The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:
cry
Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Isaiah 12:6 Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.
Isaiah 58:1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
all flesh
Isaiah 37:27 Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded: they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up.
Job 14:2 He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.
Psalm 90:5,6 Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up…
And I asked, “What should I cry out?”
This response shows a willingness to obey but also a need for clarity. It reflects the prophet's humility and dependence on God for guidance. The question indicates a readiness to serve but also a recognition of the weight of the message. This interaction mirrors other biblical instances where prophets seek specific instructions from God, highlighting the relational aspect of divine communication.
“All flesh is like grass,
This metaphor emphasizes the transience and frailty of human life. In the biblical context, "flesh" refers to humanity in its mortal state. The comparison to grass, which withers quickly, underscores the temporary nature of human existence. This imagery is common in Scripture, seen in passages like Psalm 103:15-16 and 1 Peter 1:24, reinforcing the theme of human mortality contrasted with God's eternal nature.
and all its glory like the flowers of the field.
The "glory" of humanity, representing achievements, beauty, and strength, is likened to flowers, which are beautiful but short-lived. This highlights the fleeting nature of human accomplishments and status. In the cultural context, flowers were often used to symbolize beauty and prosperity, yet their impermanence serves as a reminder of the limitations of human glory. This imagery points to the need for reliance on God's eternal promises rather than human endeavors.
God Himself initiates the conversation, not merely suggesting but commanding proclamation.
• Isaiah 40:3 had already announced “A voice of one calling: ‘Prepare the way for the LORD.’” The same divine voice now gives the follow-up order.
• Amos 3:8 observes, “The lion has roared—who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken—who can but prophesy?” When the Sovereign speaks, silence is not an option.
• This moment highlights the reliability of prophetic revelation: the Almighty speaks into history, and His words demand to be heard—literally and urgently.
The prophet immediately senses both privilege and responsibility, asking for the exact message so he can transmit it without distortion.
• Moses pleaded for clarity at the burning bush (Exodus 3:13-14), and Jeremiah did the same at his call (Jeremiah 1:6-7). True servants wait for God’s wording, not their own ideas.
• The exchange underscores Scripture’s accuracy: Isaiah does not improvise; he receives and relays.
• It also reminds us that whatever follows carries divine authority, not human speculation.
The first line of the message targets human frailty.
• Psalm 103:15-16—“As for man, his days are like grass… the wind passes over it, and it is gone.”
• Psalm 90:5-6 depicts mankind swept away “like a dream” and flourishing only briefly “like grass that is renewed in the morning.”
• 1 Peter 1:24 quotes this very verse to show the contrast between temporary humanity and the enduring word.
Key takeaway: our lives are literally short-lived, dependent on God for every breath.
Even humanity’s finest moments are fleeting.
• James 1:10-11 compares the rich man’s achievements to a wildflower scorched by the sun: “its beauty perishes.”
• Matthew 6:28-30 points to lilies clothed in splendor yet destined for the fire the next day.
• Isaiah 28:1 describes “the fading flower of his glorious beauty,” affirming that earthly pomp cannot last.
The phrase “all its glory” covers culture, power, beauty, intellect—anything humans celebrate. None of it survives long apart from the Lord.
Isaiah 40:6 delivers a divine commission to proclaim a sobering reality: every person and every human accomplishment is as temporary as grass and field flowers. The verse sets up the contrast that verse 8 will complete—“the word of our God stands forever.” By emphasizing both the command to speak and the content of the message, God underlines the absolute dependability of His Word and the absolute transience of human life.
(6) The voice said, Cry.--Literally, A voice saith, Cry. The questioner ("and one said") is probably the prophet himself, asking what he is to proclaim. The truth which he is to enforce thus solemnly is the ever-recurring contrast between the transitoriness of man and the eternity of God and of His word, taking that term in its highest and widest sense. Two points of interest may be noted: (1) that this is another parallelism with Job (Job 14:2); (2) the naturalness of the thought in one who, like Isaiah, was looking back, as Moses looked (Psalm 90:5-6) in extreme old age upon the generations whom he had survived, and forward to the fall of mighty monarchies one after another. The marginal references show how dominant the thought is in the mind of Isaiah. Isaiah himself had uttered it in Isaiah 2:22.Verse 6. - The voice said, Cry; rather, a voice of else that sayeth, Cry. It is a second voice, distinct from that of ver. 3, that now reaches the prophet's ear - a voice responded to by another. The speakers seem to be angels, who contrast the perishable nature of man with the enduringness and unchangingness of God. The point of their discourse is that "the Word of the Lord endureth for ever" (ver. 8), and therefore the preceding promises (vers. 2, 5) are sure. And he said; rather, and one said. A second voice answered the first, and asked what the proclamation was to be. In reply its terms were given. All flesh is grass (comp. Isaiah 37:27; and see also Job 5:25; Psalm 90:5; Psalm 92:7; Psalm 103:15). The goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. So Ephraim was compared in ch. 28:1 to "a fading flower." The similitude is found also in Job 14:2 and in Psalm 103:15. Homer approaches the idea in his well-known simile, Οἵη περ φύλλων γενεὴ τοιήδε καὶ ἀνδρῶν ('Iliad,' 6:146).