That said to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up your rivers:
be dry
Isaiah 11:15,16 And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod…
Isaiah 42:15 I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools.
Isaiah 43:16 Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;
‘Be dry,
This command echoes the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, where God made a path through the waters for the Israelites (Exodus 14:21-22). It signifies deliverance and the removal of barriers, illustrating God's ability to make a way where there seems to be none. In a broader sense, it can also symbolize spiritual renewal and the removal of sin's barriers, as seen in the New Testament with Jesus calming the storm (Mark 4:39), demonstrating His divine authority.
and I will dry up your currents,’
This promise of drying up currents can be seen as a prophecy of God's intervention in history, particularly in the context of the Babylonian exile. It foreshadows the fall of Babylon, which was situated by the Euphrates River. Historically, Cyrus the Great diverted the river to conquer Babylon, fulfilling this prophecy (Isaiah 45:1-2). The drying up of currents also symbolizes the cessation of opposition and the establishment of God's purposes. In a typological sense, it points to Christ's ultimate victory over sin and death, removing the barriers between God and humanity.
Isaiah pictures “the One who says,” underscoring that the Lord Himself is speaking. Everything that follows rests on His sovereign voice.
• Genesis 1:3 shows the creative power of “God said.”
• Isaiah 40:26 reminds us He “calls them all by name.”
• Hebrews 1:3 adds that He “upholds all things by His powerful word.”
Because the Speaker is the Creator who never lies (Numbers 23:19), the promise is rock-solid.
The Lord addresses the very “depths,” the places untouchable by human effort.
• Exodus 14:21–22 records how He split the Red Sea so Israel crossed “on dry ground.”
• Joshua 3:13 repeats the miracle at the Jordan.
• Psalm 77:19 says, “Your path led through the sea, Your way through the mighty waters.”
These historic acts prove that real, physical waters obey their Maker; He is not using empty imagery.
With two short words the Lord issues a command that changes geography.
• Exodus 15:8 celebrates, “At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up.”
• Isaiah 42:15 echoes, “I will lay waste the mountains and hills and dry up all their vegetation.”
• Revelation 16:12 foresees the literal Euphrates drying for the kings of the east.
God never worries about available means; His word alone suffices to drain oceans or rivers.
Currents are the lifeblood of a sea or river; drying them ends the flow at its source.
• Jeremiah 51:36 promises, “I will dry up her sea and make her fountain run dry,” foreshadowing Babylon’s fall.
• Isaiah 44:28 immediately links the prophecy to Cyrus, whose engineers diverted the Euphrates so his armies could march into the city unopposed.
• Isaiah 45:2–3 shows God flattening obstacles so His people can return home.
The verse therefore assures Israel that the Lord will literally manipulate nature and nations to fulfill His covenant—just as He once parted waters for the Exodus, He will now drain rivers to end their exile.
Isaiah 44:27 highlights the unmatched authority of God’s voice, the reach of His command to the deepest waters, the instant effectiveness of His directive to “Be dry,” and His promise to dry up every opposing current. Historically He did exactly that through Cyrus; prophetically He guarantees He can still remove any barrier to His redemptive plan.
(27) That saith to the deep--i.e., to the Euphrates. The words find a literal fulfilment in the strategical operation by which Cyrus turned the river from its usual bed into the Sepharvaim channel, and thus enabled his soldiers to cross on foot (Herod. i. 191). Symbolically the words may mean simply the destruction of the power of Babylon, of which its river was the emblem. (Comp. Revelation 16:12.)Verse 27. - That saith to the deep, Be dry (comp. Isaiah 42:15). "The flood" here is probably the main stream of the Euphrates, while "the rivers" are the various side streams which branched off from it and again united themselves with it. Some commentators regard the drying of Euphrates as a mere metaphor for the exhaustion and ruin of Babylon (Kay); but (with Delitzsch) I should be inclined to understand a reference to the action of Cyrus in drawing off the water of the river (see the comment on Isaiah 42:15).