# Isaiah 40

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**Isaiah 40** is the fortieth [chapter](/source/Chapters_and_verses_of_the_Bible) of the [Book of Isaiah](/source/Book_of_Isaiah) in the [Hebrew Bible](/source/Hebrew_Bible) or the [Old Testament](/source/Old_Testament) of the [Christian](/source/Christianity) [Bible](/source/Bible), and the first [chapter](/source/Chapters_and_verses_of_the_Bible) of the section known as "Deutero-Isaiah" (Isaiah 40-[55](/source/Isaiah_55)), dating from the time of the [Israelites](/source/Israelites)' [exile in Babylon](/source/Babylonian_captivity). This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet [Isaiah](/source/Isaiah), and is one of the [Books of the Prophets](/source/Nevi'im). Parts of this chapter are cited in all four canonical [Gospels](/source/Gospels) of the [New Testament](/source/New_Testament).

## Text

The original text was written in [Hebrew language](/source/Biblical_Hebrew). [This chapter is divided into](/source/Chapters_and_verses_of_the_Bible) 31 verses.

### Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in [Hebrew](/source/Biblical_Hebrew) are of the [Masoretic Text](/source/Masoretic_Text) tradition, which includes the [Codex Cairensis](/source/Codex_Cairensis) (895), [the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets](/source/Codex_Babylonicus_Petropolitanus) (916), [Aleppo Codex](/source/Aleppo_Codex) (10th century), [Codex Leningradensis](/source/Leningrad_Codex) (1008).[1]

Fragments containing parts of this chapter were found among the [Dead Sea Scrolls](/source/Dead_Sea_Scrolls) (3rd century BC or later):

- [1QIsaa](/source/Isaiah_scroll): complete
- 1QIsab: extant verses 1-4
- 4QIsab (4Q56): extant verses 1‑4, 22‑26
- 5Q3 (5QIsa): extant verses 16, 18‑19

There is also a translation into [Koine Greek](/source/Koine_Greek) known as the [Septuagint](/source/Septuagint), made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the [Septuagint](/source/Septuagint) version include [Codex Vaticanus](/source/Codex_Vaticanus) (**B**; \mathfrak{G}B; 4th century), [Codex Sinaiticus](/source/Codex_Sinaiticus) (**S**; [BHK](/source/Biblia_Hebraica_(Kittel)): \mathfrak{G}S; 4th century), [Codex Alexandrinus](/source/Codex_Alexandrinus) (**A**; \mathfrak{G}A; 5th century) and [Codex Marchalianus](/source/Codex_Marchalianus) (**Q**; \mathfrak{G}Q; 6th century).[2]

### New Testament references

- - [Matthew 3:1](/source/Matthew_3:1)–[12](/source/Matthew_3:12); ; ; [3] - [3] - [3]

## Parashot

The *[parashah](/source/Parashah)* sections listed here are based on the [Aleppo Codex](/source/Aleppo_Codex).[4] Isaiah 40 is a part of the *Consolations (Isaiah 40[–66](/source/Isaiah_66))*. {P}: open *parashah*; {S}: closed *parashah*.

- {P} 40:1-2 {S} 40:3-5 {P} 40:6-8 {S} 40:9-11 {S} 40:12-16 {P} 40:17-20 {S} 40:21-24 {S} 40:25-26 {S} 40:27-31 {S}

## Structure

John Skinner, in the [Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges](/source/Cambridge_Bible_for_Schools_and_Colleges) commentary, refers to verses 1-11 as the prologue (to Deutero-Isaiah).[5]

## Prepare the Way for the LORD (40:1–5)

### Verse 1

- *Comfort,* - *comfort my people,* - *says your God.*[6]

- "Your": The pronominal suffix is second masculine plural, may refer to "God’s people" or "unidentified heralds commanded to comfort Jerusalem".[7]

### Verse 2

- *Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her* - *that her warfare is ended,* - *that her iniquity is pardoned,* - *that she has received from the Lord's hand* - *double for all her sins.*[8]

In the [Septuagint](/source/Septuagint) this passage is addressed to the priests.[9]

