And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such as groweth of itself; and the second year that which springeth of the same: and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof.

ISAIAH 37:30KJV
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Isaiah 37:30 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 37:30 mean?

Isaiah 37:30 describes a sign given to reassure the people of Judah: for two years, they will eat food that grows on its own, but in the third year, they will return to normal farming—sowing, reaping, planting vineyards, and eating their own harvest. This promise is meant to show that their hardship will not last, and restoration is coming.

The prophet Isaiah is speaking to King Hezekiah during a crisis, as Jerusalem faces the threat of the Assyrian army. God, through Isaiah, gives this sign to prove that He will protect the city and its people. The verse uses the pattern of what the people will eat over three years as a concrete way to show that God’s deliverance is real and that life will soon return to normal.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 37:30

  • The word "sign" (אוֹת, 'ot) means a visible proof or marker. Here, it is not just a prediction but a concrete event the people can watch for, showing God’s promise in action.
  • "Groweth" (סָפִיחַ, safiach) refers to plants that come up on their own, without being sown. This highlights that for the first year, and even the second, the people will survive on what naturally grows, likely because war has disrupted normal planting.
  • "Springeth" (שָׁחִיס, shachis) is another word for self-sown crops, reinforcing the idea that the people will rely on whatever the land produces by itself for two years.
  • "Sow" (זָרַע, zara‘), "reap" (קָצַר, qatsar), "plant" (נָטַע, nata‘), and "vineyards" (כֶּרֶם, kerem) all point to the return of normal agricultural life in the third year, a sign of stability and peace.

Why Isaiah 37:30 matters

  • Isaiah 37:30 clears up any fear that the devastation from the Assyrian invasion would be permanent; it promises a definite end to hardship.
  • The verse emphasizes God’s control over both the immediate crisis and the long-term future, showing that He cares for the daily needs of His people.
  • This sign connects to the larger story in Isaiah 37, where God promises to defend Jerusalem and defeat the Assyrians, making the restoration of normal life a visible proof of His intervention.

Where else these words appear

“springeth” Hebrew H7823 · used in 2 verses

  • 2 Kings 19:29 And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such things as grow of themselves, and in the second year that which springeth of the same; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruits thereof.

“groweth” Hebrew H5599 · used in 5 verses

  • Leviticus 25:5 That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land.
  • Leviticus 25:11 A jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed.
  • 2 Kings 19:29 And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such things as grow of themselves, and in the second year that which springeth of the same; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruits thereof.

“reap” Hebrew H7114 · used in 46 verses

  • Leviticus 19:9 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest.
  • 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.
  • Ecclesiastes 11:4 He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.

“sow” Hebrew H2232 · used in 54 verses

  • Genesis 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
  • Deuteronomy 11:10 For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs:
  • Isaiah 30:23 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.