Isaiah 41:18

King James Version:

(The Lord speaking is red text)

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.

Complete Jewish Bible:

I will open up rivers on the barren hills and wells down in the broad valleys. I will turn the desert into a lake and dry ground into springs.

Berean Standard Bible:

I will open rivers on the barren heights, and fountains in the middle of the valleys. I will turn the desert into a pool of water, and the dry land into flowing springs.

American Standard Version:

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 with Strong’s Numbers:

I will open^{H6605} rivers^{H5104} in high places^{H8205}, and fountains^{H4599} in the midst^{H8432} of the valleys^{H1237}: I will make^{H7760} the wilderness^{H4057} a pool^{H98} of water^{H4325}, and the dry^{H6723} land^{H776} springs^{H4161} of water^{H4325}.

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Commentary for Isaiah 41:18

Isaiah 41:18 is a part of the larger work of the prophet Isaiah, which is divided into two main sections, First Isaiah (chapters 1-39) and Second Isaiah (chapters 40-55). This verse falls within Second Isaiah, which is characterized by messages of comfort and hope directed at the Jewish exiles in Babylon. The historical context is the Babylonian Exile, which began in 586 BCE when the Babylonian Empire conquered Jerusalem and deported many Jews to Babylon.

The themes of Isaiah 41:18 revolve around God's power to transform the natural world and, by extension, the circumstances of His people. In this verse, God promises to perform miraculous acts of creation by bringing water to the most unlikely of places—rivers in high places and fountains in valleys. He further promises to turn the wilderness into a pool of water and the dry land into springs. These images of water in arid places symbolize life, refreshment, and fertility. They are powerful metaphors for the spiritual and physical renewal that God offers to the exiled Israelites, who feel distant from their homeland and from God's presence.

The verse speaks to the theme of hope and restoration, assuring the people that just as God can bring water to desolate areas, He can also bring about their deliverance from exile and restore their fortunes. It is a message of divine intervention and provision, emphasizing God's ability to do the impossible and to bring new life out of desolation. This promise would have been particularly poignant for the Israelites, who were living in a foreign land, longing for the comfort and familiarity of their former lives in Judah. Isaiah 41:18 thus serves as a reminder of God's steadfast love, His control over nature, and His commitment to His people's well-being and future redemption.

*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model

Strong's Numbers and Definitions:

Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)

1. Strong's Number: H6605
   There are 133 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: פָּתַח
   Transliteration: pâthach
   Pronunciation: paw-thakh'
   Description: a primitive root; to open wide (literally or figuratively); specifically, to loosen, begin, plough, carve; appear, break forth, draw (out), let go free, (en-) grave(-n), loose (self), (be, be set) open(-ing), put off, ungird, unstop, have vent.
   
2. Strong's Number: H5104
   There are 109 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: נָהָר
   Transliteration: nâhâr
   Pronunciation: naw-hawr'
   Description: from נָהַר; a stream (including the sea; expectation the Nile, Euphrates, etc.); figuratively, prosperity; flood, river.
   
3. Strong's Number: H8205
   There are 10 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: שְׁפִי
   Transliteration: shᵉphîy
   Pronunciation: shef-ee'
   Description: from שָׁפָה; bareness; concretely, a bare hill or plain; high place, stick out.
   
4. Strong's Number: H4599
   There are 23 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: מַעְיָן
   Transliteration: maʻyân
   Pronunciation: mah-yawn'
   Description: or מַעְיְנוֹ; (Psalm 114:8), or (feminine) מַעְיָנָה; from עַיִן (as a denominative in the sense of a spring); a fountain (also collectively), figuratively, a source (of satisfaction); fountain, spring, well.
   
5. Strong's Number: H8432
   There are 390 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: תָּוֶךְ
   Transliteration: tâvek
   Pronunciation: taw'-vek
   Description: from an unused root meaning to sever; a bisection, i.e. (by implication) the centre; among(-st), [idiom] between, half, [idiom] (there-, where-), in(-to), middle, mid(-night), midst (among), [idiom] out (of), [idiom] through, [idiom] with(-in).
   
6. Strong's Number: H1237
   There are 20 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: בִּקְעָה
   Transliteration: biqʻâh
   Pronunciation: bik-aw'
   Description: from בָּקַע; properly, a split, i.e. a wide level valley between mountains; plain, valley.
   
7. Strong's Number: H7760
   There are 550 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: שׂוּם
   Transliteration: sûwm
   Pronunciation: soom
   Description: or שִׂים; a primitive root; to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically); [idiom] any wise, appoint, bring, call (a name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider, convey, determine, [phrase] disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out), mark, [phrase] name, [idiom] on, ordain, order, [phrase] paint, place, preserve, purpose, put (on), [phrase] regard, rehearse, reward, (cause to) set (on, up), shew, [phrase] stedfastly, take, [idiom] tell, [phrase] tread down, (over-)turn, [idiom] wholly, work.
   
8. Strong's Number: H4057
   There are 257 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: מִדְבָּר
   Transliteration: midbâr
   Pronunciation: mid-bawr'
   Description: from דָבַר in the sense of driving; a pasture (i.e. open field, whither cattle are driven); by implication, a desert; also speech (including its organs); desert, south, speech, wilderness.
   
9. Strong's Number: H98
   There are 183 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: אֲגַם
   Transliteration: ʼăgam
   Pronunciation: ag-am'
   Description: from an unused root (meaning to collect as water); a marsh; hence a rush (as growing in swamps); hence a stockade of reeds; pond, pool, standing (water).
   
10. Strong's Number: H4325
    There are 525 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: מַיִם
    Transliteration: mayim
    Pronunciation: mah'-yim
    Description: dual of a primitive noun (but used in a singular sense); water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen; [phrase] piss, wasting, water(-ing, (-course, -flood, -spring)).
    
11. Strong's Number: H6723
    There are 16 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: צִיָּה
    Transliteration: tsîyâh
    Pronunciation: tsee-yaw'
    Description: from an unused root meaning to parch; aridity; concretely, a desert; barren, drought, dry (land, place), solitary place, wilderness.
    
12. Strong's Number: H776
    There are 2739 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: אֶרֶץ
    Transliteration: ʼerets
    Pronunciation: eh'-rets
    Description: from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land); [idiom] common, country, earth, field, ground, land, [idiom] natins, way, [phrase] wilderness, world.
    
13. Strong's Number: H4161
    There are 26 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: מוֹצָא
    Transliteration: môwtsâʼ
    Pronunciation: mo-tsaw'
    Description: or מֹצָאxlit môtsâ corrected to môtsâʼ; from יָצָא; a going forth, i.e. (the act) an egress, or (the place) an exit; hence, a source or product; specifically, dawn, the rising of the sun (the East), exportation, utterance, a gate, a fountain, a mine, a meadow (as producing grass); brought out, bud, that which came out, east, going forth, goings out, that which (thing that) is gone out, outgoing, proceeded out, spring, vein, (water-) course (springs).