Isaiah 40:8 (DBY)

Passage

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God abideth for ever.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 40:6 A voice saith, Cry. And he saith, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the comeliness thereof as the flower of the field.

Isaiah 40:7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, for 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 abideth for ever.

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

Isaiah 40:10 Behold, the Lord Jehovah will come with might, and his arm shall rule for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompence before him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "grass", "withereth", "flower", "fadeth", "word", "abideth", and "ever". 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 7's "The grass withereth the flower fadeth for..." into verse 9's "O Zion that bringest glad tidings get...", 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.