Isaiah 40:2 (DBY)

Passage

Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her time of suffering is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath received of Jehovah's hand double for all her sins.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 40:1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

Isaiah 40:2 Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her time of suffering is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath received of Jehovah's hand double for all her sins.

Isaiah 40:3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, make straight in the desert a highway for our God!

Isaiah 40:4 Every valley shall be raised up, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places a plain.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "speak", "heart", "jerusalem", "time", "suffering", "accomplished", "iniquity", and "pardoned". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "speak" and "heart", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "Comfort ye comfort ye my people saith..." into verse 3's "The voice of one crying in the...", so "speak" and "heart" 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 "speak" and "heart" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.