Isaiah 40:7

40:7 The grass dries up,

the flowers wither,

when the wind sent by the Lord ¹  blows on them.

Surely humanity ²  is like grass.

Isaiah 40:24

40:24 Indeed, they are barely planted;

yes, they are barely sown;

yes, they barely take root in the earth,

and then he blows on them, causing them to dry up,

and the wind carries them away like straw.

[40:7]  ¹ tn The Hebrew text has רוּחַ יְהוָה (ruakh yehvah), which in this context probably does not refer to the Lord’s personal Spirit. The phrase is better translated “the breath of the Lord,” or “the wind of [i.e., sent by] the Lord.” The Lord’s sovereign control over nature, including the hot desert winds that dry up vegetation, is in view here (cf. Ps 147:18; Isa 59:19).

[40:7]  ² tn Heb “the people” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).