And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.

ISAIAH 65:10KJV
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Isaiah 65:10 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 65:10 mean?

Isaiah 65:10 pictures a future in which God’s people can live from the land again. God promises grazing places for their animals, addressing those among the people who have sought him. The image suggests settled life and a livelihood, rather than land left empty.

God is the speaker. Sharon was a plain toward the western coast, while the valley of Achor lay near Jericho in the east. Naming places on both sides of the land gives the picture breadth. After the promise of land for God’s chosen people in verse 9, verse 10 shows what life there can look like.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 65:10

  • “fold” — נָוֶה (naveh): The word can mean a dwelling place or a pasture. Here it pictures a place where flocks can stay, not necessarily a fenced enclosure.
  • “Achor” — עָכוֹר (akhor): The place name is associated with trouble. That association adds force to the picture of herds resting there.
  • “sought” — דָּרַשׁ (darash): The word can mean to seek or inquire after someone. Here it describes people who have turned to God, rather than merely knowing where to find him.

Why Isaiah 65:10 matters

  • The place names bring an earlier story into view. In Joshua 7:24–26, the valley of Achor was named after trouble connected with Achan; Isaiah describes that same valley as a resting place for herds.
  • The promise is addressed to a particular group. The phrase “my people that have sought me” contrasts with the people who have not responded to God in Isaiah 65:1–2.
  • The animals make the promise concrete. Flocks and herds need grazing land and room to rest, so the verse presents the land as a place where ordinary work can continue.

Where else these words appear

“in” Hebrew H7258 · used in 4 verses

  • Proverbs 24:15 Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place:
  • Isaiah 35:7 And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
  • Jeremiah 50:6 My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace.

“Achor” Hebrew H5911 · used in 5 verses

  • Joshua 7:24 And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.
  • Joshua 7:26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.
  • Joshua 15:7 And the border went up toward Debir from the valley of Achor, and so northward, looking toward Gilgal, that is before the going up to Adummim, which is on the south side of the river: and the border passed toward the waters of Enshemesh, and the goings out thereof were at Enrogel:

“Sharon” Hebrew H8289 · used in 7 verses

  • Joshua 12:18 The king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one;
  • 1 Chronicles 27:29 And over the herds that fed in Sharon was Shitrai the Sharonite: and over the herds that were in the valleys was Shaphat the son of Adlai:
  • Isaiah 33:9 The earth mourneth and languisheth: Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down: Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits.

“fold” Hebrew H5116 · used in 35 verses

  • Exodus 15:13 Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.
  • Proverbs 21:20 There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.
  • Jeremiah 31:23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As yet they shall use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring again their captivity; The LORD bless thee, O habitation of justice, and mountain of holiness.