What does Isaiah 40:31 mean?
Isaiah wrote to God's people at a time when they felt forgotten and exhausted, facing exile and the long wait for rescue. The verse before this one admits that even strong young people grow tired and fall. In contrast, those who "wait upon the LORD" will find new strength. Waiting here is not passive; it means hoping in God, trusting him, and looking to him rather than to ourselves. The three pictures move from the dramatic to the ordinary: soaring like eagles, running, and then simply walking without fainting. Sometimes God's strength lifts us high, but often it carries us through the slow, everyday walk of faithfulness.
Isaiah 40:31 in the World English Bible
but those who wait for the LORD 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.
Context
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31 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.
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Frequently asked questions
What does Isaiah 40:31 mean?
Isaiah wrote to God's people at a time when they felt forgotten and exhausted, facing exile and the long wait for rescue. The verse before this one admits that even strong young people grow tired and fall. In contrast, those who "wait upon the LORD" will find new strength. Waiting here is not passive; it means hoping in God, trusting him, and looking to him rather than to ourselves. The three pictures move from the dramatic to the ordinary: soaring like eagles, running, and then simply walking without fainting. Sometimes God's strength lifts us high, but often it carries us through the slow, everyday walk of faithfulness.
What does Isaiah 40:31 say in the KJV?
Isaiah 40:31 (KJV) 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.”