Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

ISAIAH 40:28KJV
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Isaiah 40:28 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 40:28 mean?

Isaiah 40:28 describes how God is everlasting, never grows tired, and has limitless understanding—unlike human beings, who become weary and cannot fully grasp everything. The verse reminds readers that God, as the Creator of the whole earth, is not subject to weakness or limits.

In this verse, the prophet Isaiah is speaking to the people of Israel, who are discouraged and weary after hardship and exile. Isaiah points them back to who God is: the eternal LORD, the Creator, whose strength and wisdom never fail. The verse is meant to comfort people who feel forgotten or overwhelmed, assuring them that God’s power and understanding are far beyond human limits.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 40:28

  • "Everlasting" (עֹולָם, ʿolam): This word often means something without end or beyond the horizon of time. Isaiah uses it to stress that God’s existence and strength are not temporary or limited.
  • "Fainteth" (יֵעָף, yeʿaf): This word means to become exhausted or to lose strength. The verse insists that God never experiences this kind of weakness, unlike people.
  • "Weary" (יִיגָע, yigaʿ): This word means to become tired from hard work or effort. Isaiah uses it to show that God’s energy never runs out, no matter what.
  • "Searching" (חֵקֶר, ḥeqer): This word means investigation or searching out. Isaiah says there is "no searching" of God’s understanding, meaning it is impossible for anyone to fully measure or comprehend God’s wisdom.

Why Isaiah 40:28 matters

  • Isaiah 40:28 clears up the misunderstanding that God might be distant, tired, or unable to help; it emphasizes that God’s strength and wisdom are always active and available.
  • The verse connects to the wider chapter, where Isaiah comforts people who feel weak or forgotten, by reminding them that God’s care and power are never-ending.
  • Isaiah 40:28 highlights a key theme in the Bible: God is fundamentally different from humans in power and understanding, which is meant to encourage trust in Him during difficult times.

Where else these words appear

“fainteth” Hebrew H3286 · used in 9 verses

  • Isaiah 40:30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
  • Isaiah 44:12 The smith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint.
  • Jeremiah 51:64 And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her: and they shall be weary. Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.

“searching” Hebrew H2714 · used in 12 verses

  • Judges 5:16 Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks? For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.
  • Job 9:10 Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number.
  • Job 38:16 Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth?

“weary” Hebrew H3021 · used in 25 verses

  • Joshua 7:3 And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.
  • Isaiah 40:30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
  • Isaiah 57:10 Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; yet saidst thou not, There is no hope: thou hast found the life of thine hand; therefore thou wast not grieved.

“ends” Hebrew H7098 · used in 30 verses

  • Exodus 25:18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.
  • Exodus 36:11 And he made loops of blue on the edge of one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling: likewise he made in the uttermost side of another curtain, in the coupling of the second.
  • 1 Kings 12:31 And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.