Isaiah 40:7 (ASV)

Passage

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the breath of Jehovah bloweth upon it; surely the people is grass.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 40:5 and the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it.

Isaiah 40:6 The voice of one saying, Cry. And one said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field.

Isaiah 40:7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the breath of Jehovah bloweth upon it; surely the people is grass.

Isaiah 40:8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand forever.

Isaiah 40:9 O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up on a high mountain; O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold, your God!

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "grass", "withereth", "flower", "fadeth", "breath", "jehovah", "bloweth", and "upon". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "grass" and "withereth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "The voice of one saying Cry And..." into verse 8's "The grass withereth the flower fadeth but...", so "grass" and "withereth" belong inside that flow. In Isaiah context, the local focus is the Holy One of Israel, judgment and restoration, the servant of the LORD, and Zion's hope.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "grass" and "withereth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.