Isaiah 32 · Verse 20

Isaiah 32:20

Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.
Isaiah 32:20, King James Version

Isaiah 32:20 in other translations

BSBBlessed are those who sow beside abundant waters, who let the ox and donkey range freely.
WEBBlessed are you who sow beside all waters, who send out the feet of the ox and the donkey.
ASVBlessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth the feet of the ox and the ass.
YLTHappy are ye sowing by all waters, Sending forth the foot of the ox and the ass!
DARBYBlessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth the feet of the ox and the ass.
BBEHappy are you who are planting seed by all the waters, and sending out the ox and the ass.
WebsterBlessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.

What does Isaiah 32:20 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Isaiah 32:9-20

9-20. Address to the women of Jerusalem who troubled themselves little about the political signs of the times, but lived a life of self-indulgence (Is 3:16-23); the failure of food through the devastations of the enemy is here foretold, being what was most likely to affect them as mothers of families, heretofore accustomed to every luxury. Vitringa understands "women--daughters" as the cities and villages of Judea…

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Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 20 That sow beside all waters "Who sow your seed in every well-watered place" - Sir John Chardin's note on this place is: "This exactly answers the manner of planting rice; for they sow it upon the water, and before sowing, while the earth is covered with water, they cause the ground to be trodden by oxen, horses, and asses, who go mid-leg deep; and this is the way of preparing the ground for sowing. As they sow the rice on the water, they transplant it in the water. "Harmer's Observ. vol. 1 p. 280. "Rice is the food of two-thirds of mankind." Dr. Arbuthnot. "It is cultivated in most of the eastern countries." Miller. "It is good for all, and at all times." Sir J. Chardin, ib. "Le ris, qui est leur principal aliment et leur froment (i.e., des Siamois), n'est jamais assez arrose; il croit au milieu de l'eau, et les campagnes ou on le cultive ressemblent plutot a de marets que non pas a des terres qu'on laboure aver la charue. Le ris a bien cette force, que quoy qu'il y ait six ou sept pieds d'eau sur lui, il pousse toujours sa tige au dessus; et le tuyau qui le porte s'eleve et croit a proportion de la hauteur de l'eau qui noye son champ. Voyage de l'Eveque de Beryte, p. 144. Paris, 1666. - L. "Rice, which is the principal grain and aliment of the Siamese, can never be too much watered. It grows in the water, and the fields where it is sown resemble marshes rather than fields cultivated by ploughing. Rice has that property that although it be covered with water six or seven feet deep, yet it raises its stalk above it; and this grows long in proportion to the depth of the water by which the field is inundated."

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 32:9-20

When there was so much provocation given to the holy God, bad times might be expected. Alas! how many careless ones there are, who support self-indulgence by shameful niggardliness! We deserve to be deprived of the supports of life, when we make them the food of lusts. Let such tremble and be troubled. Blessed times shall be brought in by the pouring out of the Spirit from on high; then, and not till then, there…

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Isaiah 32:20 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

אַשְׁרֵיכֶ֕ם'ash.rei.Khemhow blessed [are]! youH835
זֹרְעֵ֖יzo.re.'EiO [those who] sowH2232
עַל\־'al-atH5921
כָּל\־kol-everyH3605
מָ֑יִםMa.yimwaterH4325
מְשַׁלְּחֵ֥יme.sha.le.CheiO [those who] let looseH7971
רֶֽגֶל\־re.gel-[the] foot ofH7272
הַשּׁ֖וֹרha.Shorthe oxH7794
וְהַחֲמֽוֹר\׃\ \סve.ha.cha.Morand the donkeyH2543

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Isaiah 32:20

  • Ecclesiastes 11:1

    Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.

  • Isaiah 30:23-24

    Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures. The oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the ground shall eat clean provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan.

  • Isaiah 55:10-11

    For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

  • Acts 2:41

    Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

  • 1 Corinthians 3:6

    I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

  • Acts 5:14

    And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.)

  • James 3:18

    And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

  • Acts 4:4

    Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.

  • 1 Corinthians 9:9-11

    For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?

  • Isaiah 19:5-7

    And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up. And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall wither. The paper reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and every thing sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away, and be no more.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Blessed.
19:5-7; 30:23; 55:10,11; Ec 11:1; Ac 2:41; 4:4; 5:14; 1Co 3:6
Jas 3:18
the ox.
30:24; 1Co 9:9-11

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Isaiah 32:19

    When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place.

  • Isaiah 32:20

    Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.

Read all of Isaiah 32

Isaiah 32:20 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Dichosos vosotros los que sembráis sobre todas aguas, y metéis en ellas el pie de buey y de asno.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Bienheureux, vous qui semez près de toutes les eaux, envoyant partout le pied du bœuf et de l’âne!
German
Elberfelder 1871		Glückselig ihr, die ihr an allen Wassern säet, frei umherschweifen lasset den Fuß der Rinder und der Esel!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Beati qui seminatis super omnes aquas, immittentes pedem bovis et asini.