### Verse 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.*[10]

This verse is cited in all four [gospels](/source/Gospels) in [New Testament](/source/New_Testament) as fulfilled in the person of [John the Baptist](/source/John_the_Baptist), who prepared for the coming of [Jesus Christ](/source/Jesus_Christ) the Lord ([Matthew 3:1](/source/Matthew_3:1)[–3](/source/Matthew_3:3); [Mark 1:2](/source/Mark_1:2)–; [Luke 3:2](/source/Luke_3:2)–[6](/source/Luke_3:6); [John 1:23](/source/John_1:23)). John himself confessed that the verse pertains to him:

- *He [John the Baptist] said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet [Isaiah](/source/Isaiah) said".*[11]

Some [English translations](/source/English_translations_of_the_bible) associate the reference to "the wilderness" with "the voice which cries out": examples include the [King James Version](/source/King_James_Version) and [New King James Version](/source/New_King_James_Version), the [Geneva Bible](/source/Geneva_Bible), [Wycliffe](/source/John_Wycliffe)'s translation, the [Darby Bible](/source/Darby_Bible) and [Brenton](/source/Brenton)'s [translation of the Septuagint](/source/Brenton's_English_Translation_of_the_Septuagint). In more recent translations, "the wilderness" is associated with the place where the way of the Lord is to be prepared: examples include the [ASV](/source/American_Standard_Version), [Common English Bible](/source/Common_English_Bible), [Contemporary English Version](/source/Contemporary_English_Version), [English Standard Version](/source/English_Standard_Version), [Jerusalem Bible](/source/Jerusalem_Bible), [Revised Standard Version](/source/Revised_Standard_Version) and [New Revised Standard Version](/source/New_Revised_Standard_Version):

- *A voice cries:* - *"In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord"*.[12]

### Verse 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:*[13]

Cited in [Luke 3:5](/source/Luke_3:5).[14]

### Verse 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.*[15]

Cited in [Luke 3:6](/source/Luke_3:6).[14]

## The Enduring Word (40:6–8)

### Verse 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:*[16]

- "[All flesh is grass](/source/All_flesh_is_grass)" (Hebrew: כל־הבשר חציר *-ha-*[17] compare to and see also ; ; ; .[18] is answering the question, "What shall I cry?" (also see ; ; ).[19]

Cited in [1 Peter 1:24](/source/1_Peter_1:24).[20]

### Verse 7

- *The grass withers, the flower fades* - *because the Spirit of the Lord blows upon it;* - *surely the people are grass.*[21]

- "Spirit of the Lord": can also rendered as "wind of Jehovah" () or may refer to the "withering east wind of those countries sent by Jehovah" ().[22]

### Verse 8

- *The grass withers, the flower fades,* - *but the word of our God shall stand forever.*[23]

Cited together with [Isaiah 40:6](#Verse_6) in [1 Peter 1:24–25](/source/1_Peter_1:24%E2%80%9325).[20]

## Here Is Your God! (40:9–31)

### Verse 13

- *Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord,* - *Or as His counselor has taught Him?*[24]

- Cross reference:
- Cited in [Romans 11:34](/source/Romans_11:34)

### Verse 22

- *It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,* - *and its inhabitants are like [grasshoppers](/source/Grasshopper);*
- *who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,* - *and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;*[25]

Westermann notes the similarity of parts of this verse to other Bible verses: verse 22a vs. b and verse 22b vs. b.[26] This verse contains several rare words – such as דֹּק֙, *doq* ("curtain"), and מָתַח, *mathach* ("spread, stretch"), which are [only found here](/source/Hapax_legomenon), as well as ח֣וּג, *chug* ("circle"), which are only found in a few other verses (; ; ) – suggesting "well-defined, distinctive traditions."[26]

- "Circle" (of the earth): is translated from the Hebrew word חוּג, , which also denotes "horizon, circuit, vault of the heavens";[27][28] while the Gesenius Lexicon also adds "sphere".[a] It can refer to - the full circuit – the seen and unseen halves – of the stars across the dome of the sky, or - the vault of heaven () extending "in a half-circle from horizon to horizon", or - a circular observable horizon (cf. ; )

