Isaiah 1:30 (DRB)

Passage

When you shall be as an oak with the leaves falling off, and as a garden without water.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 1:28 And he shall destroy the wicked, and the sinners together: and they that have forsaken the Lord, shall be consumed.

Isaiah 1:29 For they shall be confounded for the idols, to which they have sacrificed: and you shall be ashamed of the gardens which you have chosen.

Isaiah 1:30 When you shall be as an oak with the leaves falling off, and as a garden without water.

Isaiah 1:31 And your strength shall be as the ashes of tow, and your work as a spark: and both shall burn together, and there shall be none to quench it.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "leaves", "falling", "garden", "without", and "water". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "leaves", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 29's "For they shall be confounded for the..." into verse 31's "And your strength shall be as the...", so "shall" and "leaves" belong inside that flow. In Isaiah context, the local focus is the Holy One of Israel, judgment and restoration, the servant of the LORD, and Zion's hope.

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