Isaiah 40 28

Isaiah 40:28 kjv

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

Isaiah 40:28 nkjv

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.

Isaiah 40:28 niv

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

Isaiah 40:28 esv

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.

Isaiah 40:28 nlt

Have you never heard?
Have you never understood?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of his understanding.

Isaiah 40 verses

Isaiah 40 28 Meaning

Isaiah 40:28 powerfully asserts the enduring and unparalleled nature of God. It declares that He is the eternal, covenant-keeping Creator of the entire universe, never experiencing fatigue or exhaustion, and possessing wisdom and understanding that are utterly unfathomable to humanity. This verse offers comfort by reminding that God's power and faithfulness are limitless and unwavering, especially for those who feel their own strength waning.

Isaiah 40 28 Context

Isaiah chapter 40 marks a significant shift in the book, moving from prophecies of judgment to messages of comfort and hope for Israel. The initial verses announce comfort for God's people in their suffering (Isa 40:1-2) and the coming glory of the LORD (Isa 40:3-5). The passage contrasts the fleeting nature of humanity and its works with the enduring word and power of God (Isa 40:6-8). Verses 12-26 then highlight God's incomparable power as Creator and Sustainer, questioning who can challenge Him.

Verse 28 serves as a pivotal summary and affirmation of God's character, directly addressing the despair and weariness felt by the exiles in Babylon. They may have felt forgotten or that God was unable to deliver them from their mighty oppressors. By asking "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard?", the prophet reminds them of fundamental truths about God they ought to have understood. It directly precedes the promise that God gives strength to the weary (Isa 40:29-31), anchoring that promise in His eternal, unwearied nature.

Historically, this chapter speaks to the nation of Judah during their Babylonian exile, a period of immense national and spiritual weariness. Culturally, it stood in stark contrast to the polytheistic beliefs of their captors, whose gods often had human-like weaknesses and limitations.

Isaiah 40 28 Word analysis

• Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard? (הֲלוֹא יָדַעְתָּ אִם־לֹא שָׁמָעְתָּ, halo yādaʿtā im-lō šāmāʿtā): These rhetorical questions expect an emphatic "Yes!" in response. They challenge the audience's forgetfulness or presumed ignorance of fundamental truths about God that had been revealed through scripture, tradition, and experience. They imply a prior divine education and underscore the inexcusability of their current doubt.
• that the everlasting God (אֱלֹהֵי עוֹלָם, Elohei Olam):
  • Elohei: God, a general but powerful plural noun for deity, here used with the singular "God" (English translation) referring to the one true God.
  • Olam: Pertains to eternity, boundless time, hiddenness. It speaks of God's existence from beyond all time and His continuous, unending being. This title emphasizes His transcendence over creation and time, and His enduring faithfulness. It signifies His absolute independence and self-existence.
• the LORD (יהוה, Yahweh): This is the specific, covenantal, personal name of God, revealed to Moses (Ex 3:15). It stresses His relational aspect with His people, His reliability, and His active presence in fulfilling His promises. Juxtaposed with Elohei Olam, it emphasizes both His cosmic eternality and His personal involvement.
• the Creator of the ends of the earth (בּוֹרֵא קְצוֹת הָאָרֶץ, Bore Ktzot ha'aretz):
  • Bore: "Creator," a participle, often exclusively used in Hebrew scripture for God's act of creating ex nihilo (out of nothing) or bringing order to chaos. This establishes His ultimate authority and power over all things.
  • Ktzot ha'aretz: "Ends of the earth," referring to the uttermost limits of the known world and beyond. This phrase emphasizes God's universal sovereignty and the scope of His creative power. It counters any belief that His power is geographically limited or restricted, asserting His control even over distant lands like Babylon.
• fainteth not (לֹא יִיעַף, lo yiyaf): Yiyaf implies growing faint, being physically or mentally exhausted, losing strength due to strain. This is a common human experience. God is entirely devoid of such limitations. His energy is infinite.
• neither is weary (וְלֹא יִיגָע, v'lo yiga): Yiga suggests being worn out from labor, tired, experiencing fatigue from effort. The double negation reinforces that God's power and ability never diminish, regardless of the magnitude of His activities or the duration of time. This stands in stark contrast to pagan deities depicted as needing rest or sustenance.
• there is no searching of his understanding (אֵין חֵקֶר לִתְבוּנָתוֹ, ein cheker litvunato):
  • Ein cheker: "No searching," "unsearchable," "unfathomable," "inscrutable." It denotes a quality beyond human investigation, comprehension, or full discovery.
  • Litvunato: "His understanding," "discernment," "insight," "wisdom." This refers to God's infinite cognitive capacity, His perfect grasp of all truth, His divine counsel, and His profound plans. His understanding is beyond any human capacity to fully comprehend or trace.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD...": These questions are a call to remembrance, anchoring the profound attributes that follow to foundational truths about Yahweh, the God of Israel. It serves as a gentle rebuke to their forgetfulness and doubt, appealing to revealed truth.
• "...the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?": This combines God's supreme role as Creator of everything with His inexhaustible strength. It implies that if He has the power to create and sustain the entire cosmos without expending His energy, He certainly has the strength to deliver and sustain His people, no matter how daunting their circumstances seem. This also stands as a powerful polemic against any belief in rival, weak, or mortal deities.
• "...there is no searching of his understanding.": This phrase completes the picture of God's unparalleled nature, asserting not only His boundless power and stamina but also His infinite, inscrutable wisdom. This offers assurance that His actions, even when humanly inexplicable (like permitting exile), are guided by perfect understanding, making His purposes ultimately good and trustworthy.

