Isaiah 37:31
ESV
And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward.
NIV
Once more a remnant of the kingdom of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above.
NASB
The survivors that are left of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward.
CSB
The surviving remnant 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.
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.
What does Isaiah 37:31 mean?
The Lord responded to Hezekiah's prayer of faith and humility (Isaiah 37:14–15) by revealing that He will do more than defeat Sennacherib and lead him away from Jerusalem. God will also return abundant crops to the land of Judah. Even further, the people of Judah themselves will begin to flourish again.God uses a metaphor of plants to describe the surviving remnant of Judah. Assyria had defeated all the fortified cities in the nation except Jerusalem. Many people had died or were carried off as captives. The survivors crowded into Jerusalem to avoid the Assyrian invaders. The population of the nation was much reduced. But the Lord promises they will "take root" and "bear fruit." They will reestablish themselves in towns and on farms. A new generation of children will give birth to another generation after it. Like its fields, Judah will repopulate and become abundant once more.
