"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
— Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)
Isaiah 40:31 is the "wings like eagles" verse. This page gives the verse, the chapter it closes, and a plain reading. For more verses on the theme, see Bible verses about strength, Bible verses about waiting on God, and Bible verses about endurance.
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The verse
Isaiah 40:31 (NIV) reads: "But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
The King James says, "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." The NIV says "hope" and the KJV says "wait" because the Hebrew word qavah (H6960) means both: to wait for, look for, and hope in.
The chapter it closes
Isaiah 40 opens with "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God" (Isaiah 40:1). It ends by answering people who feel God has forgotten them. "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary" (Isaiah 40:28). "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall" (Isaiah 40:29-30).
Verse 31 is the turn: people run out of strength, but God does not, and he gives strength to those who wait on him.
What the verse is saying
The strength in this verse is renewed, not self-made. It comes to those who hope in the LORD. The three pictures move from soaring to running to walking. Some readers notice that the last one is the most ordinary: steady strength for the long, plain stretches of life, not only the high moments.
For the God who does not grow tired, see Bible verses about the everlasting God. For waiting itself, see Bible verses about waiting.
What does Isaiah 40:31 mean, phrase by phrase?
"Those who hope in the LORD." The promise is not to the naturally strong. Verse 30 has just said that even youths grow tired and weary. It is to people who look to God and wait on him. The Hebrew qavah means to wait for and to hope in, which is why the KJV says "they that wait upon the LORD."
"Will renew their strength." The Hebrew verb is chalaph (H2498), which carries the sense of changing or exchanging. Many readers hear it as trading worn-out strength for new strength that comes from God, the one who "gives strength to the weary" (Isaiah 40:29).
"They will soar on wings like eagles." Eagles show up elsewhere as a picture of God's care and renewal. God told Israel, "I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself" (Exodus 19:4), and Psalm 103:5 says he renews "your youth" so that it "is renewed like the eagle's."
"They will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Verse 28 said the LORD "will not grow tired or weary." Verse 31 gives his people the same words: they will run and not grow weary. The strength God has in himself is the strength he shares with those who wait on him, for the fast stretches and the slow ones.
Questions people ask
What does renew their strength mean in Isaiah 40:31?
The Hebrew verb chalaph has the sense of changing or exchanging. Isaiah means that people who wait on the LORD receive new strength from him, the God who "gives strength to the weary" (Isaiah 40:29), instead of running on their own.
What does Isaiah 40:31 say?
In the NIV it says, "But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
Why does the KJV say wait and the NIV say hope?
The Hebrew word qavah means to wait for and to hope in, so both are fair translations. Waiting on the LORD in this verse is hopeful, expectant waiting.
What does soar on wings like eagles mean?
It is a picture of strength that rises above weariness. The verse pairs it with running and walking without fainting, so the point is lasting strength from God.
Who gives strength in Isaiah 40:31?
The LORD does. Isaiah 40:28-29 says he does not grow tired or weary and that he gives strength to the weary.
What verse goes well with Isaiah 40:31?
Isaiah 41:10, a few lines later, says, "I will strengthen you and help you." For waiting, see Bible verses about waiting on God.
Sources
- Strong's H2498, chalaph (Blue Letter Bible): https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h2498/kjv/wlc/0-1/
- Commentaries on Isaiah 40:31 (Bible Hub): https://biblehub.com/commentaries/isaiah/40-31.htm
