Christian Standard Bible
Isaiah 41:17
17The poor and the needy seek water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. I will answer them. I am the Lord, the God of Israel. I will not abandon them.
Isaiah 41:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
- New International Version (NIV)“The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
- English Standard Version (ESV)When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the Lord will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“The poor and needy seek water, but there is none, Their tongues fail for thirst. I, the Lord, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
Context of Isaiah 41:17
15See, I will make you into a sharp threshing board, new, with many teeth. You will thresh mountains and pulverize them and make hills into chaff. 16You will winnow them and a wind will carry them away, a whirlwind will scatter them. But you will rejoice in the Lord; you will boast in the Holy One of Israel. The poor and the needy seek water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. I will answer them. I am the Lord, the God of Israel. I will not abandon them. 18I will open rivers on the barren heights, and springs in the middle of the plains. I will turn the desert into a pool and dry land into springs. 19I will plant cedar, acacia, myrtle, and olive trees in the wilderness. I will put juniper, elm, and cypress trees together in the desert,
Read all of Isaiah 41Isaiah 41:17 word by word
הָעֲנִיִּ֨ים וְהָאֶבְיוֹנִ֜ים מְבַקְשִׁ֥ים מַ֙יִם֙ וָאַ֔יִן לְשׁוֹנָ֖ם בַּצָּמָ֣א נָשָׁ֑תָּה אֲנִ֤י יְהוָה֙ אֶעֱנֵ֔ם אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֹ֥א אֶעֶזְבֵֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- the poorעָנִי‛ânîy · afflictedH6041
- and needyאֶבְיוֹן'ebyôn · needyH34
- seekבָּקַשׁbâqash · to seekH1245
- waterמַיmayim · waterH4325
- their tongueלָשׁוֹןlâshôn lâshôn leshônâh · tongueH3956
- failethנָשַׁתnâshath · be dryH5405
- for thirstצָמָאtsâmâ' · thirstH6772
- I the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- will hearעָנָה‛ânâh · to answerH6030
- the Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- will not forsakeעָזַב‛âzab · to leave: forsakeH5800
Cross-references for Isaiah 41:17
- Isaiah 61:1The Spirit of the Lord God is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners;
- Isaiah 66:2My hand made all these things, and so they all came into being. This is the Lord’s declaration. I will look favorably on this kind of person: one who is humble, submissive in spirit, and trembles at my word.
- Psalms 68:9You, God, showered abundant rain; you revived your inheritance when it languished.
- Psalms 72:12For he will rescue the poor who cry out and the afflicted who have no helper.
- Psalms 102:16for the Lord will rebuild Zion; he will appear in his glory.
- Matthew 5:3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
- Isaiah 55:1“Come, everyone who is thirsty, come to the water; and you without silver, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without silver and without cost!
- Exodus 17:3But the people thirsted there for water and grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you ever bring us up from Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”
- Psalms 42:2I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and appear before God?
- Psalms 63:1God, you are my God; I eagerly seek you. I thirst for you; my body faints for you in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water.
- Amos 8:11Look, the days are coming — this is the declaration of the Lord God — when I will send a famine through the land: not a famine of bread or a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.
- Matthew 5:6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
- John 4:10Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would ask him, and he would give you living water.”
- John 7:37On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.
- Revelation 21:6Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give to the thirsty from the spring of the water of life.
- Revelation 22:17Both the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let anyone who hears, say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who desires take the water of life freely.
Commentaries on Isaiah 41:17
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17When 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…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-20Verses 10-20 God speaks with tenderness; Fear thou not, for I am with thee: not only within call, but present with thee. Art thou weak? I will strengthen thee. Art thou in want of friends? I will help thee in the time of need. Art thou ready to fall? I will uphold thee with that right hand which is full of righteousness, dealing forth rewards and punishments. There are those that strive with God's people, that seek their ruin. Let not God's people render…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. poor and needy--primarily, the exiles in Babylon. water--figuratively, refreshment, prosperity after their affliction. The language is so constructed as only very partially to apply to the local and temporary event of the restoration from Babylon; but fully to be realized in the waters of life and of the Spirit, under the Gospel (Is 30:25; 44:3; Joh 7:37-39; 4:14). God wrought no miracles that we read of, in any wilderness, during the return from…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 41:17
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 41
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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