What does Isaiah 40:31 mean?
Isaiah 40:31
31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
New International Version (NIV)
The answer
Isaiah 40:31 promises that God gives fresh strength to those who depend on Him and wait expectantly for Him to act. “Waiting” means trusting and seeking God rather than demanding immediate relief. The eagle, the running, and the walking picture His sustaining power in both dramatic challenges and ordinary daily faithfulness.
The promise answers weariness and discouragement
Isaiah 40 opens with God’s command, “Comfort, comfort my people,” and announces that Jerusalem’s iniquity is pardoned (Isaiah 40:1-2). Yet Israel feels forgotten: “My way is hidden from Yahweh, and the justice due me is disregarded by my God” (Isaiah 40:27).
God answers by pointing to who He is. He is the everlasting Creator who never faints or grows weary, and “He gives power to the weak” (Isaiah 40:28-29). Even young people at the height of their natural vigor eventually collapse: “Even the youths faint and get weary, and the young men utterly fall” (Isaiah 40:30). Human strength has limits; God’s does not.
Waiting is active trust, not passive resignation
The Hebrew word translated “wait,” qavah, conveys patient expectation and looking to God. Lamentations 3:25-26 joins waiting with seeking: “The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.” Waiting therefore includes prayer, confidence in God’s character, and continued obedience while His purposes unfold.
The word behind “renew,” chalaph, carries the idea of change or replacement. The picture is of receiving strength afresh: the waiting itself does not create power; God supplies it.
The three pictures describe God’s sustaining grace
- Mounting up like eagles: a picture of God-given vigor and uplift. Psalm 103:5 uses similar language when it says that God renews youth “like the eagle’s.”
- Running without weariness: strength for demanding exertion, without ultimately being overcome.
- Walking without fainting: endurance for the long, ordinary road. God’s grace sustains daily obedience, not only remarkable moments.
This is not a guarantee of unlimited physical energy, freedom from every hardship, or instant deliverance. Second Corinthians 4:16 describes inward renewal even while the outward person perishes, and 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 shows Christ’s power resting upon a believer in weakness. Sometimes renewed strength means rising above a trial; sometimes it means enduring faithfully within it.
Hebrews 12:1 gives the corresponding response: lay aside every weight and entangling sin, and “run with patience the race that is set before us.” Isaiah 40:31 directs weary believers away from confidence in their own reserves and toward the untiring God who strengthens His people.
Answered from Scripture · reviewed November 11, 2026
Isaiah 40:31 offers God's enduring answer to human exhaustion: those who wait upon Yahweh receive an exchange of their failing vitality for His unwearied might. Across Scripture, this waiting is not idle resignation, but expectant reliance that equips believers for every season—whether soaring above crisis, running with mission, or patiently walking the daily path.
The Great Contrast
Human exhaustion meets the inexhaustible power of God
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 (NIV)
This verse anchors the promise of endurance in the everlasting nature and unsearchable understanding of the Creator, who never grows weary.
Isaiah 40:28 anchors the promise of renewal in the unshakeable character of the Creator: "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." Human beings exhaust their reserves because their strength is finite, but God possesses boundless, self-existent life. The everlasting God never faints or grows weary, meaning His ability to sustain His people is never compromised by the passage of time or the magnitude of their trials.
This boundless vigor is not kept at a distance. Isaiah 40:29 declares that He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength. Left to themselves, human beings inevitably falter; Isaiah 40:30 points out that even youths faint and grow weary, and young men fall exhausted. Natural vitality, athletic vigor, and sheer willpower will always collapse under ultimate strain. The contrast is total: human power at its peak is fragile, whereas God’s might is inexhaustible.
