Isaiah Chapter 35 in Simple English

Updated on October 17, 2026

Read Isaiah Chapter 35

1The wilderness and the lonely place will be glad for them. The desert will rejoice, and blossom like the rose.

2It will blossom in plenty, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendour of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the LORD, and the splendour of our God.

3Strengthen the weak hands, and make the shaking knees firm.

4Say to those whose hearts are afraid, "Be strong, do not be afraid. Look, your God will come with vengeance, God will come and pay back. 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 one who cannot speak will sing. For waters will break out in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.

7The dry, burnt ground will become a pool, and the thirsty land will become springs of water. In the home of dragons, where each one lay, there will be grass with reeds and rushes.

8A highway will be there, and a road, and it will be called The way of holiness. Those who are unclean will not pass along it, but it will be for those. Travellers on that way, even fools, will not go astray.

9No lion will be there. No fierce beast will go up on it, or be found there. But the redeemed will walk there,

10and those the LORD has ransomed will return. They will come to Zion with songs, and everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will receive joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

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Explanation

Isaiah 35

In short

Isaiah 35 paints a vision of transformation: a desolate wilderness will flourish, the injured and sick will be healed, and God's people will find a safe path home to Zion where suffering ends. It is a message of hope written to encourage people facing hardship.

Context

Isaiah 35 comes near the end of the book of Isaiah. Earlier chapters have warned of judgment and exile. This chapter shifts to comfort, describing what God will do for those who endure. The passage is addressed to people who are afraid and weary, telling them to take heart because restoration is coming.

What the text says

Verses 1-2 begin with creation itself responding to God's glory: the wilderness and desert "shall be glad" and "blossom as the rose." The land gains the beauty of famous fertile regions like Lebanon and Carmel.

Verses 3-4 then address people directly, commanding them to strengthen the weak and tell the fearful that their God is coming "with vengeance" and "recompence" and "will come and save you." These terms are not contradictory here; God's judgment on enemies becomes salvation for the people being addressed.

Verses 5-7 describe physical healings: the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame leap, and the dumb sing. The desert itself transforms, with waters breaking out and springs appearing where there was only parched ground and the habitation of dangerous beasts.

Verses 8-10 introduce a highway called "The way of holiness." It is protected, kept pure so that only the redeemed can walk it. Finally, "the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy." The passage ends with the promise that "sorrow and sighing shall flee away."

Takeaways

The passage combines physical restoration of land and healing of bodies as one vision of what God's salvation brings.
A highway kept holy and pure becomes the path by which God's people return home at last.
The comfort is concrete and sensory: rejoicing, singing, sight, hearing, leaping, flowing water, and the end of sorrow.

Isaiah 35 - Simple English