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Who really said it

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint

Written in The Book of Isaiah Hebrew Bible · Isaiah 40:31 · English text: King James Version (1611)
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Isaiah 40:31, word for word as the King James Version gives it. The wording matches the standard KJV text in Project Gutenberg’s KJV ↗ and Wikisource ↗. The original is Hebrew, so this English is the KJV translators’ rendering.

Last verified 1 Nov 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?

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“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” Isaiah 40:31, King James Version (1611)

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In context

Evoking the world of The Book of Isaiah — chapters 40–55 dated by most scholars to the Babylonian exile (6th century BCE). Theme: "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

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Minimalist editorial slide for the quote "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint". Clean background, a single muted accent color, generous negative space, subtle paper or linen texture, no literal illustration — let the words carry it. Reserve clear space for a serif quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

Provenance

The source

Work
The Book of Isaiah, chapter 40, verse 31
Translation
King James Version (Authorized Version), published by Robert Barker, the King’s Printer, 1611
Text used
Standard KJV text as reprinted today (Project Gutenberg eBook #10)
Original language
Hebrew

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. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:28–31 (KJV)

Verses 28–31 from the King James Version. The popular quotation is verse 31 alone, word for word. A search of Quote Investigator and Wikiquote found no investigation of this line, and there is no rival claimant to its authorship.

Isaiah 40:31 (KJV) at Bible Gateway

How we checked

Public domain

The English wording is the King James Version, first published in 1611, long before the 1931 cutoff, so it is in the public domain in the United States. Wikipedia notes one exception: the KJV is “perpetually copyrighted in UK” and de facto public domain elsewhere (Wikipedia ↗). Modern translations of the same verse, such as the NIV or ESV, are separate works and may be under copyright.

Rights status is our research, not legal advice — and copyright varies by country and edition. For commercial or published use, confirm with the rightsholder. See terms.

Context

Why it mattered

The verse closes Isaiah chapter 40. Most scholars treat that chapter as the opening of Deutero-Isaiah, the part of the book addressed to the Israelites in exile in Babylon (Wikipedia ↗). It answers a complaint voiced a few lines earlier: “My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God” (40:27).

The reply runs from a God who “fainteth not, neither is weary,” to the people: even the young will stumble, but those who wait on the LORD will be renewed. The run-without-weariness image is why the verse turns up so often on cards, plaques and athletic banners. In the King James Version, “LORD” in capitals marks where the Hebrew uses the divine name.

They shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

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Dig deeper

Trusted places to keep pulling the thread — primary archives, fact-checks, and scholarship. We show how we used each one before you leave.

The King James Version of the Bible (eBook #10)gutenberg.org

Full public-domain KJV text. Isaiah 40:31 appears word for word.
Bible (King James)/Isaiahen.wikisource.org

Wikisource transcription of the KJV Isaiah, with verse-level anchors (40:31).
Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)biblegateway.com

The verse in the KJV, with one-click comparison against modern translations.
King James Versionen.wikipedia.org

The 1611 publication, the 1769 Blayney standard text, and copyright status.
Book of Isaiahen.wikipedia.org

Authorship and the Proto-, Deutero- and Trito-Isaiah division.

The source

About the Book of Isaiah

The Book of Isaiah

Hebrew Bible prophetic book · chapters 40–55 dated by most scholars to the Babylonian exile (6th century BCE)

The Book of Isaiah opens with a heading naming its words as those of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz, who is dated to the 8th century BCE. Through most of the 20th century the scholarly consensus was that he did not write the whole book. That view splits it into three collections. Chapters 40–55, known as Deutero-Isaiah, are “the work of an anonymous author writing during the Exile in the 6th century BCE.” Recent research has challenged the three-part view and stresses the book’s unity (Wikipedia ↗).

For writers & researchers

Cite this

Primary source

The Holy Bible, King James Version, Isaiah 40:31 (London: Robert Barker, 1611). Standard text as reprinted in The King James Version of the Bible, Project Gutenberg eBook #10.

This verification page

Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint’?” Last verified 1 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/but-they-that-wait-upon-the-lord-shall-renew-their-strength/

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