Yet God’s people often forget this reality when trials press in. In Isaiah 40:27, Jacob and Israel cry out that their way is hidden from Yahweh and their justice disregarded. God answers their doubt by directing their gaze to the night sky. In Isaiah 40:26, He commands them to lift up their eyes and consider the stars: He brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, and because of the greatness of His might, not one is missing. The God who upholds the cosmos without tiring is the very One who attends to the faint.
| Passage | What it says |
|---|---|
| Isaiah 40:28 | Affirms that Yahweh is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, who never faints or grows weary. |
| Isaiah 40:29 | Declares that the Lord gives power to the faint and increases might to those who have no strength. |
| Isaiah 40:30 | Observes that even youth faint and grow weary, and young men stumble and utterly fall when relying on natural vigor. |
| Isaiah 40:26 | God brings out the starry host by number and calls them by name; through His great power not one is missing. |
| Isaiah 40:27 | Jacob and Israel wrongly question whether their way is hidden from Yahweh and their cause disregarded. |
The Holy Exchange
Waiting on the Lord trades human weakness for divine vitality
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)
It defines the core mechanism of renewal, showing that expectant trust in God replaces depleted human capacity with His endless strength.
Isaiah 40:31 reveals the great divine transaction: "They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." The Hebrew term for "renew" literally means an exchange—trading away spent human fragility in order to put on the unwearied vigor of God. Waiting on the Lord is an active, expectant trust that trades our weakness for His power, resting completely on His character and covenant promises.
This posture of steadfast hope runs throughout the Psalms and the Prophets. In Psalms 25:3, David assures that none who wait for God will be put to shame, while in Psalms 27:13-14, he charges the believer to wait courageously for Yahweh to strengthen the heart. Similarly, Psalms 37:7-9 commands quiet patience in the Lord, promising an enduring inheritance, and Psalms 130:5-6 pictures the soul waiting for Yahweh more intently than morning watchmen wait for dawn. Jeremiah echoes this in Lamentations 3:25-26, affirming that God is good to the soul that seeks Him and waits silently for His salvation. Isaiah 30:18 emphasizes that the Lord Himself longs to be gracious and blesses all who wait for Him.
This Old Testament hope finds its fullest expression in the New Testament. In Romans 8:25-26, believers wait eagerly with patience for future glory while the Spirit intercedes in their weakness. Paul explains in 2 Corinthians 4:16 that though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is renewed day by day. In 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, the Lord tells Paul that His grace is sufficient, for divine power is perfected in weakness. Far from passive idleness, waiting means looking away from self-reliance to receive supernatural help.
| Passage | What it says |
|---|---|
| Isaiah 40:31 | Promises that those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength, mount with eagle wings, run unwearied, and walk unfainting. |
| Psalms 25:3 | Assures that none who wait on the Lord will be put to shame. |
| Psalms 27:13-14 | Urges courageous waiting on the Lord to strengthen the heart in the land of the living. |
| Lamentations 3:25-26 | Proclaims the Lord's goodness to the soul that seeks Him and waits quietly for His salvation. |
| 2 Corinthians 4:16 | Explains that while the outer self wastes away, the inner self is renewed day by day. |
| 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 | Reveals Christ's strength perfected in human weakness, turning infirmity into the dwelling place of divine power. |
| Psalms 37:7-9 | David urges resting in the Lord and waiting patiently for Him, promising that those who wait will inherit the land. |
| Psalms 130:5-6 | The psalmist waits for Yahweh more than watchmen wait for the morning light. |
| Isaiah 30:18 | Yahweh longs to be gracious and will rise to show compassion, blessing all who wait for Him. |
| Romans 8:25-26 | Believers wait eagerly with patience for unseen glory while the Spirit helps in weakness. |
Paces of Faith
Strength provided for soaring, running, and ordinary walking
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,
Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)
This verse connects the race of faith with the necessity of patient endurance, stripping away encumbrances to keep moving forward.
Hebrews 12:1 charges believers to run the race set before them with patient endurance, laying aside every weight and sin that clings so closely. The promise of Isaiah 40:31 meets believers in every tempo of that race, whether soaring, running, or walking. The eagle’s flight is a recurring biblical portrait of divine rescue and swift renewal. Psalms 103:5 rejoices in the God who satisfies our lives with good so that our youth is renewed like the eagle’s, while Lamentations 4:19 notes the unmatched swiftness of eagles soaring across the sky.
