In this verse God’s provision of water in the desert is a metaphor for the blessings he will give his exiled people in the new Exodus. He uses two parallel statements each consisting of two parallel lines.

I will open rivers on the bare heights: I will open rivers means God will cause rivers to flow (so Good News Translation). The Hebrew word rendered bare heights refers to hills or mountains that lack any vegetation, including trees. Good News Translation uses “barren hills,” and Revised English Bible has “arid heights.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch speaks of “stony heights.” Such areas are very dry, but God will cause rivers to flow from them.

And fountains in the midst of the valleys: The verb phrase I will open in the previous line is implied here. Translators may repeat it for clarity. Good News Translation uses parallel verbs in the first two lines: “make flow” and “[make] run.” The Hebrew word rendered fountains may refer to “wells” (Revised English Bible) or “springs” (Good News Translation, New International Version, Bible en français courant). See the comments on 12.3, where it is translated “wells.” In this context it is better rendered “springs,” which are places where water bubbles up naturally from the ground.

I will make the wilderness a pool of water continues the metaphor of God’s provision of water in dry places. For the Hebrew word rendered wilderness, see the comments on 14.17, where it is translated “desert.” For pool see 35.7. Good News Translation renders this line as “I will turn the desert into pools of water.”

And the dry land springs of water: The verb phrase I will make in the previous line is implied here. God will turn dry land into a place of springs. For dry land, see 35.1. The Hebrew expression rendered springs of water is synonymous with the word for fountains.

Translation examples for this verse are:

• I will cause rivers to appear on the barren hills
and springs to well up in the valleys;
I will turn the desert into a pool of water,
and the drought-stricken land into sources of water.

• I will make rivers burst forth on the treeless hills,
and springs of water to bubble up in the valleys;
I will make the wilderness into a pool of water,
and water will appear in the dry land.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .