Isaiah 35:2
It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.
Study Note
Study Note
Isaiah 35's vision of the blossoming desert — where Lebanon's glory, Carmel's excellence, and Sharon's beauty converge on the transformed wilderness — employs the Hebrew Bible's richest horticultural vocabulary to depict the eschatological inversion of the judgment-desolation of chapter 34. The three landscapes (Lebanon, Carmel, Sharon) were proverbially known for their lushness and beauty in the ancient world, making their transfer to the desert a hyperbolic statement of total transformation. The explicit purpose — 'they shall see the glory of the Lord' — connects the physical renewal to theophanic disclosure: creation's transformation is simultaneously a revelation event. John 1:14 ('we beheld his glory') and Revelation 21–22's garden-city Eden-restoration both develop this Isaiah 35 vision of creation and theophany as inseparable.
Other Translations
It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing; the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon: they shall see the glory of Jehovah, the excellency of our God.
Flourishing it doth flourish, and rejoice, Yea, <FI>with<Fi> joy and singing, The honour of Lebanon hath been given to it, The beauty of Carmel and Sharon, They--they see the honour of Jehovah, The majesty of our God.
It will be flowering like the rose; it will be full of delight and songs; the glory of Lebanon will be given to it; the pride of Carmel and Sharon: they will see the glory of the Lord, the power of our God.
Cross References
And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, …
For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and …
And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie …
Thus saith the Lord, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for …
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for …
Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the …
The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: …
The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify …
And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.