And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses.
Parallel translations
- WEB and they will spring up among the grass, as willows by the watercourses.
- BSB They will sprout among the grass like willows by flowing streams.
- NKJV They will spring up among the grass Like willows by the watercourses.’
- NASB And they will spring up among the grass Like poplars by streams of water.’
- NLT They will thrive like watered grass, like willows on a riverbank.
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 blessed offspring will flourish like grass and willows by flowing streams. It pictures the vigorous, abundant life that the Spirit brings.
Overview
Where God pours His Spirit, His people thrive like well-watered plants. The imagery conveys growth, vitality, and security. This flourishing of the Spirit-blessed people anticipates the fruitful life Christ gives to those who abide in Him as branches in the vine.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Isa 58:11And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
- Ps 1:3And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
- Ps 92:13–15Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.
- Ezek 17:5He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow tree.
- Acts 4:4Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.
- Ps 137:1–2By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
- Isa 61:11For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.
- Acts 2:41–47Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
- Acts 5:14And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.)
- Lev 23:40And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.
- Job 40:22The shady trees cover him with their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 44:4 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.