The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
Parallel translations
- WEB The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God stands forever.”
- BSB The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”
- NKJV The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”
- NASB The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.
- NLT The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Though grass and flowers fade, the word of God endures forever, offering a sure and lasting hope.
Overview
This verse turns from human frailty to divine permanence: God's word stands unchanging through every generation. Israel could trust the promises of comfort and restoration precisely because the One who spoke them never fails. The New Testament identifies this enduring word with the gospel preached in Christ (1 Peter 1:25), the message that brings eternal life.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Mark 13:31Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
- Matt 24:35Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
- 1 Pet 1:25But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
- Ps 119:89–91For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.
- Matt 5:18For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
- Isa 55:10–11For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
- Isa 46:10–11Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
- John 10:35If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
- Isa 59:21As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.
- Zech 1:6But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.
- John 12:34The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?
- Rom 3:1–3What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 40:8 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.