Isaiah 40:1
“Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →God opens the deepest chapter of consolation in all Scripture, commanding that His people be comforted.
Context
Isaiah 40 opens the second major section of the book, addressing exiles in Babylon (circa 586 BCE). God is about to announce restoration and return.
What Does Isaiah 40:1 Mean?
The prophet hears the voice of God speaking to His heavenly court: 'Comfort, comfort My people.' The repetition itself is tenderness. Israel has languished in exile, her cities broken, her hope spent. The word is not addressed to generals or kings, but to voices in the spiritual realm, to be carried down to a people who have nearly forgotten what God's face looks like. We stand with the exiles in that darkness, hearing a word they thought would never come.
All true comfort in Scripture flows from knowing that God Himself speaks it. This is not a human sentiment or borrowed encouragement. It is the decree of the Almighty that His people's sorrow has run its course, their debt paid, their exile ending. The doubled command echoes through every generation: we too are invited to receive this comfort, not as a luxury, but as the foundation of hope itself.
In the Original Language
nacham (Hebrew), 'to comfort/console' -- the deep relational comfort of One who knows our pain and chooses to end it
Application
When sorrow feels final, we belong to a God who speaks comfort not as an afterthought but as His first word to the broken. Receive it.