Waiting Expectantly: Isaiah 40:31

Taking a little time to examine the Hebrew or Greek our favorite verses are translated from can be very rewarding. Isaiah 40:31 is a verse almost everybody knows by heart, and most of us hear the melody of the song from said verse when we read it. It’s very well known, yet we think we know what it means without taking a minute or two to verify our assumptions. So, this morning, when I stumbled upon the verse while studying something else, I looked over the original language. One word in particular caught my attention, “wait.”

Lexham Theological Wordbook defines qāwâ (קָוָה), "wait", as:

So, Isaiah 40:31 can be read like this:

Finding out the meaning behind the English word “wait” that was used while translating this verse opens up a refreshingly new understanding of what it was trying to communicate to us. Waiting expectantly, not just waiting, but “trusting that the thing awaited will take place,” is very applicable to our lives today. That is why and how we can mount up with wings like eagles, run and not be weary, [and] walk and not faint.

Song (YouTube): Isaiah 40:31, (but he that wait on the Lord)

Category Articles Isaiah | Waiting