This verse is similar in content to 48.21. It opens with three negated statements, which are literally “they will not be hungry; they will not be thirsty; neither heat nor sun will strike them.” Each statement has a Hebrew imperfect verb with the negative particle loʾ. The use of imperfect verb forms emphasizes an ongoing situation rather than one single event.

They shall not hunger or thirst: Not only food will be available for the returning exiles, God will also provide water, as during the Exodus (see Exo 17.6). This is a permanent situation, which Good News Translation expresses by saying “they will never be hungry or thirsty.”

Neither scorching wind nor sun shall smite them: A third misfortune that will not happen to them is the grief caused by the hot desert wind or the burning sun. In the region of Palestine, high temperatures and scorching desert winds could be a major challenge to travelers. God promises to protect the people from these natural calamities. Scorching wind is a possible meaning of the Hebrew term here. It can also refer simply to “desert heat” (Good News Translation, New International Version; similarly Revised English Bible with “scorching heat”). The verb translated smite (meaning “strike” or “hit”) is the idiomatic way in Hebrew to describe devastating attacks on people. It can be used regardless of the agent that makes the attack, whether a person, an army, or a natural event. English often uses the verb “beat” with the sun, and “blast” with a hot wind. Translators should use the appropriate receptor-language terms. Revised English Bible has the verb “distress” to bring out the harmful effect of the hot wind and blazing sun by rendering this line as “nor will scorching heat or sun distress them.” Good News Translation uses the verb “hurt.”

For he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them: The connector for introduces the reasons why the returning exiles will be not hunger, thirst, or suffer from the harmful effects of the weather. The main verbs in these two parallel lines are lead and guide, so they express the principal reasons for the protection of the exiles. He who has pity on them renders a Hebrew participle that describes the LORD’s attitude to those he leads, so it is the underlying motive for his action in providing protection. The Hebrew verb for has pity refers to having compassion for the exiles (so New International Version) or having a deep commitment to them (see the comments on this verb at 14.1, where it is rendered “have compassion”). It is not so much a matter of feeling sorry for them. Has pity may be rendered “loves” (Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh).

The first main reason for the protection of the exiles is that God will lead them (compare 40.11; 42.16). He will lead them on their return journey. God also by springs of water will guide them. The Hebrew verbs rendered lead and guide form a natural pair of verbs to describe God directing humans (compare 42.16 even though one of the Hebrew verbs is different there). This natural pairing is further heightened by the similarity of sound in the two Hebrew verbs: yenahagem (“he will lead them”) and yenahalem (“he will guide them”). New International Version and Revised English Bible invert the order of these verbs. For springs of water, see 35.7. The Hebrew preposition rendered by may also be translated “to” or “by way of.” In desert areas travel was often from one oasis or natural spring to the next.

Since God is the speaker here, Bible en français courant changes the third person references to him to first person by rendering the last two lines of this verse as “With love I will guide them to find refreshment at the springs” (similarly Contemporary English Version, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Other languages may find this helpful.

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• They will never go hungry or thirsty,
nor will the scorching wind or the blazing sun harm them,
because he who loves them will lead them,
guiding them to springs of water.

• They will never be hungry or thirsty,
they will not be scorched by the wind or sun,
because the one who is compassionate to them will lead them,
along springs of water he will guide them.

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 .