Isaiah 40:31
40:30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: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. renew: Heb. change
KJV
But those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint.
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.
But they that wait on 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.
What does Isaiah 40:31 mean?
Those who wait on the LORD exchange their spent strength for his — soaring, running, and walking without fainting.
"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."
Context
Isaiah 40 answers a discouraged people who say "my way is hid from the LORD" (Isaiah 40:27). The chapter exalts the everlasting Creator who "fainteth not, neither is weary" (Isaiah 40:28) and who "giveth power to the faint" (Isaiah 40:29). Verse 31 is the promise to those who turn to him.
Key words
"Wait" (Hebrew qavah) means to hope in and look expectantly to the LORD, not passive idleness but active dependence. "Renew" carries the sense of exchanging — trading worn-out strength for God's. The threefold "mount up... run... walk" descends from the dramatic to the daily, promising strength for the long, ordinary road as much as the soaring moment.
How it has been read
The church has heard here that endurance is a gift received, not a reserve we summon. The strong eventually faint (Isaiah 40:30); those who wait on the LORD find their strength continually renewed in him.
Hebrew interlinear
Full chapter interlinear →Topics
Verses like this
Other verses that share key original-language words with Isaiah 40:31.
And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar: divers: Heb. embroidering
Genesis 41:14Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh. brought: Heb. made him run
Genesis 8:20And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
Job 9:26They are passed away as the swift ships: as the eagle that hasteth to the prey. swift: or, ships of Ebeh: Heb. ships of desire
Frequently asked questions
What does Isaiah 40:31 say?
Isaiah 40:31 (King James Version) reads: "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. renew: Heb. change"
Is Isaiah 40:31 in the Old or New Testament?
Isaiah 40:31 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Isaiah.
Reflect
As you read Isaiah 40:31, what is one truth here you can carry into today?
Plan a sermon or study on Isaiah 40:31 →