Isaiah 35 (LSB)

Chapter Text

35:1 The wilderness and the desert will be delighted, And the Arabah will rejoice and flourish; Like the crocus

35:2 It will flourish profusely And rejoice with rejoicing and shout of joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, The majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of Yahweh, The majesty of our God.

35:3 Strengthen limp hands, and give courage to the knees of the stumbling.

35:4 Say to those with an anxious heart, “Be strong, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.”

35:5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.

35:6 Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness And streams in the Arabah.

35:7 Then the scorched land will become a pool And the thirsty ground springs of water; In the haunt of jackals, its resting place, Grass becomes reeds and rushes.

35:8 And a roadway will be there, a highway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not pass by on it, But it will be for him who walks in that way, And ignorant fools will not wander on it.

35:9 No lion will be there, Nor will any vicious beast go up on it; These will not be found there. But the redeemed will walk there,

35:10 And the ransomed of Yahweh will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, With everlasting gladness upon their heads. They will attain delight and gladness, And sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Study Lenses

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

The local LSB text gives this verse as the immediate unit, so "called" and "light" 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 "light" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.