Isaiah 15:6
For the waters of Nimrim shall be desolate: for the hay is withered away, the grass faileth, there is no green thing.
Original Language Analysis
כִּֽי
H3588
כִּֽי
Strong's:
H3588
Word #:
1 of 13
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
מֵ֥י
For the waters
H4325
מֵ֥י
For the waters
Strong's:
H4325
Word #:
2 of 13
water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen
יִֽהְי֑וּ
H1961
יִֽהְי֑וּ
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
5 of 13
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
כִּֽי
H3588
כִּֽי
Strong's:
H3588
Word #:
6 of 13
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
יָבֵ֤שׁ
is withered away
H3001
יָבֵ֤שׁ
is withered away
Strong's:
H3001
Word #:
7 of 13
to be ashamed, confused or disappointed; also (as failing) to dry up (as water) or wither (as herbage)
כָּ֣לָה
faileth
H3615
כָּ֣לָה
faileth
Strong's:
H3615
Word #:
9 of 13
to end, whether intransitive (to cease, be finished, perish) or transitive (to complete, prepare, consume)
יֶ֖רֶק
there is no green thing
H3418
יֶ֖רֶק
there is no green thing
Strong's:
H3418
Word #:
11 of 13
properly, pallor, i.e., hence, the yellowish green of young and sickly vegetation; concretely, verdure, i.e., grass or vegetation
Historical Context
Nimrim's location south of the Dead Sea made it a verdant oasis in otherwise arid terrain, valuable for agriculture and settlement. Water sources held strategic military importance—armies regularly poisoned wells or diverted streams to weaken enemies. The prophecy's fulfillment likely occurred during Assyrian or later Babylonian campaigns that systematically destroyed Transjordanian kingdoms. Archaeological surveys show widespread settlement disruption in this region during the 8th-6th centuries BCE.
Questions for Reflection
- How does the drying up of waters serve as metaphor for spiritual barrenness apart from God?
- What does comprehensive judgment ("no green thing") teach about the thoroughness of divine justice?
- In what ways do natural advantages prove meaningless without God's covenant blessing?
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Analysis & Commentary
The drying up of waters symbolizes life, prosperity, and hope draining away. Nimrim ("clear waters") becoming desolate and the grass withering represent agricultural devastation—the economic foundation destroyed. Ancient warfare targeted water sources and crops to create famine and force surrender. The comprehensive destruction ("no green thing") indicates total judgment, not partial chastisement. This physical desolation mirrors spiritual barrenness—life apart from God's blessing ultimately withers. The contrast between Nimrim's name (clear/pleasant waters) and its reality (desolation) illustrates the gap between human naming/claiming and divine reality. Reformed covenant theology teaches that blessing flows from covenant faithfulness; rejection of God inevitably produces curse, regardless of a land's natural advantages.