Bible Strands
Isaiah 22:11
You built a reservoir between the walls for the waters of the ancient pool, but you did not look to the One who made it, or consider Him who planned it long ago.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Isaiah addresses the inhabitants of Jerusalem during a military crisis, immediately after they tore down houses to reinforce the city walls. The prophet records God’s indictment of their defensive preparations made in the hours before invasion.
The words — The Hebrew מִקְוָה (mikveh) translates literally as a reservoir or gathering place for water, paired with עֲשִׂיתֶם (asitem), meaning you made. These terms highlight the physical construction of a water reserve between the two walls.
The thread — The text contrasts human engineering with divine sovereignty, echoing Jeremiah 33:2’s declaration of the LORD who formed and established the earth, and standing in tension with Micah 7:7’s command to look to the Lord for salvation. The subsequent breach of the city in 2 Kings 25:4 confirms the futility of relying on reservoirs rather than the Creator.
Why it lands — The verse demands recognition that defensive measures and strategic planning must not replace reliance on God. It requires the reader to examine whether their preparations acknowledge the One who ultimately controls outcomes.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 33:2 “Thus says the LORD who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it, the LORD is His name:
- Micah 7:7 But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.
- 2 Kings 25:4 Then the city was breached; and though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city, all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden. They headed toward the Arabah,
- Isaiah 17:7 In that day men will look to their Maker and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel.
- Isaiah 31:1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel; they do not seek the LORD.
- 2 Kings 20:20 As for the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, along with all his might and how he constructed the pool and the tunnel to bring water into the city, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
- 2 Chronicles 6:6 But now I have chosen Jerusalem for My Name to be there, and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.’
- 2 Chronicles 16:7 At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa of Judah and told him, “Because you have relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand.
- 2 Chronicles 32:3 he consulted with his leaders and mighty men about stopping up the waters of the springs outside the city, and they helped him carry it out.
- Nehemiah 3:16 Beyond him, Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of a half-district of Beth-zur, made repairs up to a point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool and the House of the Mighty.