Isaiah 40:7 · Bible study
Isaiah 40:7 Commentary: Human Frailty and the Breath of God
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore the meaning of Isaiah 40:7: why people are like grass that withers when Yahweh's breath blows, and how this points to God's enduring word.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Human life is fragile; God's breath withers all glory, so trust in His enduring word.
- Key words: Ruach (H7307: breath, wind, spirit); Chatzir (H2682: grass); Navel (H5034: to wither); Aken (H0403: surely, emphatic).
- Main debate: Does ruach Yahweh mean a literal hot wind or the Holy Spirit? Both readings have ancient support.
- Theological theme: God's sovereignty over human mortality; the transience of creation vs. the permanence of God's word.
- Best use: A call to humility and an invitation to anchor hope in the promises of God, not in human strength.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
The grass withers and the flowers fall when the breath of the LORD blows on them; indeed, the people are grass.
WEB World English Bible 2000
The grass withers, the flower fades, because Yahweh’s breath blows on it. Surely the people are like grass.
KJV King James Version 1769
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the breath of Jehovah bloweth upon it; surely the people is grass.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Withered hath grass, faded the flower, For the Spirit of Jehovah blew upon it, Surely the people is grass;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, for the breath of Jehovah bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
The grass is withered, and the flower is fallen, because the spirit of the Lord hath blown upon it. Indeed the people is grass:
Translations in other languages (10 available)
La hierba se seca, y la flor se cae; porque el viento de Jehová sopló en ella: ciertamente hierba es el pueblo.
A erva se seca, as flores caem, porque o Espírito do SENHOR nelas sopra; verdadeiramente o povo é erva.
L’ herbe sèche, la fleur tombe,
Das Gras verdorrt, die Blume verwelkt; denn des HERRN Geist bläst darein. Ja, das Volk ist das Gras.
Het gras verdort, de bloem valt af, als de Geest des HEEREN daarin blaast; voorwaar, het volk is gras.
L’erba si secca, il fiore appassisce quando il soffio dell’Eterno vi passa sopra; certo, il popolo è come l’erba.
Trawa usycha, kwiat opada; skoro wiatr Pański powionie nań; zaprawdęć ludzie są tą trawą.
Засыхает трава, увядает цвет, когда дунет на него дуновение Господа: так и народ - трава.
草 必枯乾，花 必凋殘，因為 耶和華 的氣 吹 在其上；百姓 誠然 是草。
The grass becomes dry, the flower is dead; because the breath of the Lord goes over it: truly the people is grass.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 40:7
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this verse forms the negative half of a contrast completed in verse 8: human frailty set against God's enduring word. The imagery of withering grass and fading flowers is drawn from the natural world, specifically the effect of a hot east wind in the Near East (Barnes, JFB). The Hebrew ruach can mean either 'wind' or 'spirit.' Barnes and Keil & Delitzsch prefer 'wind of Yahweh' as a Hebraism for a destructive blast. Calvin and Gill, however, see the Spirit of God himself as the agent that brings human glory to nothing. Either way, the point is clear: human life in its best estate is fragile, and God's action, whether through natural forces or direct divine breath, exposes that fragility. The particle aken ('surely') has strong assertive force, underscoring the certainty of this truth. The verse is not meant to produce despair but to prepare the hearer for the good news of verse 8: the word of God stands forever.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Wind of Yahweh (natural force): Barnes, JFB, Keil cite the semantic range of ruach and the parallel in Psalm 103:16, and the hot east wind of the Orient.
- Spirit of God (divine agent): Calvin and Gill argue the Spirit directly withers human glory, as in conversion or judgment.