God had already demonstrated this upward lifting power in the Exodus. In Exodus 19:4, the Lord reminds Israel how He bore them up on eagles’ wings and brought them to Himself, a theme Moses deepens in Deuteronomy 32:11 by depicting God like an eagle stirring up its nest, hovering over its young, and catching them upon its pinions. God supplies the precise grace required for every stride of the spiritual life, lifting the soul above crushing circumstances when flight is needed, and sustaining relentless energy when life demands a sprint.
Yet the promise climaxes not in flying or running, but in the ordinary resilience to keep walking. In Galatians 6:9, Paul urges believers not to grow weary in well-doing, for we will reap in due season if we do not give up. Micah 4:5 declares that while the nations walk in the names of their idols, the redeemed will walk in the name of the Lord forever. In Colossians 1:10-11, Paul prays that saints may walk worthy of the Lord, strengthened with all power according to His glorious might. God’s ultimate gift to the weary traveler is the quiet, unflinching strength to take the next step without fainting.
| Passage | What it says |
|---|---|
| Psalms 103:5 | Praises God who satisfies life with good so that youth is renewed like the eagle's. |
| Lamentations 4:19 | Recalls the swiftness of eagles soaring across the heavens. |
| Hebrews 12:1 | Exhorts believers to lay aside every weight and run with patient endurance the appointed race. |
| Galatians 6:9 | Commands believers not to grow weary in well-doing, promising a reap in due season if they do not faint. |
| Exodus 19:4 | The Lord reminds Israel how He bore them up on eagles' wings and brought them to Himself. |
| Deuteronomy 32:11 | Moses likens God's protective and sustaining care to an eagle stirring its nest and bearing its young upon its wings. |
| Micah 4:5 | Though the nations walk in the names of their idols, the redeemed will walk in the name of the Lord forever. |
| Colossians 1:10-11 | Paul prays the saints may walk worthy of the Lord, strengthened with all power according to His glorious might. |
Where in the Bible
| Book | Passages |
|---|---|
| Exodus | 1 · Exodus 19:4 |
| Deuteronomy | 1 · Deuteronomy 32:11 |
| Psalms | 5 · Psalms 25:3, Psalms 27:13-14, Psalms 37:7-9, Psalms 130:5-6, Psalms 103:5 |
| Isaiah | 7 · Isaiah 40:28, Isaiah 40:29, Isaiah 40:30, Isaiah 40:26, Isaiah 40:27, Isaiah 40:31, Isaiah 30:18 |
| Lamentations | 2 · Lamentations 3:25-26, Lamentations 4:19 |
| Micah | 1 · Micah 4:5 |
| Romans | 1 · Romans 8:25-26 |
| 2 Corinthians | 2 · 2 Corinthians 4:16, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 |
| Galatians | 1 · Galatians 6:9 |
| Colossians | 1 · Colossians 1:10-11 |
| Hebrews | 1 · Hebrews 12:1 |
The story in order
- Creation of the heavens (c. 4000 BC) · Isaiah 40:26 · God's power is shown in creating and ordering the stars.
- Israel's deliverance from Egypt (c. 1446 BC) · Exodus 19:4 · God bore Israel on eagles' wings to Himself.
- Israel's wilderness journey (c. 1406 BC) · Deuteronomy 32:11 · God's care sustained Israel like an eagle bearing its young.
- David's reign (c. 1000 BC) · Psalms 37:7-9 · Resting and waiting patiently on the Lord leads to inheriting the land.
- David's praise (c. 1000 BC) · Psalms 103:5 · God satisfies with good, renewing youth like the eagle's.
- Jeremiah's lament (c. 586 BC) · Lamentations 3:25-26 · The Lord is good to those who seek and wait quietly for Him.
- Isaiah's prophecy (c. 700 BC) · Isaiah 40:28-31 · God's strength is given to the weary who wait on Him.
- Micah's prophecy (c. 700 BC) · Micah 4:5 · The redeemed will walk in the Lord's name forever.
