The Meaning of Isaiah 40:31 Explained

Isaiah 40:31

KJV: 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.

YLT: But those expecting Jehovah pass to power, They raise up the pinion as eagles, They run and are not fatigued, They go on and do not faint!

Darby: but they that wait upon Jehovah shall renew their strength: they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not tire; they shall walk, and not faint.

ASV: but they that wait for Jehovah shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Isaiah 40:31 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 40:31 mean?

but those who wait on Yahweh shall renew [their] strength they shall mount up with wings like eagles they shall run and not be weary they shall walk faint -
וְקוֹיֵ֤ יְהוָה֙ יַחֲלִ֣יפוּ כֹ֔חַ יַעֲל֥וּ אֵ֖בֶר כַּנְּשָׁרִ֑ים יָר֙וּצוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א יִיגָ֔עוּ יֵלְכ֖וּ יִיעָֽפוּ פ

וְקוֹיֵ֤  but  those  who  wait  on 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: קָוָה 
Sense: to wait, look for, hope, expect.
יְהוָה֙  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
יַחֲלִ֣יפוּ  shall  renew 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: חָלַף 
Sense: to pass on or away, pass through, pass by, go through, grow up, change, to go on from.
כֹ֔חַ  [their]  strength 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּחַ 
Sense: strength, power, might.
יַעֲל֥וּ  they  shall  mount  up 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
אֵ֖בֶר  with  wings 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֵבֶר  
Sense: pinion, wing.
כַּנְּשָׁרִ֑ים  like  eagles 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: נֶשֶׁר  
Sense: eagle, vulture, griffon-vulture.
יָר֙וּצוּ֙  they  shall  run 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: רוּץ 
Sense: to run.
וְלֹ֣א  and  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יִיגָ֔עוּ  be  weary 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יָגַע  
Sense: to toil, labour, grow weary, be weary.
יֵלְכ֖וּ  they  shall  walk 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
יִיעָֽפוּ  faint 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יָעֵף  
Sense: to be or grow weary, be fatigued, be faint.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation