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.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Context
Part of the comfort section of Isaiah, written to a weary people facing exile, reminding them that the everlasting God renews the strength of those who trust Him.
What Does Isaiah 40:31 Mean?
In one sentence: those who hopefully wait on the LORD exchange their worn-out strength for His. The image rises and falls -- soaring like eagles, running, walking -- as if to say God's strength meets you at every pace of life, even the slow trudge.
To "wait" here is not passive idleness but expectant trust -- hoping in God rather than in your own resources. Isaiah speaks to a tired people; the remedy for exhaustion is not self-effort but dependence on the God who "fainteth not, neither is weary" (Isaiah 40:28).
In the Original Language
The Hebrew "qavah" (wait) means to wait expectantly, to hope, to look eagerly for. "Chalaph" (renew) means to exchange -- trading depleted strength for God's.
Cross References
“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart.”
- Psalm 27:14
“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”
- 2 Corinthians 4:16
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
- Matthew 11:28
Application
When you are running on empty, stop striving and wait on God in prayer and His word, trusting Him to renew what life has drained.