What is clear: That human life is fragile and dependent on God, and that this fragility contrasts with the enduring word of God in verse 8.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'ruach Yahweh' (breath/spirit of the Lord) | The term designates the agency that causes the withering; it originates from God. | Some (Barnes, JFB, Keil) interpret it as a literal wind (a Hebraism for a strong east wind sent by God). Others (Calvin, Gill) see it as the Holy Spirit, who acts to humble human pride. |
| Referent of 'the people' (ha'am) | The phrase identifies people with transient grass, emphasizing their frailty. | Most commentators (including Calvin, Barnes) take it as all humanity (all flesh). Some (Gill, Targum, Jarchi) restrict it to the wicked or to specific nations like Israel or Babylon. The Syriac version reads 'this people' (Lowth), which could refer to the Jewish nation. |
| Role of the verse in the passage | It sets up the contrast with the enduring word of God in v. 8, showing why trust must be placed in God rather than humans. | Some (Matthew Henry, Cambridge Bible) emphasize the comfort of the larger passage, seeing this as clearing away false confidence; others (Calvin) stress the direct humbling action of the Spirit. |
| Textual variation | The verse is present in the majority of manuscripts and all major translations. | Clarke notes its absence from some Hebrew MSS and the LXX, raising a text-critical question. Most scholars accept it as original given the context. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Isaiah 40 opens a new section in the book, often called the 'Book of Comfort' (chapters 40, 55), addressed to the Judean exiles in Babylon. The surrounding passage (vv. 3, 5) had announced that Yahweh's glory would be revealed, and a voice cried out for a highway in the wilderness. Here in vv. 6, 8, a second voice commands the prophet to cry out, and the prophet asks, 'What shall I cry?' The answer is this sobering declaration: all flesh is grass, and its beauty like the flower of the field.
The setting is a heavenly council, a vision of God's throne room where messengers are dispatched. The command to 'Cry!' is a commissioning to proclaim a fundamental truth before the good news unfolds. The imagery of grass withering under a hot wind would have been vivid to an audience familiar with the khamsin, a scorching east wind that desiccates vegetation in hours. The Hebrew ruach Yahweh is deliberately ambiguous: it evokes both the natural phenomenon and the divine agency behind it. The phrase 'breath of Yahweh' also echoes the creation account, where God breathes life into Adam (Gen 2:7), but here the same divine breath brings decay.
Culturally, this verse undermines human pride, especially the pride of nations like Babylon that seemed invincible. The prophet's audience, whether the exiles or later readers, is forced to reckon with the transience of human power. Yet the verse is only a prelude; its purpose is to clear the ground for the enduring word of promise in v. 8. Historical background: Isaiah 40 was likely composed toward the end of the Babylonian exile (c. 540 BC), when the Persian conquest was imminent. The declaration of human frailty would have prepared the people to place their trust not in political deliverers but in God's word alone.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note that this verse is absent from a few Hebrew manuscripts (three of Kennicott's and five of De Rossi's) and from the Septuagint and Arabic versions (Clarke). However, the vast majority of manuscripts retain it, and it appears in all major English translations. The surrounding context in vv. 6 and 8 flows naturally with v. 7 included, which suggests it is original. No doctrinal issue hangs on this variant.
Reception History
The apostle Peter quotes these verses in his first letter (1 Peter 1:24-25), applying the contrast to the gospel. Calvin, in his commentary, saw in this verse the Spirit of God humbling human pride, while Barnes and others understood the wind as a natural metaphor. The verse has been used in funeral liturgies and hymns of mortality across Christian traditions, serving as a reminder of human fragility and a call to trust in the enduring word of God.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Human life is fragile. The grass withers, the flower fades. All human strength, achievement, and glory are temporary. The image is not cynical but realistic.
- God's sovereignty exposes our frailty. The withering happens because Yahweh's breath blows on it. Whether understood as a natural wind or as the Holy Spirit, the agent is God himself. He controls the span of life.
- The word of God is the only sure foundation. This verse sets up the contrast of verse 8: the grass withers, but the word of our God stands forever. Human transience points us to divine permanence.
Five-point outline
- Beauty that fades: The flower is a picture of human glory at its peak, youth, wealth, power, reputation. All of it is brief.
- The breath that withers: God need not act dramatically. A single breath of wind (or Spirit) is enough to bring the strongest to nothing.
