Isaiah 22:11 Meaning: When Our Plans Leave God Out
You also made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But you didn’t look to him who had done this, neither did you have respect for him who planned it long ago.
Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.
ye made also a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But ye looked not unto him that had done this, neither had ye respect unto him that purposed it long ago.
And a ditch ye made between the two walls, For the waters of the old pool, And ye have not looked unto its Maker, And its Framer of old ye have not seen.
and ye have made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not had regard unto the maker thereof, neither have ye looked unto him that fashioned it long ago.
Meaning in one sentence
Isaiah 22:11 shows Jerusalem preparing for siege but ignoring God. Discover what it means to trust God in a crisis without neglecting wise action.
Context
Isaiah 22 is a hard chapter. It falls in a series of prophecies against foreign nations, but this one turns inward to Jerusalem. The city is under threat from Assyria, probably during Hezekiah’s reign when Sennacherib’s army was closing in. The people spring into action: they inspect the armoury, count the breaches in the wall, tear down houses to reinforce defences, and build a reservoir between two walls to store water. Every practical step makes sense. But the prophet says they did all of it without looking to the God who made the city and had planned its history from long ago. The Lord had called them to mourning and repentance, not to frantic self-reliance. This verse sits at the hinge of that message: human effort is not wrong, but it becomes dangerous when it crowds out trust in the One who holds the crisis in His hands.
Key Words
Two Hebrew verbs describe what the people failed to do. The first is navat (נָבַט) in verse 11: “you didn’t look.” It means more than glancing, it is giving attention, turning the eyes and the heart toward someone. The people looked at the reservoir, the walls, the armour. They did not look to God.
The second verb is ra’ah (רָאָה) at the end of the verse: “neither did you have respect for him” (WEB) or “consider him.” It carries the sense of seeing with understanding, perceiving a deeper reality. The people saw the engineering problem; they did not see the hand of the Maker.
Then there is the word for God’s work: yatsar (יָצַר), translated “planned it long ago.” It is the same word used in Genesis for God forming man from the dust, and of a potter shaping clay. Here it describes God’s careful, intentional design of Jerusalem, its history, and even this crisis. He did not act hastily; He foresaw and purposed from distant time. The people treated the situation as if no one was behind it.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians across traditions have read this verse as a warning against practical atheism, living as if God is irrelevant to our daily decisions. Calvin describes the people turning their whole attention to “ramparts, and ditches, and walls, and other preparations of war,” while neglecting the “highest defense,” which is God. Matthew Henry notes that Hezekiah himself was a godly king, but the general population trusted more in their own schemes than in the Lord. The Cambridge Bible observes a sharp contrast: the prophet grieves while the city parties, a scene that recalls Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. More recently, some voices within evangelical and Catholic circles point out that the passage does not condemn planning as such, it exposes a heart that treats God as an afterthought. All major traditions agree: the sin is not the pool but the looking away from the Maker of the pool.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers take this verse to mean that making practical preparations for trouble is sinful, that we should just pray and wait. In fact, the text does not criticise the building of the reservoir or the repair of the walls. It criticises the failure to look to God. The people did nothing wrong in their actions; they did everything wrong in their hearts. They saw the threat, they saw their resources, but they did not see the One who made the city and planned the crisis. The verse is not about passivity. It is about whose help we are actually counting on.
Living This Out
Think about the last problem that made you move fast. Maybe it was a health scare, a financial squeeze, or a conflict at work. You probably did what the people of Jerusalem did: you gathered information, made calls, created a plan. All of that can be good. But this verse asks you to pause and notice what you are not doing. Are you looking to the Maker? Not just asking for His blessing on your plan, but honestly acknowledging that He made the city, He formed the situation, and He has purposed this long before you saw it coming. This week, before you act, take one minute to turn your heart toward Him. Not to replace your planning, but to set it inside His larger story.
Main takeaway: God wants us to look to Him as the Maker of our circumstances, not just to our own plans for managing them.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
When you are scared, it is good to be smart and get help. But do not forget to look up to God first. He made everything and He loves you.
For ages 9, 12
Pretend you are building a fort, and a big storm is coming. You would grab wood, nails, tools. That is good. But if you forget to ask your dad for help because you think you can do it all yourself, you might miss the thing that really keeps you safe. That is what the people in Isaiah did. They worked hard, but they left God out of their plans. We can work hard and trust God at the same time.
Questions People Ask
What is the 'old pool' mentioned in Isaiah 22:11?
The old pool is likely the pool of Siloam or the upper pool, located southwest of Jerusalem. Hezekiah redirected its waters into a new reservoir between two walls to keep the water supply inside the city during the Assyrian siege. The 'old pool' was the natural source; the new reservoir was the human-made collection point.
Does Isaiah 22:11 forbid all planning and preparation?
No. The verse does not criticise the building of the reservoir or the fortifications. It criticises the attitude behind those actions: the people did not look to God as the Maker and Planner of the city and the crisis. Planning is wise, but planning without trust in God becomes a form of self-reliance that ignores the Lord of history.
What does 'look to the maker thereof' mean in this verse?
The phrase means to direct your attention and trust toward God, who made Jerusalem and who planned this whole situation long ago. The Hebrew verb 'navat' implies intentional looking with regard. The people looked at their defences but did not look to the One who gave them the city and who governs events.
How does Isaiah 22:11 connect to King Hezekiah's water tunnel?
Second Kings 20:20 and 2 Chronicles 32:30 record that Hezekiah made a pool and a conduit to bring water into the city. This was likely part of the same defensive project described in Isaiah 22:9-11. Hezekiah is generally seen as a good king, but the common people (and perhaps even the leadership at times) trusted more in these works than in God.
What is the 'ditch' or 'reservoir' between the two walls?
It was a water collection basin built between the inner and outer walls of Jerusalem. The 'two walls' were likely an outer wall Hezekiah built and the existing city wall. This reservoir stored water from the old pool so that besieged residents would have access to water while the enemy was cut off.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study