Bible HebrewWings Like Eagles Isaiah 40:28–31
Isaiah 40: prophetic poetry. Questions, participles for who God is, and words from one verse that come back turned around.
Isaiah 40:28
הֲלוֹא יָדַעְתָּ אִם־לֹא שָׁמַעְתָּ אֱלֹהֵי עוֹלָם יְהוָה בּוֹרֵא קְצוֹת הָאָרֶץ לֹא יִיעַף וְלֹא יִיגָע אֵין חֵקֶר לִתְבוּנָתוֹ
Hălō yādhaʿtā ʾim-lō shāmaʿtā ʾĕlōhē ʿōlām yəḥawwe bōrē qəṣōth hāʾāreṣ lō yīʿaf wəlō yīghāʿ ʾēn ḥēqer lithvūnāthō
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, yəḥawwe, the creator of the ends of the earth, does not grow faint or weary; his understanding cannot be searched out.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| הֲלוֹא | hălō | have you not |
| יָדַעְתָּ | yādhaʿtā | known |
| אִם | ʾim | or |
| לֹא | lō | not |
| שָׁמַעְתָּ | shāmaʿtā | heard |
| אֱלֹהֵי | ʾĕlōhē | the God of |
| עוֹלָם | ʿōlām | eternity |
| יְהוָה | yəḥawwe | yəḥawwe |
| בּוֹרֵא | bōrē | creator of |
| קְצוֹת | qəṣōth | the ends of |
| הָאָרֶץ | hāʾāreṣ | the earth |
| לֹא | lō | not |
| יִיעַף | yīʿaf | he grows faint |
| וְלֹא | wəlō | and not |
| יִיגָע | yīghāʿ | he grows weary |
| אֵין | ʾēn | there is no |
| חֵקֶר | ḥēqer | searching |
| לִתְבוּנָתוֹ | lithvūnāthō | of his understanding |
- הֲלוֹא: הֲלוֹא = the question הֲ + לוֹא, “not”, a fuller spelling of לֹא: “have you not …?”, a question that expects the answer yes.
- אֱלֹהֵי: אֱלֹהֵי עוֹלָם, “God of eternity”: a construct chain meaning “the everlasting God”.
- בּוֹרֵא: בּוֹרֵא, “creating, creator”: a participle of בָּרָא, the verb of Genesis 1:1, used as a noun.
- אֵין: אֵין חֵקֶר, “there is no searching”: his understanding is beyond searching out.
Isaiah 40:29
נֹתֵן לַיָּעֵף כֹּחַ וּלְאֵין אוֹנִים עָצְמָה יַרְבֶּה
Nōthēn layyāʿēf kōaḥ ūləʾēn ʾōnīm ʿāṣəmā yarbe
“He gives strength to the faint, and to the one who has no might he increases power.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| נֹתֵן | nōthēn | giving |
| לַיָּעֵף | layyāʿēf | to the faint |
| כֹּחַ | kōaḥ | strength |
| וּלְאֵין | ūləʾēn | and to (one with) no |
| אוֹנִים | ʾōnīm | might |
| עָצְמָה | ʿāṣəmā | strength |
| יַרְבֶּה | yarbe | he increases |
- נֹתֵן: נֹתֵן, “giving”: a participle of נָתַן. Poetry often describes God with participles: “the one who gives”.
- וּלְאֵין: וּלְאֵין אוֹנִים, “and to (one who has) no might”: אֵין works like a noun here.
- יַרְבֶּה: יַרְבֶּה, “he increases”: a Hiphil of the III-he root רבה, “be many”, so “make much”.
Isaiah 40:30
וְיִעֲפוּ נְעָרִים וְיִגָעוּ וּבַחוּרִים כָּשׁוֹל יִכָּשֵׁלוּ
Wəyiʿăfū nəʿārīm wəyighāʿū ūvaḥūrīm kāshōl yikkāshēlū
“Youths grow faint and weary, and young men stumble badly.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| וְיִעֲפוּ | wəyiʿăfū | and (they) grow faint |
| נְעָרִים | nəʿārīm | youths |
| וְיִגָעוּ | wəyighāʿū | and grow weary |
| וּבַחוּרִים | ūvaḥūrīm | and young men |
| כָּשׁוֹל | kāshōl | stumbling |
| יִכָּשֵׁלוּ | yikkāshēlū | will stumble |
- כָּשׁוֹל: כָּשׁוֹל יִכָּשֵׁלוּ, “stumbling they will stumble”: an infinitive absolute before a verb of the same root, for emphasis (see the Infinitives lesson).
- Whole verse: The verbs of verse 28 come back: God does not grow faint or weary, but the young do.
Isaiah 40:31
וְקוֹיֵ יְהוָה יַחֲלִיפוּ כֹחַ יַעֲלוּ אֵבֶר כַּנְּשָׁרִים יָרוּצוּ וְלֹא יִיגָעוּ יֵלְכוּ וְלֹא יִיעָפוּ
Wəqōyē yəḥawwe yaḥălīfū khōaḥ yaʿălū ʾēver kannəshārīm yārūṣū wəlō yīghāʿū yēləkhū wəlō yīʿāfū
“But those who wait for yəḥawwe will renew their strength; they will rise up on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not grow faint.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| וְקוֹיֵ | wəqōyē | but those who wait for |
| יְהוָה | yəḥawwe | yəḥawwe |
| יַחֲלִיפוּ | yaḥălīfū | will renew |
| כֹחַ | khōaḥ | strength |
| יַעֲלוּ | yaʿălū | they will go up |
| אֵבֶר | ʾēver | (on) wings |
| כַּנְּשָׁרִים | kannəshārīm | like eagles |
| יָרוּצוּ | yārūṣū | they will run |
| וְלֹא | wəlō | and not |
| יִיגָעוּ | yīghāʿū | grow weary |
| יֵלְכוּ | yēləkhū | they will walk |
| וְלֹא | wəlō | and not |
| יִיעָפוּ | yīʿāfū | grow faint |
- וְקוֹיֵ: וְקוֹיֵ, “and those who wait for”: a plural participle in its “of” form, followed by the divine name.
- יַחֲלִיפוּ: יַחֲלִיפוּ, “they will exchange, renew”: a Hiphil.
- כַּנְּשָׁרִים: כַּנְּשָׁרִים = כְּ “like” + הַ + נְשָׁרִים “eagles”. After כְּ, the ה of the article drops out (see the Definite Article lesson).
- Whole verse: The last two lines turn verse 30 around: those who wait “run and don't grow weary, walk and don't grow faint”.
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