Devine Scripture

Isaiah 41:18

What does Isaiah 41:18 mean?

A plain-English look at Isaiah 41:18 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What Isaiah 41:18 means

The Lord promises a radical transformation of the desolate landscape. He will open rivers on barren heights and create fountains in the midst of dry valleys. The wilderness will become a pool of water, and parched ground will yield springs. This imagery speaks to God's ability to provide abundantly and miraculously where there is no human hope. It signifies not merely survival, but a flourishing life and refreshment, all directly from His divine intervention and creative power.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.

KJV

King James Version · 1611

I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

I will make rivers on the dry mountain-tops, and fountains in the valleys: I will make the waste land a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

I open on high places rivers, And in midst of valleys fountains, I make a wilderness become a pond of water, And a dry land become springs of water.

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

I will open rivers in the high hills, and fountains in the midst of the plains: I will turn the desert into pools of waters, and the impassable land into streams of waters.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness into a pool of water, and the dry land into water-springs.

Context

This verse directly fulfills the promise of answering the poor and needy in verse 17 by graphically depicting miraculous provision of water. It continues the theme of divine transformation of the landscape, moving from water to lush vegetation. This powerful imagery reinforces God's ability to create life and sustenance in barren places, leading into a broader picture of a revitalized wilderness and connecting these acts to God's ultimate purpose of being known.

v.17The poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst; I, Jehovah, will answer them, I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

v.18This passage

v.19I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, and the myrtle, and the oil-tree; I will set in the desert the fir-tree, the pine, and the box-tree together:

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • Psalms 105:41

    He opened the rock, and waters gushed out; They ran in the dry places like a river.

  • Isaiah 48:21

    And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts; he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them; he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out.

  • Ezekiel 47:1

    And he brought me back unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward (for the forefront of the house was toward the east); and the waters came down from under, from the right side of the house, on the south of the altar.

  • Isaiah 12:3

    Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

  • Isaiah 30:25

    And there shall be upon every lofty mountain, and upon every high hill, brooks and streams of waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.

  • Isaiah 32:2

    And a man shall be as a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest, as streams of water in a dry place, as the shade of a great rock in a weary land.

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