- Exile and return (c. 550 BC) · Psalms 130:5-6 · The psalmist waits for the Lord with intense expectation.
- Paul's ministry (c. AD 55) · 2 Corinthians 4:16 · The inner self is renewed daily even as the outer wastes away.
- Paul's ministry (c. AD 55) · 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 · Christ's strength is perfected in weakness.
- Paul's ministry (c. AD 60) · Romans 8:25-26 · We wait with patience for unseen glory, helped by the Spirit.
- Hebrews author's exhortation (c. AD 65) · Hebrews 12:1 · Run the race with patient endurance, looking to Jesus.
- Paul's exhortation (c. AD 55) · Galatians 6:9 · Do not grow weary in doing good, for there is a reward.
The Exchange of Weakness for Strength
| Human Condition | Divine Provision | Result | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Youth faint and grow weary, young men stumble and fall. | The Lord gives power to the faint and increases might. | Strength to soar, run, and walk. | Isaiah 40:29-31 |
| Outer self is wasting away. | Inner self is renewed day by day. | Endurance in ministry. | 2 Corinthians 4:16 |
| Boasting in infirmities. | Christ's power rests on me. | Content in weakness, for Christ's sake. | 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 |
Waiting on the Lord
| Action of Waiting | Promise/Outcome | Biblical Example | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wait for Yahweh. | Renew strength, mount up with wings like eagles, run and not be weary, walk and not faint. | Isaiah's prophecy of God's provision. | Isaiah 40:31 |
| Wait on the Lord. | None will be put to shame. | Psalmist's assurance. | Psalms 25:3 |
| Wait on the Lord. | He will strengthen your heart. | David's encouragement. | Psalms 27:13-14 |
| Rest in the Lord and wait patiently. | Inherit the land. | David's counsel. | Psalms 37:7 |
| Wait quietly for His salvation. | The Lord is good to the soul that seeks Him. | Jeremiah's testimony. | Lamentations 3:25-26 |
| Wait for Yahweh. | He longs to be gracious and show compassion. | Isaiah's promise. | Isaiah 30:18 |
| Wait eagerly with patience. | The Spirit helps in our weakness. | Paul's explanation. | Romans 8:25-26 |
Paces of Faith
| Action | Description | Biblical Support | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soaring | Mounting up with eagle wings. | Isaiah 40:31 | Isaiah 40:31 |
| Running | Run with patient endurance. | Hebrews 12:1 | Hebrews 12:1 |
| Running | Run unwearied. | Isaiah 40:31 | Isaiah 40:31 |
| Walking | Walk unfainting. | Isaiah 40:31 | Isaiah 40:31 |
| Walking | Walk worthy of the Lord. | Colossians 1:10-11 | Colossians 1:10-11 |
| Walking | Walk in the name of the Lord forever. | Micah 4:5 | Micah 4:5 |
| Persevering | Do not grow weary in well-doing. | Galatians 6:9 | Galatians 6:9 |
Key words
- Wait (qavah (קָוָה))
- To wait expectantly, to rely on, to hope in. · Isaiah 40:31
- Renew (chalaph (חָלַף))
- To replace, to restore, to exchange. · Isaiah 40:31
- Strength (koach (כֹּחַ))
- Might, power, vigor, ability. · Isaiah 40:29
- Weary (la'ah (לָאָה))
- To become tired, faint, or exhausted. · Isaiah 40:30
- Eagle wings (nesher (נֶשֶׁר))
- Symbol of swiftness, power, and divine lifting. · Isaiah 40:31
- Endurance (hypomonē (ὑπομονή))
- Patient perseverance, steadfastness. · Hebrews 12:1
True spiritual strength is never the product of human resolve, but the gift of an unwearied God who exchanges our bankruptcy for His fullness. As you wait upon the Lord in expectant faith, He will supply grace fitted for every stride of your journey.
23 passages, each cited once.
Scripture cited
- Isaiah 40:31
- Lamentations 3:25-26
- 2 Corinthians 4:16
- Psalms 103:5
- 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
- Hebrews 12:1
- Isaiah 40