Isaiah 40:6

“A voice says, “Call out.” And he said, “What shall I call out?” “All flesh is grass, and all its loyal love is like the flower of the field.”
Isaiah 40:6 · direct translation from the Hebrew

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The grass withers, but the word of our God stands foreverThe Word of God All flesh is grass, but the word of our Elohim stands foreverDeath and Eternal Life

With the Hebrew beneath

A voiceקוֹלsays,אֹמֵר“Call out.”קְרָאAnd he said,וְאָמַר“Whatמָהshall I call out?”אֶקְרָא“Allכָּלfleshהַבָּשָׂרis grass,חָצִירand allוְכָלits loyal loveחַסְדּוֹis like the flowerכְּצִיץof the field.הַשָּׂדֶה

Allusion · James 1:10-11

Go to James 1:10-11

Both texts compare people to the flower of the grass that withers.

They share words that are rare in the original, without a quotation.

צִיץtsitsH6731ἄνθοςanthosG438“plate; flower”
חָצִירjatsirH2682χόρτουchortouG5528“grass; leek”

Quotation · 1 Peter 1:24-25

Go to 1 Peter 1:24-25

Peter quotes Isaiah 40:6-8 without a formula. Where the Hebrew says “the word of our Elohim,” 1 Peter says “the word of the Lord.”

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: διότι πᾶσα σὰρξ ὡς χόρτος καὶ πᾶσα δόξα αὐτῆς ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου ἐξηράνθη ὁ χόρτος καὶ τὸ ἄνθος ἐξέπεσεν τὸ δὲ ῥῆμα κυρίου μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦτο δέ ἐστιν τὸ ῥῆμα τὸ εὐαγγελισθὲν εἰς ὑμᾶς

Hebrew (Masoretic text): קוֹל אֹמֵר קְרָא וְאָמַר מָה אֶקְרָא כָּל הַבָּשָׂר חָצִיר וְכָל חַסְדּוֹ כְּצִיץ הַשָּׂדֶה יָבֵשׁ חָצִיר נָבֵל צִיץ כִּי רוּחַ יְהוָה נָשְׁבָה בּוֹ אָכֵן חָצִיר הָעָם יָבֵשׁ חָצִיר נָבֵל צִיץ וּדְבַר אֱלֹהֵינוּ יָקוּם לְעוֹלָם

Septuagint (Isaiah 40:8 in the Septuagint numbering): ἐξηράνθη ὃ χόρτος καὶ τὸ ἄνθος ἐξέπεσεν, τὸ δὲ ῥῆμα τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν μένει εἷς τὸν αἰῶνα.

The Greek of the NT matches the Septuagint word for word in 10 consecutive words: “ἐξηράνθη ὁ χόρτος καὶ τὸ ἄνθος ἐξέπεσεν τὸ δὲ ῥῆμα.”

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Isaiah 40:6, word by word

A voiceקוֹלkol

voice

What is heard when someone speaks or sings; also the voice of God.

Where else “kol” appears

saysאֹמֵרomer

say

To say with the mouth to someone what one thinks or wants, or to answer him.

Where else “omer” appears

“Call outקְרָאkera

proclaim

To announce aloud.

Where else “kera” appears

fleshבָּשָׂרbasar

flesh

The body of a person or animal, the soft part covering the bones.

Where else “basar” appears

is grassחָצִירchatsir

grass

Grass that soon withers.

Where else “chatsir” appears

its loyal loveחַסְדּchasd

faithfulness

Loyal love between people, faithfulness and kindness.

Where else “chasd” appears

is like the flowerצִיץtsits

flower

An opened bud of a plant, beautiful but short-lived.

Where else “tsits” appears

of the fieldשָּׂדֶהsade

field

The open country: "the beasts of the field".

Where else “sade” appears

Translation note

“Its loyal love”: it can be understood as human constancy, which does not last. 1 Peter 1:24-25 quotes 40:6-8 with the words “all its glory.”

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · 1 Peter 1:24-25

Peter quotes Isaiah 40:6-8 without a formula. Where the Hebrew says “the word of our Elohim,” 1 Peter says “the word of the Lord.”

See them side by side

Isaiah 40:6

⁶A voice says, “Call out.” And he said, “What shall I call out?” “All flesh is grass, and all its loyal love is like the flower of the field.

1 Peter 1:24-25

²⁴For All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withered, and the flower fell;

The context

5And the glory of YHWH will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together, for the mouth of YHWH has spoken.”

6 · This verse (above)

7The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of YHWH blows on it; surely the people is grass.

Read all of Isaiah 40

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