The Meaning of Isaiah 40:7 Explained

Isaiah 40:7

KJV: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.

YLT: Withered hath grass, faded the flower, For the Spirit of Jehovah blew upon it, Surely the people is grass;

Darby: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, for the breath of Jehovah bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.

ASV: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the breath of Jehovah bloweth upon it; surely the people is grass.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The grass  withereth,  the flower  fadeth:  because the spirit  of the LORD  bloweth  upon it: surely  the people  [is] grass. 

What does Isaiah 40:7 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The breath (Heb. ruah, sometimes translated "Spirit") of the Lord not only brings life (cf. Genesis 1:2), but it also brings death to people, even His people, as well as to their enemies and to the grass and flowers. The Apostle James combined these figures into one: "flowering grass" ( James 1:10). The hot winds that blew into Israel from the east quickly withered the grass, and the prophet likened this wind to God"s wilting judgments on humankind.

Context Summary

Isaiah 40:1-8 - The Cry Of Jehovah's Herald
Voices are ever speaking to us from the infinite; let us heed them.
(1.) There is the voice of forgiveness, Isaiah 40:2. Are you truly penitent? Have you put away your sin? Have you meekly accepted the chastening rod? Then be of good cheer, this promise is for you. The time of hard service as a conscript (the literal rendering) is accomplished, your iniquity is pardoned, you have received double for all your sins. God speaks comfortably to your heart, that you may be able to comfort others as He does you, 2 Corinthians 1:4.
(2.) The voice of deliverance, Isaiah 40:3-4. Between Babylon and Canaan lay a great desert of thirty days' journey with mountain ranges, yawning gulfs. But when God arises to deliver His children, "who cry day and night unto Him," crooked places straighten out, rough ones become smooth, and mountains disappear.
(3.) The voices of decay, Isaiah 40:6-8. The one herald, speaking from his observation of human mortality, describes man and his glory as the "flower of the field." But in contrast to this, another voice seems to break in with the eternal word of God, which stands forever. The precepts, promises, and invitations of the gospel are as sure as God's throne, 1 Peter 1:25. [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 40:7 mean?

Withers the grass fades the flower because the breath of Yahweh blows upon it surely grass the people [are]
יָבֵ֤שׁ חָצִיר֙ נָ֣בֵֽל צִ֔יץ כִּ֛י ר֥וּחַ יְהוָ֖ה נָ֣שְׁבָה בּ֑וֹ אָכֵ֥ן חָצִ֖יר הָעָֽם

יָבֵ֤שׁ  Withers 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָבֵשׁ  
Sense: to make dry, wither, be dry, become dry, be dried up, be withered.
חָצִיר֙  the  grass 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חָצִיר 
Sense: grass, leek, green grass, herbage.
נָ֣בֵֽל  fades 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָבֵל 
Sense: to be senseless, be foolish.
צִ֔יץ  the  flower 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: צִיץ 
Sense: flower, bloom.
כִּ֛י  because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
ר֥וּחַ  the  breath 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct
Root: רוּחַ  
Sense: wind, breath, mind, spirit.
יְהוָ֖ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
נָ֣שְׁבָה  blows 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: נָשַׁב  
Sense: to blow.
בּ֑וֹ  upon  it 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
אָכֵ֥ן  surely 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אָכֵן 
Sense: surely, truly, indeed.
חָצִ֖יר  grass 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חָצִיר 
Sense: grass, leek, green grass, herbage.
הָעָֽם  the  people  [are] 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.

What are the major concepts related to Isaiah 40:7?

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