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.

ISAIAH 22:11KJV
Know the Bible

Isaiah 22:11 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 22:11 mean?

Isaiah 22:11 describes how the people of Jerusalem built a reservoir and a defensive ditch between two walls to secure water from the old pool, but they failed to look to God, who made and planned everything long ago. The verse points out their focus on practical preparations while ignoring the Creator who ultimately controls their fate.

In this verse, the prophet Isaiah is speaking to the people of Jerusalem during a time of crisis, likely when the city faced threat from invading armies. Isaiah highlights that while the people took wise steps to protect their water supply, they neglected to seek or honor God, the one who "fashioned" their city and its history. The verse contrasts human effort with the need for trust in God.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 22:11

  • "ditch" (תְּעָלָה, te‘alah): This word refers to a channel or conduit, showing the people’s effort to redirect water for defense. The focus on this practical work highlights their reliance on human solutions.
  • "looked" (נָבַט, navat): This verb means to look or pay attention, and here it stresses that the people did not turn their attention to God, missing the deeper spiritual issue.
  • "maker" (עָשָׂה, asah): The same word used for "made" earlier, but here it refers to God as the Creator, reminding the reader that God is the ultimate source and planner behind all things.
  • "fashioned" (יָצַר, yatsar): This word means to form or shape, often used for a potter shaping clay. It underlines God’s intentional design and purpose for Jerusalem, which the people are ignoring.

Why Isaiah 22:11 matters

  • Isaiah 22:11 clears up the misunderstanding that human effort alone can guarantee safety; it emphasizes the need to recognize God’s sovereignty even in practical matters.
  • The verse reveals Isaiah’s criticism of the people’s spiritual blindness—they are busy with defenses but fail to honor or seek the one who truly protects them.
  • This verse connects to the wider passage by showing the larger problem of misplaced trust, a recurring theme in Isaiah’s message to Jerusalem.

Where else these words appear

“old” Hebrew H3465 · used in 6 verses

  • Leviticus 25:22 And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat yet of old fruit until the ninth year; until her fruits come in ye shall eat of the old store.
  • Leviticus 26:10 And ye shall eat old store, and bring forth the old because of the new.
  • Nehemiah 12:39 And from above the gate of Ephraim, and above the old gate, and above the fish gate, and the tower of Hananeel, and the tower of Meah, even unto the sheep gate: and they stood still in the prison gate.

“pool” Hebrew H1295 · used in 15 verses

  • 2 Samuel 2:13 And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out, and met together by the pool of Gibeon: and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool.
  • 2 Kings 20:20 And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
  • Song of Solomon 7:4 Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fishpools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bathrabbim: thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus.

“fashioned” Hebrew H3335 · used in 55 verses

  • Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
  • Isaiah 41:25 I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name: and he shall come upon princes as upon morter, and as the potter treadeth clay.
  • Isaiah 64:8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

“looked” Hebrew H5027 · used in 67 verses

  • Genesis 15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
  • Psalms 13:3 Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;
  • Isaiah 38:11 I said, I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.