Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
Even youths are wearied and fatigued, And young men utterly stumble,
Even the youths shall faint and shall tire, and the young men shall stumble and fall;
Isaiah — The gospel prophet — a Judean court-prophet across Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (c. 740–700 BC) who sees past Assyria to Babylon and past Babylon to the Messiah. Sixty-six chapters divided into the Book of Judgment (1–39) and the Book of Comfort (40–66), climaxing in the Servant wounded for our transgressions.
Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread — the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.
Voices7
(Verse 27 and following) Why do you say, Jacob, and speak, Israel: My way is hidden from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over by my God? Do you not know, or have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not faint, neither is He weary, and there is no searching of His understanding. He gives power to the faint, and to them that have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall.
Jerome· Commentary on Isaiah, 420patristic
He shows the greatness of his strength by comparison to natural strength, which he shows failing first: youths shall faint, who are in the state of advancing; young men, who seem strong: no man shall prevail by his own strength (1 Sam 2:9).
Thomas Aquinas· Commentary on Isaiah, 1274patristic
Even the youths shall faint and be weary,.... Such as are in the prime of their strength, and glory in it, yet through the hand of God upon them, by one disease or another, their strength is weakened in the way; or they meet with that which they are not equal to, and sink under, and are discouraged, and obliged to desist. Some think the Babylonians and Chaldeans are here meant, the enemies of Israel, and by whom they were carried captive.
John Gill· Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763)reformed
Even the youths shall faint - The most vigorous young men, those in whom we expect manly strength, and who are best suited to endure hardy toil. They become weary by labor. Their powers are soon exhausted. The design here is, to contrast the most vigorous of the human race with God, and to show that while all their powers fail, the power of God is unexhausted and inexhaustible.
Albert Barnes· Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)evangelical
The meaning is, God shall by his spirit so dispose mens hearts, and by his providence so order the affairs of the world, as to make way for the accomplishment of his promise. This was eminently fulfilled, when Christ, who was, and is God, blessed forever, came into the world in a visible manner.
John Wesley· Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament, 1765evangelical
It was especially a direction to the prophets that should live in the time of captivity, when Jerusalem was in ruins; they must encourage the captives to hope for enlargement in due time. Gospel ministers, being employed by the blessed Spirit as comforters, and as helpers of the joy of Christians, are here put in mind of their business.
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1710puritan
But those that wait on the Lord, who make conscience of their duty to him, and by faith rely upon him and commit themselves to his guidance, shall find that God will not fail them. [1.] They shall have grace sufficient for them: They shall renew their strength as their work is renewed, as there is new occasion; they shall be anointed, and their lamps supplied, with fresh oil.
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1710puritan
The walk8
Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first — the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.
Through
Ecclesiastes 9:11I saw something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; neither is the bread to the wise, nor the wealth to the intelligent, nor…
leads to
This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the wealthy man in his riches.
Reached by 3 independent paths from here.
There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel that can prevail against the LORD.
Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has ordained it?
He sets the lowly on high, so that mourners are lifted to safety.
Through
Psalms 34:10Young lions go lacking and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
leads to
For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.
For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
The young lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God.
He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
The whole web at once: see the Arc.
The verses this one reaches12
Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Escape will fail the swift, the strong will not prevail by his strength, and the mighty will not save his life.
My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD, and do not loathe His rebuke;
Young lions go lacking and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
No king is saved by his vast army; no warrior is delivered by his great strength.
One day, while Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the field and was famished.
So I ask you not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
Some time later, however, the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.
Therefore, since God in His mercy has given us this ministry, we do not lose heart.
Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Moab has been destroyed and its towns have been invaded; the best of its young men have gone down in the slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of Hosts.
In that day the lovely young women— the young men as well— will faint from thirst.
7 more linked verses are grouped by book below ↓
Every other verse the study tradition links to this one, in the Bible’s own order. The first links in each book carry a line of their text; every reference opens its full verse page.
Psalms1
Cross-references are drawn from classic Bible study tools and open, shareable Bible data.
