Isaiah 35 (DBY)

Chapter Text

35:1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be gladdened; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.

35:2 It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice even with joy and shouting: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of Jehovah, the excellency of our God.

35:3 Strengthen the weak hands and confirm the tottering knees.

35:4 Say to them that are of a timid heart, Be strong, fear not; behold your God: vengeance cometh, the recompense of God! He will come himself, and save you.

35:5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf be unstopped;

35:6 then shall the lame [man] leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and torrents in the desert.

35:7 And the mirage shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of wild dogs, where they lay down, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.

35:8 And a highway shall be there and a way, and it shall be called, The way of holiness: the unclean shall not pass through it; but it shall be for these. Those that go [this] way even fools, shall not err [therein].

35:9 No lion shall be there, nor shall ravenous beast go up thereon, nor be found there; but the redeemed shall walk [there].

35:10 And the ransomed of Jehovah shall return, and come to Zion with singing; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "wilderness", "land", "shall", "gladdened", "desert", "rejoice", and "blossom". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "wilderness", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The local DBY text gives this verse as the immediate unit, so "called" and "wilderness" carries the first interpretive weight. In The Suffering Servant Bears Iniquity, the local focus is the servant of the LORD, atonement, and judgment and restoration.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "called" and "wilderness" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.