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And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root below and bear fruit above.
Isaiah 37:31 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB The remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah will again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.
  • KJV And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward:
  • NKJV And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah Shall again take root downward, And bear fruit upward.
  • NASB The survivors that are left of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward.
  • NLT And you who are left in Judah, who have escaped the ravages of the siege, will put roots down in your own soil and grow up and flourish.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

The surviving remnant of Judah will take root downward and bear fruit upward. God promises renewed life and flourishing after the threat.

Overview

Using the image of a plant sinking roots and bearing fruit, God pictures the preserved remnant thriving again. Survival is not mere escape but the beginning of new growth under God's blessing. The remnant motif points to the people God preserves and multiplies, ultimately fulfilled in the fruitful community of Christ.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 12

  • Isa 27:6In the days to come, Jacob will take root. Israel will bud and blossom and fill the whole world with fruit.
  • 2 Kgs 19:30–31And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root below and bear fruit above.
  • Ps 80:9You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land.
  • Isa 1:9Unless the LORD of Hosts had left us a few survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.
  • Jer 44:28Those who escape the sword will return from Egypt to Judah, few in number, and the whole remnant of Judah who went to dwell in the land of Egypt will know whose word will stand, Mine or theirs!
  • Isa 10:20–22On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer depend on him who struck them, but they will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.
  • Rom 11:5In the same way, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.
  • Rom 9:27Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the Israelites is like the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved.
  • Jer 30:19Thanksgiving will proceed from them, a sound of celebration. I will multiply them, and they will not be decreased; I will honor them, and they will not be belittled.
  • Isa 65:9And I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and heirs from Judah; My elect will possess My mountains, and My servants will dwell there.
  • Gal 3:29And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.
  • Isa 6:13And though a tenth remains in the land, it will be burned again. As the terebinth and oak leave stumps when felled, so the holy seed will be a stump in the land.”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Isaiah videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Isaiah 37:31YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on IsaiahMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).

How Isaiah 37:31 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.