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Isaiah 35

Isaiah portrays God’s coming as the restoration of a barren land and suffering people, ending in a holy homecoming.

Isaiah describes a wilderness bursting into bloom and a people returning to Zion with songs. The prophecy calls for weak hands and feeble knees to be strengthened because God is coming to save and to bring retribution. Blind eyes open, deaf ears hear, and water fills the desert. A road called “The Holy Way” carries the redeemed home, free from predators. The chapter does not name a date for these events.

fear for the futureillness or diagnosisgrief
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1The wilderness and the dry land will be glad. The desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose.
2It will blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing. Lebanon’s glory will be given to it, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the LORD’s glory, the excellence of our God.
3Strengthen the weak hands, and make the feeble knees firm.
4Tell those who have a fearful heart, “Be strong! Don’t be afraid! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, God’s retribution. He will come and save you.
5Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.
6Then the lame man will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing; for waters will break out in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.
7The burning sand will become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water. Grass with reeds and rushes will be in the habitation of jackals, where they lay.
8A highway will be there, a road, and it will be called “The Holy Way”. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it will be for those who walk in the Way. Wicked fools shall not go there.
9No lion will be there, nor will any ravenous animal go up on it. They will not be found there; but the redeemed will walk there.
10Then the LORD’s ransomed ones will return, and come with singing to Zion; and everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
Isaiah 35:3This command turns the vision of restoration toward the weak, calling others to strengthen them as God’s help approaches.
Isaiah 35:8The road to Zion joins safety with holiness: it belongs to the redeemed, and uncleanness has no place there.
Isaiah 35:10The final verse gathers the chapter’s promises into a homecoming where lasting joy replaces sorrow and sighing.
Where this chapter reaches

Matthew and Luke echo Isaiah’s signs of restoration when Jesus points to blind people receiving sight, lame people walking, and deaf people hearing as evidence of his work. Revelation shares the promise of sorrow’s end and God’s people living beyond the reach of their former suffering.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

Which change in the land or its people holds your attention, and why?

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How does the promise of God’s coming shape the command to strengthen weak hands?

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Questions people ask about Isaiah 35

What is the Highway of Holiness in Isaiah 35?

The highway, called “The Holy Way” in this translation, is the road on which the redeemed return to Zion. Its holiness excludes uncleanness and wicked fools; its safety excludes lions and other predators. Within the prophecy, the road brings together God’s rescue, his people’s holiness, and their unhindered return.

Why does Isaiah 35 say God will come with vengeance?

Verse 4 places God’s vengeance and retribution beside his promise to save. His coming means judgment as well as rescue, which is why fearful people are told to take courage. The chapter does not identify the targets of this retribution; it focuses on the restoration and safe return of the redeemed.

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Isaiah · 66 chapters
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).