector and deliverer of his people in their captivity, or, in general, means that all his promises shall be firm and unchanging.Shall stand for ever - Amidst all revolutions among men, his promise shall be firm. It shall not only live amidst the changes of dynasties, and the revolutions... read more

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