Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

ISAIAH 12:3KJV
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Isaiah 12:3 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 12:3 mean?

Isaiah 12:3 describes people joyfully drawing water from the wells of salvation, using the image of refreshing water to picture the experience of receiving God's saving help. The verse promises that those who trust in God will find deep, lasting joy as they receive what God provides for their rescue and well-being.

In Isaiah 12, the prophet is speaking to the people of Israel, looking ahead to a time when God’s salvation will be fully realized. The verse uses the everyday act of drawing water—a vital, life-giving resource in the ancient world—as a symbol for the relief, hope, and happiness that come from God’s deliverance. This is part of a song of praise, celebrating God’s faithfulness and the joy that comes from trusting Him.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 12:3

  • The word for "joy" is שָׂשׂוֹן (sason), which means gladness or rejoicing. This highlights that the experience of salvation is not just relief but is filled with genuine happiness.
  • "Draw" comes from שָׁאַב (sha'av), meaning to pull up or scoop out, often used for drawing water from a well. This suggests an active participation in receiving what God gives.
  • "Water" is מַיִם (mayim), the basic word for water, which in this context stands for life and refreshment.
  • "Wells" is מַעְיָן (ma'yan), meaning springs or fountains, pointing to a continual, abundant source rather than something that runs dry.
  • "Salvation" is יְשׁוּעָה (yeshu'ah), meaning deliverance or rescue, the central theme of the verse, reminding the reader that what is being drawn is God’s saving power.

Why Isaiah 12:3 matters

  • The verse clears up any idea that salvation is a one-time event; instead, it pictures salvation as a continual, joyful experience, like drawing water again and again from a spring.
  • Isaiah 12:3 emphasizes that God’s salvation is abundant and accessible, not something rare or hard to reach.
  • This verse connects to the wider theme in Isaiah 12 of praising God for His faithfulness, showing that true joy and security come from trusting in what God provides.

Where else these words appear

“draw” Hebrew H7579 · used in 18 verses

  • Genesis 24:11 And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water.
  • Genesis 24:44 And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman whom the LORD hath appointed out for my master's son.
  • Ruth 2:9 Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.

“joy” Hebrew H8342 · used in 22 verses

  • Esther 8:16 The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour.
  • Isaiah 22:13 And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.
  • Jeremiah 16:9 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will cause to cease out of this place in your eyes, and in your days, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride.

“wells” Hebrew H4599 · used in 23 verses

  • Genesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
  • 2 Kings 3:25 And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees: only in Kirharaseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.
  • Proverbs 5:16 Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.

“salvation” Hebrew H3444 · used in 77 verses

  • Genesis 49:18 I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.
  • Psalms 42:5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.
  • Psalms 118:21 I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.