Isaiah 41:17

When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.

Cross-reference

Isaiah 30:19 echoes this same promise: God hears the cry of His people and answers graciously.

Isaiah 61:1 Parallel

Isaiah 61:1 proclaims good news to the poor — the same needy group God promises to answer in this verse.

Isaiah 55:1 Allusion

Isaiah 55:1 invites the thirsty to come to waters, directly echoing the provision of water for the needy.

Isaiah 29:19 says the poorest shall exult in God—extending the theme of God's care for the poor to joyful worship.

Isaiah 35:6 Parallel

Isaiah 35:6 explicitly mentions waters breaking forth in the wilderness and the tongue of the mute—fulfilling the thirst imagery here.

Isaiah 43:20 states God gives water in the wilderness to His chosen people—reinforcing the same promise of provision.

Isaiah 48:21 recalls God bringing water from the rock in the Exodus—a historical precedent for the water provision promised here.

Isaiah 44:3 Parallel

Isaiah 44:3 uses water on thirsty land as a metaphor for pouring out the Spirit—extending physical provision to spiritual blessing.

Isaiah 66:2 Parallel

Isaiah 66:2 describes the humble and contrite — the lowly whom God looks to, echoing His care for the poor and needy here.

Psalm 107:6 Parallel

Psalm 107:6 shows them crying to God and being delivered — exactly the response promised in Isaiah.

Revelation 22:17 repeats the free invitation to the thirsty to take the water of life—a final eschatological call.

Lamentations 4:4 depicts infants with tongues cleaving for thirst in famine—a grim realization of the need God promises to address.

Matthew 5:6 Allusion

In Matthew 5:6, Jesus blesses those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, promising satisfaction—a spiritual fulfillment of this longing.

John 4:10-15 offers living water that quenches spiritual thirst forever—Jesus as the divine provision promised to the needy.

In John 7:37-39, Jesus invites the thirsty to come to Him, promising rivers of living water—echoing God's provision for the parched.

Revelation 21:6 fulfills the promise: the thirsty receive water of life freely from God’s throne—ultimate provision.

In Genesis 28:15, God promises Jacob 'I will not leave you' — the same assurance of not forsaking his people.

Psalm 102:17 explicitly states that God regards the prayer of the destitute, directly echoing the answering promise.

Exodus 17:6 Typology

Exodus 17:6 records God providing water from the rock, a typological foreshadowing of the deliverance promised here.

In Judges 15:18, Samson cries out to God from thirst — a direct parallel to the needy seeking water in Isaiah.

Judges 15:19 shows God answering Samson's cry for water — the kind of divine provision promised in Isaiah.

Psalm 22:15 Contrast

Psalm 22:15 describes the same physical thirst—tongue stuck to jaws—but as a cry of suffering, not a promise of relief.

Psalm 34:6 Parallel

Psalm 34:6 describes a poor man crying out and being heard — the same pattern of God responding to the needy in Isaiah.

Psalm 50:15 Parallel

Psalm 50:15 promises deliverance when we call on God in trouble — parallel to God's promise to answer the needy in Isaiah.

Psalm 63:1 Parallel

In Psalm 63:1, the same physical thirst becomes spiritual longing—the psalmist's soul thirsts for God in a dry land.

Psalm 72:12 Parallel

Psalm 72:12 directly parallels God's promise to answer the needy when they call, matching the deliverance theme.

Psalm 72:13 Parallel

Psalm 72:13 continues the same theme, emphasizing pity and salvation for the weak and needy.

Psalm 94:14 Parallel

Psalm 94:14 declares the Lord will never forsake his inheritance — a direct parallel to the promise here.

Numbers 20:8 records God commanding water from a rock — a past miracle of providing water for the thirsty.

Numbers 21:16 has God promising to give water at Beer — another instance of God providing water for his people.

Psalm 107:35 describes God turning desert into pools—the same miracle of water provision promised here.

Amos 8:13 Contrast

Amos 8:13 depicts thirst in judgment, contrasting sharply with God's promise in Isaiah 41:17 to satisfy the thirsty.

Amos 4:8 Contrast

Amos 4:8 shows thirst as judgment—the opposite of God's provision; this contrasts with the promised answer in Isaiah 41:17.

In 2 Kings 3:17, God fills a dry streambed with water, directly fulfilling the type of promise made in Isaiah to the thirsty.

Jeremiah 31:25 promises to satisfy the weary soul—a parallel assurance of God refreshing the needy, though in a different covenant context.

In Nehemiah 9:20, God gave water for thirst in the wilderness, a direct historical example of the promise in Isaiah.

Amos 8:11-13 inverts the promise: a famine of hearing God's word, where the thirsty seek but cannot find—contrasting God's response here.

Mark 15:34 Contrast

Mark 15:34 records Jesus crying 'why have you forsaken me?'—a stark contrast to God's promise in Isaiah 41:17 not to forsake the needy.

Luke 16:24 Contrast

In Luke 16:24, the rich man cries for water from hell — a contrast to God's promise to answer the thirsty in Isaiah.

Revelation 7:16 promises no more thirst for the redeemed, echoing God's care for the thirsty needy in Isaiah 41:17.

Psalm 68:10 Parallel

Psalm 68:10 similarly describes God providing for the poor from his bounty, reinforcing the theme of divine care for the needy.

Psalm 107:5 Parallel

Psalm 107:5 depicts people hungry and thirsty, fainting — the same condition as the poor and needy in Isaiah.