Commentary - Isaiah 40:1-2

Bird's-eye view

Isaiah 40 marks a dramatic shift in the book of Isaiah. The first thirty-nine chapters are largely filled with prophecies of judgment against Judah and the surrounding nations, culminating in the announcement of the Babylonian exile. But here, the tone changes completely. It is as though the curtain rises on a new act, and the theme is no longer judgment but glorious, triumphant restoration. This is the overture to the gospel in the Old Testament. The prophet, speaking from a vantage point that sees beyond the impending exile, is commanded to announce comfort to God's people. This comfort is not a sentimental pat on the back; it is a formal, legal, divine declaration. Their time of hard service is over, their sin has been paid for, and God is about to reveal His glory in a new and stupendous way. These opening verses set the stage for the coming of the Messiah, who is the ultimate comfort and the very embodiment of the glory of Yahweh that will be revealed.

The central message is one of sovereign grace. God Himself is the one initiating this comfort. It is not something the people have earned or deserved; in fact, the reason they need comfort is because of their sin, which led to the judgment of exile. But God, in His mercy, declares their sentence served and their iniquity pardoned. The language is that of a king issuing a decree of amnesty. This section is foundational for the New Testament, with John the Baptist's ministry being a direct fulfillment of what follows. It is a profound reminder that our salvation, our comfort, and our hope do not originate with us, but with the gracious word of our sovereign God.

Outline

Context In Isaiah

Coming immediately after the historical interlude of chapters 36-39, which recounts Hezekiah's faithfulness and subsequent folly, chapter 40 opens the second major section of the book. Hezekiah's pride in showing his treasures to the Babylonian envoys (Isa 39:1-8) resulted in Isaiah's prophecy that all those treasures, and Hezekiah's descendants, would be carried off to Babylon. That prophecy of exile hangs in the air, a sentence of death. And it is into that very darkness that the word of the Lord breaks forth in chapter 40. The comfort announced here is the direct answer to the judgment pronounced in the previous chapter. The historical context is the impending doom of the Babylonian captivity, but the prophetic context looks far beyond it, not just to the return under Cyrus, but to the ultimate return from the exile of sin and death through the work of Jesus Christ. This section, often called the "Book of Consolation," thus serves as the great gospel promise to a people under sentence of judgment.

Key Issues

A Word from the Throne

We must not read this as a gentle suggestion from the Almighty. The command is repeated for emphasis: "Comfort, O comfort My people." This is a divine imperative, a decree issued from the throne room of the universe. When God decides that the time for comfort has come, no power in heaven or on earth can stop it. This is not the language of wishful thinking; it is the language of sovereign determination. The God who spoke the world into existence is now speaking comfort into existence for His people. The prophets and preachers who are to deliver this message are not offering their own opinions or psychological counsel. They are heralds, delivering a royal edict. The comfort is not based on the people's feelings or their circumstances, which were dire. It is based entirely on the character and the stated purpose of their God. This is the bedrock of all true Christian comfort: God has spoken a word of peace, and that word is more real than our troubles.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1 “Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God.

The word comes from "your God." The relationship is key. Despite their sin and the coming judgment, they are still "My people," and He is still "your God." The covenant, though strained by their faithlessness, has not been broken from God's side. The command to comfort is doubled, which in Hebrew communicates urgency and certainty. This is not a mere suggestion; it is a matter of the highest priority in the divine council. The source of the comfort is God Himself, and the objects of the comfort are His covenant people. This is a family matter. God is not speaking to strangers but to His own. The comfort is therefore not a vague, general optimism, but a specific, covenantal promise. He is their God, and He will act on their behalf because of who He is, not because of who they are.

2 “Speak to the heart of Jerusalem; And call out to her, that her warfare has been fulfilled, That her iniquity has been removed, That she has received from the hand of Yahweh Double for all her sins.”

The message is to be delivered tenderly and directly: "Speak to the heart." This is not a cold, legal announcement but a word meant to penetrate the despair and grief of the people. Jerusalem, the heart of the nation, is personified as a woman in distress. The content of the comfort has three distinct parts, each building on the last.

First, "her warfare has been fulfilled." The word for warfare refers to a period of hard service or a prescribed time of suffering. The exile, which is their great trial, is being described as a tour of duty, and God is announcing that the term of service is complete. It has a definite end, determined by God Himself. He is the commanding officer who declares the war is over.

Second, "her iniquity has been removed." The Hebrew word here is often translated as "pardoned" or "paid for." This is the foundation of the comfort. The reason the warfare is over is that the underlying legal problem, their sin, has been dealt with. God is not simply overlooking their sin; He is declaring it satisfied. This points forward to the great transaction of the cross, where our iniquity was truly and finally paid for by Christ.

Third, "she has received from the hand of Yahweh double for all her sins." This is a difficult phrase if we misunderstand it. It does not mean that God punished them twice as much as they deserved. That would be unjust, and the whole point of the passage is that God's justice has been satisfied. Rather, "double" is a Hebraic way of speaking about full and complete payment. Think of a debt recorded on a tablet. When the debt is paid in full, the creditor folds the tablet in half and nails it to the doorpost, showing everyone that the account is settled. Jerusalem has paid the penalty in full. The time of judgment has accomplished its purpose, and now the time of grace can begin. God's justice is not compromised; it is fulfilled. And because it is fulfilled, His comfort can be poured out without reservation.

Application

This passage is pure gospel. It is a word for every believer who has ever felt overwhelmed by their sin or trapped in a long season of trial. The comfort we are offered in Christ is not a cheap platitude. It is a legal declaration, signed and sealed by God Himself. Our warfare with the guilt of sin is over. Our hard service under the condemnation of the law has been fulfilled by Jesus. Our iniquity has been pardoned, not because we deserved it, but because Christ has received the full payment for it on our behalf.

When we are discouraged, we must learn to speak to our own hearts, to preach this gospel to ourselves. We must remind ourselves that God has declared the war to be over. He has announced that the debt is paid. To continue to wallow in guilt or despair is to refuse the comfort that God commands us to receive. It is to act as though Christ's payment was insufficient. The Christian life is a life of receiving this comfort daily and living in the freedom it provides. We are no longer defined by our sins or our struggles; we are defined by the gracious word of "your God," who has spoken peace to the heart of His people. This is not a call to cheap grace, but to a profound and restful gratitude for a grace that cost everything.