The Meaning of Isaiah 35:1 Explained

Isaiah 35:1

KJV: The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.

YLT: They joy from the wilderness and dry place, And rejoice doth the desert, and flourish as the rose,

Darby: The wilderness and the dry land shall be gladdened; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.

ASV: The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The wilderness  and the solitary place  shall be glad  for them; and the desert  shall rejoice,  and blossom  as the rose. 

What does Isaiah 35:1 Mean?

Context Summary

Isaiah 35:1-10 - The Rejoicing Of The Redeemed
God's judgments change Carmel and Sharon into a waste; but His blessing makes the wilderness and parched land as Carmel and Sharon. Where the smile of God rests, deserts sing and become carpeted with flowers. Your hands may be weak and your knees feeble, but when your helplessness invokes the help of God, He will begin to perform wonderful things that pass expectation. Say over and over to yourself: "My God will come: be strong, my heart, and fear not. He will come and save." Oh, for the quickened sense; the bounding leap of our nature lamed by the fall; the songs from lips that God will touch! Your dreariest desert shall become water-springs; the mirage shall no longer disappoint; thirst shall be satisfied; and the dragons of the heart extirpated. Nothing can hurt us while we walk with God in holiness. Dreaded evils may threaten to cast their shadows on our path, but they shall not stay our songs as we come with singing unto the everlasting joy.
For Review Questions, see the e-Sword Book Comments. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 35

1  The joyful flourishing of Christ's kingdom
3  The weak are encouraged by the virtues and privileges of the Gospel

What do the individual words in Isaiah 35:1 mean?

Shall be glad for them the wilderness and the wasteland and shall rejoice the desert and blossom as the rose
יְשֻׂשׂ֥וּם‪‬ מִדְבָּ֖ר וְצִיָּ֑ה וְתָגֵ֧ל עֲרָבָ֛ה וְתִפְרַ֖ח כַּחֲבַצָּֽלֶת

יְשֻׂשׂ֥וּם‪‬  Shall  be  glad  for  them 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural, Paragogic nun
Root: שׂוּשׂ  
Sense: to exult, rejoice.
מִדְבָּ֖ר  the  wilderness 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִדְבָּר 
Sense: wilderness.
וְצִיָּ֑ה  and  the  wasteland 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: צִיָּה  
Sense: dryness, drought, desert.
וְתָגֵ֧ל  and  shall  rejoice 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect Jussive, third person feminine singular
Root: גִּיל  
Sense: to rejoice, exult, be glad.
עֲרָבָ֛ה  the  desert 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: עֲרָבָה  
Sense: desert plain, steppe, desert, wilderness.
וְתִפְרַ֖ח  and  blossom 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: פָּרַח 
Sense: to bud, sprout, shoot, bloom.
כַּחֲבַצָּֽלֶת  as  the  rose 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֲבַצֶּלֶת  
Sense: meadow-saffron, crocus, rose.