What Does Isaiah 40:31 Mean?
Two renderings of the same sentence, the verses it belongs to, and what the passage is doing — so you can decide what it means rather than take someone's word for it.
"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." Isaiah 40:31, King James Version
The same verse in modern English
"But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31, Berean Standard Bible
What it sits inside
A verse quoted on its own is the commonest way one gets misread. Here it is with what comes immediately before and after, in the King James Version.
Isaiah 40:29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
Isaiah 40:30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
Isaiah 40:31 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.
A conversation built on it
Running empty feels like a personal failing rather than a fact of being made. Isaiah states plainly that even the young grow faint, then promises renewal to those who wait — which sounds like doing nothing and is the opposite. Eagles do not flap upward. They find the rising air.
Questions people ask
What does Isaiah 40:31 mean?
In modern English (Berean Standard Bible) it reads: “But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.” The King James rendering most people know is: “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 is the context of Isaiah 40:31?
The verses immediately around it read: (Isaiah 40:29) He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. (Isaiah 40:30) Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: (Isaiah 40:31) 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.
How is Isaiah 40:31 used in a conversation about this?
Running empty feels like a personal failing rather than a fact of being made. Isaiah states plainly that even the young grow faint, then promises renewal to those who wait — which sounds like doing nothing and is the opposite. Eagles do not flap upward. They find the rising air.
Reading it is one thing. Saying what it stirs up is another.
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