Fours and Seven

Yahweh’s promise to repeat Himself by bringing water to scorched Israel is laid out in fours and a seven (Isaiah 41:18-19).

There are four topographies: high place, valley, wilderness, dry land. To these four topographical regions, Yahweh promises to bring an appropriate form of water: Rivers on the heights, springs in the valleys, pools in the wilderness, fountains in the dry land. Four, of course, represents the corners of the land, or the earth: Water will spring up in all possible places.

When waters flow, trees grow, seven types in two regions ( midbar and arabah ): cedar, acacia, myrtle, olive, juniper, box tree, cypress. The seven trees are divided into groups of 4 and 3: In the wilderness are the first four trees, three other threes in the “desert.” Since the “olive tree” is made up of two words (“oil tree”) the seven trees are described with eight words. Yahweh promises to restore the grove of Eden, the grove that culminated the seven days of creation.

He does this so that the afflicted and needy (v. 17) will have a fourfold recognition of His hand: They will see, know, consider, gain insight (v. 20). They will see that the Holy One of Israel is the Creator ( bara’ ).