Isaiah 40:10-11; 28-31
I have been studying through various passages that concern God, His power, and care for His children, and waiting on God. Today I studied word by word through Isaiah chapter 40. This has long been one of my favorite passages, but taking my concordance through and looking up each key word has made it even more rich and deep with meaning. It was such an encouragement to me, that I wanted to share it with you all, that God might use what He has been showing me to encourage someone else. While I studied verses 10 through the end of the chapter, I will focus here on verses 10 and 11, and verses 28-31. (Please take the time to read this entire passage (10-31) as it is all filled with precious treasures. Verses 12-27 are pretty straight forward, with the key words meaning pretty much what we would expect them to mean.)
I will list the key words I found to have particularly rich or deep roots, along with the Strong’s numbers and their alternate meanings. After each verse, I will paraphrase it, pulling in the portions that God used to speak to my heart today.
Verse 10
Lord - H136 ̀Ādônây - and emphatic form of H113 ̀Âdôn - sovereign, ruler, controller, lord, master, owner
GOD - H3069 Jehôvih - self existent one; when used with H136 Elohiym creating Adonai Elohiym, the sovereign self existent one
come - H935 bố - to go or come with implications of going or coming as for war, also to lead or lift up
strong - H2389 châzâq - from H2388 châzaq - to fasten upon, be strong/courageous, to strengthen, cure, help, repair/fortify, to be constant, encourage, hold fast
arm - H2220 zerôâ - arm, with the added meaning of help, mighty, strength
reward - H7939 śâkâr - salary, price, hire, reward, wages
“Look, Adonai Elohiym, the sovereign, self existent one, will come to lead you with strength and courage, His arm will rule with strength and might to help you; See, He brings His wages with Him and His work is before Him, (we don’t have to pay or compensate Him for His help!)”
Verse 11
feed - H7462 rấâh - to tend a flock, to rule, to associate with (as with a friend), to make friendship with, to pastor or shepherd
shepherd - same word as feed
lambs - H2922 telâ - lambs, includes the intent to cover for protection
carry - H5375 nâśấ nâsâh - to lift, bear up, bring , carry, contain, desire, ease, fetch, forgive, help, obtain, pardon, raise up, receive, spare
bosom - H2436 chêyq chêq chôq - to inclose, bosom, lap, midst, within
lead - H5095 nâhal - to run with a sparkle, to flow, conduct, protect, sustain, carry, feed, guide, lead gently
“He will feed His flock as a shepherd tends his sheep, with the care of a friend; He will gather His protected lambs in His arms and lift them up with forgiveness and desire, inclosing them within His bosom. He will sustain those who are with young and gently lead and protect them.”
Verse 28
heard - H8085 shâmâ - to hear intelligently, carefully; to be content, to discern, give ear; be obedient, obey; make a proclamation, publish, report, show forth, tell, understand, witness
everlasting - H5769 ̀ôlâm ̀ôlâm - time out of mind, eternity, always, continuance, eternal, perpetual, at any time, world without end, since the beginning
faint - H3287 yấêph - fatigued, exhausted
searching - H2714 chêqer - finding out
understanding - H8394 tâbûn tebûnâh tôbûnâh - intelligence
“Don’t you know? Weren’t you listening so you could understand and tell others? The God who always is from the beginning and even before the beginning, Yaweh, the self existent One, the Creator of all that you see, never grows tired or weary. His intelligence is so deep that you can’t even find out how great it is!”
Verse 29
gives - H5414 nâthan - gives, also restores
power - H3581 kôach kôach - to be firm, vigor, ability
faint - H3287 yấêph - fatigued, exhausted
might - H202 ̀ôn - ability, power; from same root as H205 âven - to exert oneself in vain, to come to naught
“He restores the vigor of the exhausted and gives strength to the weary. He restores those who are worn out from their futile trying in their own strength.”
Verse 30
faint - H3286 yấaph - to grow tired, as from wearisome flight
fall - H3782 kâshal - to totter or waver because ones legs are weak, to falter, stumble, faint, fall, be cast down, be decayed
“Even children grow tired when the way is weary, and young men grow discouraged and stumble and fall.”
Verse 31
wait upon - H6960 qâvâh - to bind together, expect, look patiently, tarry, wait
mount up - H5927 ̀âlâh - to ascend, come up, dawn, depart, exalt, make to go up/away, grow, increase, leap, recover, restore
wings - H83 ̀êber - wing; from H82 ̀âbar - to soar, fly
“But those who hold tight to Jehovah and wait with patience and expectation for Him will be given new strength. They will rise with the dawn and ascend above their troubles, soaring on wings like eagles, away from the weariness of life.”
Now read it all together and let the truths of these precious verses sink into your very soul. Let them sooth the weariness of life that settles in and pull us down.
“Look, Adonai Elohiym, the sovereign, self existent one, will come to lead you with strength and courage, His arm will rule with strength and might to help you; See, He brings His wages with Him and His work is before Him, (we don’t have to pay or compensate Him for His help!) He will feed His flock as a shepherd tends his sheep, with the care of a friend; He will gather His protected lambs in His arms and lift them up with forgiveness and desire, inclosing them within His bosom. He will sustain those who are with young and gently lead and protect them. Don’t you know? Weren’t you listening so you could understand and tell others? The God who always is from the beginning and even before the beginning, Yaweh, the self existent One, the Creator of all that you see, never grows tired or weary. His intelligence is so deep that you can’t even find out how great it is! He restores the vigor of the exhausted and gives strength to the weary. He restores those who are worn out from their futile trying in their own strength. Even children grow tired when the way is weary, and young men grow discouraged and stumble and fall. But those who hold tight to Jehovah and wait with patience and expectation for Him will be given new strength. They will rise with the dawn and ascend above their troubles, soaring on wings like eagles, away from the weariness of life.”