Isaiah 40 28 Bonus section

The Hebrew parallelism and structure of the rhetorical questions, followed by direct affirmations of God's character, are typical of Isaiah's poetic style, designed to be both thought-provoking and comforting. The pairing of "fainteth not, neither is weary" is a literary device called hendiadys, emphasizing the complete absence of any form of weakness or exhaustion in God. This verse also contains an indirect polemic against idolatry. In contrast to idols crafted by human hands—which require human effort to carry, stand, or act, and eventually decay—the living God is self-existent, tireless, and eternally powerful. The emphasis on "Creator of the ends of the earth" explicitly undermines any territorial deities or limited gods worshipped by surrounding nations, asserting Yahweh's sole universal dominion. The "Olam" aspect of Elohei Olam suggests not just chronological eternity but also qualitative perfection, reflecting the comprehensive nature of God's attributes, not subject to time's erosion or wear. This verse effectively lays the theological groundwork for the subsequent promise that God will empower those who wait on Him (Isa 40:29-31), offering a concrete hope based on an absolute theological truth.

Isaiah 40 28 Commentary

Isaiah 40:28 provides an indispensable foundation for faith and comfort, particularly during trials and moments of weakness. The verse directly counters the human tendency to project our limitations onto God. Our God is not merely powerful; He is eternally powerful, operating beyond the constraints of time or fatigue. The title "everlasting God" (Elohei Olam) reassures that He pre-exists all creation, making Him perfectly independent and enduringly sovereign. "The LORD" (Yahweh) connects this eternal, cosmic power with His specific, covenantal relationship to His people, implying a personal commitment to uphold His promises. As "Creator of the ends of the earth," He is not only the originator of all existence but also its sustainer, managing every detail of the vast universe without any diminishment of strength. This truth forms a potent challenge to doubt; if He orchestrates the cosmos tirelessly, He will certainly not be too weak or too busy to attend to His weary children.

His unsearchable understanding means His plans and methods are beyond human full grasp, yet they are always perfect. We cannot fully comprehend how He will deliver, or why certain trials exist, but we can rest in the certainty that His wisdom governs all things without flaw. This verse reminds us that when we are at our weakest and most perplexed, God remains infinitely strong, ever-present, and perfectly wise, able to impart His strength to us (as hinted in the subsequent verses of Isa 40). It teaches dependence on an inexhaustible source of power and wisdom.

• Practical Example: When faced with a prolonged period of difficulty, like an unending illness or a relentless financial struggle, and one feels utterly depleted, this verse reminds that God never experiences such weariness. His resources are infinite, and His care for His people remains constant and unfading.
• Practical Example: During times of complex national or global crises, when human leaders and plans seem to falter, remembering God's "unsearchable understanding" encourages trust that He sovereignly governs history and orchestrates His ultimate good purposes.