Isaiah 40:8 (KJV)

Passage

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 40:6 The voice said, Cry. And he 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 spirit of the LORD 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 for ever.

Isaiah 40:9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good 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 GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "grass", "withereth", "flower", "fadeth", "word", "shall", "stand", 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 because..." into verse 9's "O Zion that bringest good 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.