- It is to emphasize the range of God’s authority "over everything the eye can see in every direction, even to the distant ends of the earth,"[29][30] but not necessarily refer to the "circular nature of the earth."[30]
- [Rashi](/source/Rashi) mentions an expression with the same root in "and with a [compass](/source/Compass_(drawing_tool)) (וּבַמְּחוּגָה)" to view this word as a "circle" (as made by a [compass](/source/Compass_(drawing_tool))).[31] A newer edition of the [Douay–Rheims Bible](/source/Douay%E2%80%93Rheims_Bible) renders it as "globe"[32] – and so does the Spanish version of the Jubilee Bible (*el globo*,[33] although the English version renders as "circle"[34]) – but an older edition of the Douay-Reims renders it as "compasse" (original spelling in 1582 CE).[35]

## Uses

### Modern literature

A part of the Hebrew text of [Isaiah 40:4](#Verse_4) was used by [Shmuel Yosef Agnon](/source/Shmuel_Yosef_Agnon) as the title for his 1912-novella, "Vehaya Ha'akov Lemishor" ("The Crooked Shall Be Made Straight").[36]

### Music

The [King James Version](/source/King_James_Version) of verses 1–5, 9 and 11 from this chapter is cited as texts in the English-language [oratorio](/source/Oratorio) "[Messiah](/source/Messiah_(Handel))" by [George Frideric Handel](/source/George_Frideric_Handel) (HWV 56).[37]

## See also

- [All flesh is grass](/source/All_flesh_is_grass)
- [Christian messianic prophecies](/source/Christian_messianic_prophecies)
- [John the Baptist](/source/John_the_Baptist)
- [Messianic prophecies of Jesus](/source/Messianic_prophecies_of_Jesus)
- Related [Bible](/source/Bible) parts: [Exodus 19](/source/Exodus_19), [Jeremiah 23](/source/Jeremiah_23), [Matthew 3](/source/Matthew_3), [Mark 1](/source/Mark_1), [Luke 3](/source/Luke_3), [John 1](/source/John_1), [Romans 11](/source/Romans_11), [1 Peter 1](/source/1_Peter_1), [1 Peter 5](/source/1_Peter_5)

## Notes

1. "a *circle*, *sphere*, used of the arch or vault of the sky."[38]

## References

1. Würthwein 1995, pp. 35–37.

1. Würthwein 1995, pp. 73–74.

1. [Isaiah 40](https://biblehub.com/bsb/isaiah/40.htm), Berean Study Bible

1. As reflected in the [Jewish Publication Society's 1917 edition of the Hebrew Bible in English](http://mechon-mamre.org/e/et/et0.htm).

1. Skinner, J. (1897-8), [Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges](http://biblehub.com/commentaries/cambridge/isaiah/40.htm) on Isaiah 40, accessed 30 July 2018

1. [ESV](/source/English_Standard_Version)

1. Note on Isaiah 40:1 in [NET Bible](/source/New_English_Translation)

1. ESV

1. [Isaiah 40:2](http://biblehub.com/sep/isaiah/40.htm) - Brenton's Septuagint Translation

1. KJV

1. [ESV](/source/English_Standard_Version)

1. - ESV

1. KJV

1. [Ellicott, C. J.](/source/Charles_Ellicott) (Ed.) (1905). [*Ellicott's Bible Commentary for English Readers*. Isaiah 40.](http://biblehub.com/commentaries/ellicott/isaiah/40.htm) London : Cassell and Company, Limited, [1905-1906] Online version: (OCoLC) 929526708. Accessed 28 April 2019.

1. KJV

1. KJV

1. [Hebrew Text Analysis: Isaiah 40:6](https://biblehub.com/text/isaiah/40-6.htm). Biblehub

1. Exell, Joseph S.; Spence-Jones, Henry Donald Maurice (Editors). [On "Isaiah 40".](http://biblehub.com/commentaries/pulpit/isaiah/40.htm) In: *The [Pulpit Commentary](/source/Pulpit_Commentary)*. 23 volumes. First publication: 1890. Accessed 24 April 2019.

1. [Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges](/source/Cambridge_Bible_for_Schools_and_Colleges). [Isaiah 40](http://biblehub.com/commentaries/cambridge/isaiah/40.htm). Accessed 28 April 2019.

