The Meaning of Isaiah 40:30 Explained

Isaiah 40:30

KJV: Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

YLT: Even youths are wearied and fatigued, And young men utterly stumble,

Darby: Even the youths shall faint and shall tire, and the young men shall stumble and fall;

ASV: Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Even the youths  shall faint  and be weary,  and the young men  shall utterly  fall: 

What does Isaiah 40:30 Mean?

Context Summary

Isaiah 40:18-31 - The Everlasting God The Giver Of Strength
Day changes to night, and as the twilight deepens, the stars come out in their myriads, Isaiah 40:26. To the poetic eye of the watcher, they appear as a vast flock following the shepherd, who calls each by its name. Not one falls out of its place, or is lacking. Will Jehovah do so much for stars and nought for men? Will He not have a name for each? Will He not guard and guide each? If He has sustained the orbs of light in their mighty rounds, will He fail the poor soul that clings to His feet?
They that wait on God change their strength. In their earliest days they rely on the energy and vigor of youth, on their blameless, unstained character, in the consciousness of their glorious manhood; but as years pass, they come to count all these as refuse in comparison with Jesus Christ the Lord, Philippians 3:8. Notice the order in Isaiah 40:31! At first sight we should have expected that it would advance from walking to running, and so to flying. But that order is reversed. It is more difficult to walk than to mount! Every cyclist will tell you that the hardest task is to keep your cycle at walking pace. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 40

1  The promulgation of the Gospel
3  The preaching of John Baptist foretold
9  The preaching of the apostles foretold
12  The prophet, by the omnipotence of God
18  And his incomparableness
26  Comforts the people

What do the individual words in Isaiah 40:30 mean?

And Even shall faint the youths and be weary and the young men utterly shall fall
וְיִֽעֲפ֥וּ נְעָרִ֖ים וְיִגָ֑עוּ וּבַחוּרִ֖ים כָּשׁ֥וֹל יִכָּשֵֽׁלוּ

וְיִֽעֲפ֥וּ  And  Even  shall  faint 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יָעֵף  
Sense: to be or grow weary, be fatigued, be faint.
נְעָרִ֖ים  the  youths 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: נַעַר  
Sense: a boy, lad, servant, youth, retainer.
וְיִגָ֑עוּ  and  be  weary 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יָגַע  
Sense: to toil, labour, grow weary, be weary.
וּבַחוּרִ֖ים  and  the  young  men 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural
Root: בָּחוּר 
Sense: youth, young man.
כָּשׁ֥וֹל  utterly 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute
Root: כָּשַׁל  
Sense: to stumble, stagger, totter.
יִכָּשֵֽׁלוּ  shall  fall 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: כָּשַׁל  
Sense: to stumble, stagger, totter.