says your God.
This phrase reaffirms the personal relationship between God and His people. The possessive "your" indicates a covenantal bond, reminding the Israelites that despite their current circumstances, they remain God's chosen people. This assurance is crucial for a people in exile, as it reinforces their identity and God's faithfulness. The declaration "says your God" underscores the authority and reliability of the message. It connects to other scriptural affirmations of God's promises, such as in Deuteronomy 7:9, which speaks of God's faithfulness to His covenant. This phrase also points to the prophetic nature of Isaiah's message, as it is God Himself who speaks through the prophet, ensuring that the words are not merely human consolation but divine assurance.

• God’s opening imperative is literal and decisive. He initiates relief after judgment, proving He is “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

• The command follows warnings in the previous chapters, showing discipline never has the last word (Isaiah 12:1; Psalm 30:5).

• By calling for comfort, the Lord promises tangible restoration, not mere sentiment (Isaiah 51:3).

• The repetition doubles the promise, matching the double hardship Israel faced (Isaiah 40:2).

• Urgency shines through; the people need immediate assurance, much like Jesus’ urgent “Do not let your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1-3).

• The echo guarantees abundance—God’s consolation will be more than enough, as seen when He later pledges, “As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you” (Isaiah 66:13).

• The possessive “My” underscores unbroken covenant love: “I will take you as My own people” (Exodus 6:7).

• Identity is restored; failure has not nullified belonging (Hosea 2:23).

• In Christ, Gentile believers share this status, being “once not a people, but now… the people of God” (1 Peter 2:10; Romans 11:17).

• The phrase seals the promise with divine authority; the same voice that created now comforts (Psalm 33:9).

• “Your” personalizes the relationship—He remains Israel’s God despite exile (Psalm 46:1).

• His word is inerrant and effective: “My word… will accomplish what I please” (Isaiah 55:11; Numbers 23:19).

• Hebrews 1:1-2 affirms that this God, who spoke through prophets, has spoken ultimately through His Son, securing every promise.

Isaiah 40:1 launches a new movement of hope: the Lord commands overflowing comfort for the people He still claims as His own. The doubled “comfort” highlights both urgency and sufficiency, while “My people” and “your God” affirm enduring covenant bonds. Because the charge comes directly from the trustworthy God of Scripture, His comfort is certain, abundant, and available for all who belong to Him.

(1) Comfort ye . . .--I start with the assumption that the great prophetic poem that follows is the work of Isaiah himself, referring to the Introduction for the discussion of all questions connected with its authorship and arrangement. It has a link, as has been noticed, with the earlier collection of his writings in Isaiah 35:9-10. The prophet's mind is obviously projected at the outset into the future, which it had been given him to see, when the time of punishment and discipline was to be succeeded, having done its work, by blessedness and peace. The key-note is struck in the opening words. The phrase "my people" is a distinct echo of Hos. ii. 1. Lo Ammi (i.e. "not my people,") has been brought back to his true position as Ammi (i.e. "my people").

Saith your God.--Noticeable as a formula which is at once peculiar to Isaiah and common to both his volumes (Isaiah 1:11; Isaiah 1:18; Isaiah 33:10; Isaiah 41:21; Isaiah 66:9). . . .