- An uncomfortable truth: The prophet is commanded to cry this out. The people need to hear it, even if it stings. Denial of death is a spiritual danger.
- A levelling message: 'Surely the people are grass.' Kings and peasants, empires and villages, all are the same before God.
- Invitation to trust: The negative truth is the gateway to the positive: since human power fails, we must rely on God's unfailing word.
Illustration hooks
- A gardener watches a bed of flowers wilt overnight after a heatwave. The beauty was real, but it was never permanent.
- A worker spends decades building a career, only to retire and watch the company move on. The legacy fades.
- A family gathers for a funeral, and the preacher reads this verse. The flowers on the casket will be thrown away by evening, but the promises of God remain.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If our lives are this short, what really matters?
- Why does God let our plans and efforts wither?
- How can I find hope when everything around me is fading?
Leading a Discussion
Isaiah 40:7 is a disturbing verse, it compares all humanity to grass that a puff of wind can destroy. But the verse does not stand alone. It is part of a conversation in heaven, a prelude to the good news that God's word lasts forever. In your group, let the uncomfortable honesty of this verse sink in, and then let the hope of verse 8 be your anchor.
Discussion questions
- What images stand out to you in this verse? What do grass and flowers suggest about human life?
- Why do you think the command to 'Cry!' was answered with such a bleak message? What purpose does this declaration serve in the larger passage?
- What does 'the breath of Yahweh' blowing on the grass mean to you? Why is it significant that the agent is God himself?
- How does this verse challenge the way our culture values success, youth, and achievement?
- In what areas of your life do you feel the fragility of being 'like grass'? How does that affect your relationship with God?
- Read verse 8 right after. How does the contrast between withering grass and God's enduring word change the way you hear verse 7?
- If this verse is true, what kind of confidence can we have? How does it shape our priorities for today?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Job 41:21 | His breath kindles coals. A flame goes out of his mouth. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that the entire verse is absent from several ancient manuscripts and the Septuagint, suggesting possible interpolation. He explains that "the wind of the Lord" is a Hebrew idiom for a strong east wind, which in that climate withers all vegetation, and points out that two manuscripts omit the divine name entirely.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes insists that the original Hebrew word means "wind" or "breeze," not "spirit." The withering comes from a hot desert blast sent by Yahweh, not from a spiritual force. This reading sharpens the contrast: all human strength fades under God's direct power, but His promise stands firm.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin argues that the Spirit of God himself, not ordinary wind, causes human glory to wither. He sees this as a sobering contrast to the Spirit's life-giving work in creation: here the same Spirit strips away the false confidence that thrives only when people hide from God.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentary highlights an interpretive ambiguity in the phrase "his work" or "recompence." It could mean the reward Jehovah earned by defeating Babylon, with the redeemed exiles themselves as that reward. Or it may refer to the blessings of salvation Jehovah is prepared to bestow on His people.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note stresses that human frailty is not merely natural but directly caused by God's Spirit. When the Lord blows upon them, people wither like grass and fade like a flower. This reinforces that all human glory is utterly dependent on God's active will and utterly powerless before it.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights the Spirit's work in conversion as a withering blast that exposes human righteousness as mere shining sin, worthless for salvation. He insists the passage applies to all people, not just the wicked or specific nations, because every human's outward advantages fade under God's breath.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB argues that the phrase "spirit of the Lord" should be read as "wind of Jehovah," the withering east wind that God sends. They also interpret "the people" as referring to all of mankind, the whole human race, rather than a specific nation.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch stresses that "chasdo" means outward charm, not moral goodness, so the verse contrasts mere human attractiveness with God's enduring word. The preterites describe a universal pattern: flesh withers because God's breath touches it. Applied to Israel, this assures that mortal oppressors and their bribes fade, but God's promise of redemption stands forever.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry sees the call to prepare as a good sign that God’s mercy is near and His grace is already making us ready. He applies this word both to the exiles in Babylon and to John the Baptist, who through repentance leveled every obstacle to receive Christ.