Study note

Isaiah 40:2

  • Speak tenderly: The prophet's message was to encourage Jerusalem with the good news of God's forgiveness, reconciliation, and restoration.

  • From the prophetic perspective, Israel’s sad days are gone because the exile has ended.

  • she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins: Israel faced the full force of God's wrath (Isaiah 51:19–23; compare 61:7).