What does Isaiah 40:31 mean?
Comfort for a worn out people
Isaiah 40 begins a new section of the book with words of comfort for Israel. These chapters speak to people facing, or living through, exile in Babylon in the 500s BC, far from home and wondering if God had given up on them. Just before this verse, they say God has stopped seeing them (Isaiah 40:27).
God does not grow tired
The answer is a reminder of who God is: the Creator who never grows weary and who gives strength to the weak (Isaiah 40:28-29). Even young people at their peak stumble and fall (Isaiah 40:30). Human strength always runs out. God's does not.
Hoping, or waiting
The NIV says "hope in the Lord." Other translations say "wait for the Lord." The Hebrew idea includes both: a patient, expectant trust that keeps looking to God when nothing seems to be happening yet.
Soar, run, walk
Notice the order. Soaring sounds best, but the promise ends with walking and not fainting. Some days God's strength looks like a breakthrough. Many days it simply looks like being able to keep going. Both are the promise at work.
but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint., Isaiah 40:31Ask your own question →
Who was Isaiah 40:31 written to?
To the people of Israel facing or living in exile, who felt God had forgotten them.
Does Isaiah 40:31 mean I will never feel tired if I trust God?
No. It assumes people do get tired. It promises that God renews strength, often one step at a time.
Why does the verse mention eagles?
Eagles rise high on the wind without flapping hard, a picture of being carried by strength that is not your own.
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