1. [Barnes, Albert](/source/Albert_Barnes_(theologian)). [*Notes on the Bible* - Isaiah 40](http://biblehub.com/commentaries/barnes/isaiah/40.htm). James Murphy (ed). London: Blackie & Son, 1884.

1. [MEV](/source/Modern_English_Version)

1. Jamieson, Robert; [Fausset, Andrew Robert](/source/Andrew_Robert_Fausset); [Brown, David](/source/David_Brown_(Free_Church_of_Scotland)). *[Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary On the Whole Bible](/source/Jamieson-Fausset-Brown_Bible_Commentary)*. ["Isaiah 40"](http://biblehub.com/commentaries/jfb/isaiah/40.htm). 1871.

1. MEV

1. [NKJV](/source/New_King_James_Version)

1. [ESV](/source/English_Standard_Version)

1. Westermann 1969, p. 56.

1. Smith 2009, p. 116.

1. Brown 1994 "חוּג"

1. Smith 2009, pp. 116–117.

1. Oswalt 1998, p. 67.

1. [Yeshayahu - Isaiah - Chapter 40](https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/15971/jewish/Chapter-40.htm#showrashi=true). The Complete Jewish Bible with Rashi Commentary. Chabad.org. Accessed on February 28, 2019.

1. [Isaiah 40:22 Douay-Rheims](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=isaiah+40%3A22&version=DRA)

1. [Isaiah 40:22 JBS](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=isaiah+40%3A22&version=JBS)

1. [Isaiah 40:22 JUB](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=isaiah+40%3A22&version=JUB)

1. [Isaiah 40:22 in the 1582 Douay-Rheims Old Testament](https://archive.org/details/1610A.d.DouayOldTestament1582A.d.RheimsNewTestament_176/page/n1511/mode/2up?q=Isaiah)

1. Aschkenasy, Nehama (1983). "Biblical Substructures in the Tragic Form Hardy, "The Mayor of Casterbridge" Agnon, "And the Crooked Shall Be Made Straight"". *Modern Language Studies*. **13** (1): 105. [doi:10.2307/3194323](https://doi.org/10.2307/3194323). [JSTOR 3194323](https://www.jstor.org/stable/3194323)

1. Block, Daniel I. (2001). ["Handel's Messiah: Biblical and Theological Perspectives"](http://www.sbts.edu/documents/icw/messiah.pdf). *[Didaskalia](/source/Didaskalia_(journal))*. **12** (2). Retrieved 19 July 2011.

1. Gesenius 1979 "חוּג"

## Sources

- Brown, Francis; Briggs, Charles A.; Driver, S. R. (1994). *The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon*. reprint ed. Hendrickson Publishers. ISBN 978-1565632066.
- Gesenius, H. W. F. (1979). *Gesenius' Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures: Numerically Coded to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, with an English Index.*. 7th ed. Translated by Tregelles, Samuel Prideaux. Baker Book House.
- Oswalt, John (1998). [*The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 40-66. (Volume 2 of The Book of Isaiah)*](https://books.google.com/books?id=eFLymjY1inIC). Vol. 23. New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 9780802825346. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
- Smith, Gary V. (2009). [*Isaiah 40-66*](https://books.google.com/books?id=zUlx_AAl66MC). Vol. 15. New American commentary. B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 9780805401448. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
- Westermann, Claus (1969). [*Isaiah 40-66*](https://books.google.com/books?id=CdbYAAAAMAAJ). Old Testament Library. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 9780664226459. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
- Würthwein, Ernst (1995). [*The Text of the Old Testament*](https://books.google.com/books?id=FSNKSBObCYwC). Translated by Rhodes, Erroll F. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans. ISBN 0-8028-0788-7. Retrieved January 26, 2019.

## External links

### Jewish

- [Isaiah 40: Hebrew with Parallel English](http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt1040.htm)

### Christian

- [Isaiah 40 English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate](http://www.latinvulgate.com/lv/verse.aspx?t=0&b=27&c=40) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160704060515/http://latinvulgate.com/lv/verse.aspx?t=0&b=27&c=40) 2016-07-04 at the Wayback Machine

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Isaiah 40](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaiah_40) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaiah_40?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.