Isaiah 41:17-20 NIV

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 41:17-20

The crowning promise is that of spiritual support and refreshment through' the dull and dreary time of the Captivity, during which Israel dwells as it were in a desert, without water, or shade, or the relief to the eye which is furnished by the greenery of trees and shrubs. God was able to make of this "wilderness a standing water, and water-springs of the dry ground" ( Psalms 107:35 ), and he promises to do so ( Isaiah 41:18 ). The soul that longs for him, that thirsts after him, feeling... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 41:17-20

The pity and the purpose of Christ and his Church: a missionary sermon. With what different eyes do we look out on to the world, and how varied a spectacle it presents, according to our views, our spirits, our aims! To the geographer and discoverer it appears in one aspect, to the statesman and the historian in another. The artist sees it in one light, the man of science in a different one. The sportsman and pleasure-hunter has his view of it, the trader has his, etc. But from the standpoint... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 41:17-29

The claims of Jehovah. The thought seems to resume the thread broken off at the beginning of the chapter. Jehovah appeals to what he has done and to what he is. I. HIS MERCIFUL DEALINGS WITH HIS PEOPLE . The scene and state of exile is brought before us. They are dwelling in the "tents of Kedar." They are in the midst of a flourishing commercial empire; yet it is to them as a desert where no water is (cf. Psalms 63:1 ). The true desert is the soul without the sense of God's... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 41:18

I will open rivers in high places (comp. Isaiah 30:25 ). If even the "high places" had water, much more would-the low ground—the valleys—be abundantly supplied. The abundance is indicated by the fourfold designation of the water-supply, as coming from (1) rivers; read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 41:18

Water in the wilderness. "I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water." The place of the fountain is the key-note of this sermon. We are not surprised to find a fountain in the grove or the garden—there , amidst its diamond spray the birds brighten their plumage. But here the caravan halts, whilst men and women fall on their breasts and drink in the living nectar—the sweet water that never harms. We have to meditate upon this subject, however, in its... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 41:19

I will plant in the wilderness the cedar , etc. The "glory of Lebanon," the "excellency of Carmel and Sharon" ( Isaiah 35:2 ), shall be given to the "wilderness," wherein Israel dwells. The trees named are the choicest of Syria and Palestine, viz. the cedar ( erez ) . the great glory of Libanus; the acacia ( shittah ), abundant in the Jordan valley; the myrtle ( hadas ), which grew on the hills about Jerusalem ( Nehemiah 8:15 ); the olive, cultivated over the whole country; the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 41:20

That they may see , etc. The change would be such that those who experienced it could not fail to recognize "Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel," as its Author. read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 41:17

When the poor and needy seek water - Water is often used in the Scriptures as an emblem of the provisions of divine mercy. Bursting fountains in a desert, and flowing streams unexpectedly met with in a dry and thirsty land, are often also employed to denote the comfort and refreshment which the gospel furnishes to sinful and suffering man in his journey through this world. The ‘poor and needy’ here, doubtless refer primarily to the afflicted captives in Babylon. But the expression of the... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 41:18

I will open rivers - That is, I will cause rivers to flow (see the note at Isaiah 35:7). The allusion here is doubtless to the miraculous supply of water in the desert when the Israelites had come out of Egypt. God then supplied their needs; and in a similar manner he would always meet his people, and would supply their needs as if rivers of pure water were made to flow from dry and barren hills.In high places - The word used here denotes properly barrenness or nakedness Job 33:21; and then a... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 41:19

I will plant in the wilderness - The image in this verse is one that is frequent in Isaiah. It is designed to show that God would furnish for his people abundant consolations, and that he would furnish unanticipated sources of comfort, and would remove from them their anticipated trials and calamities. The image refers to the return of the exiles to their own land. That journey lay through Arabia Deserta - a vast desert - where they would naturally expect to meet with nothing but barren hills,... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 41:17-20

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 41:17-20

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 41:17-29

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 41:18

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 41:18

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 41:19

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 41:20

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 41:17

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 41:18

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 41:19

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