Isaiah uses this term for extreme dryness and heat, particularly in similes describing God's salvation. Just as shade brings relief from desert heat, so God shelters His people. Like streams in parched ground, His coming brings refreshment to the weary. The word evokes the harsh conditions of the wilderness—sun-scorched earth without water, the thirst and heat that make shade and water precious. In Isaiah's poetry, this physical reality becomes a metaphor for spiritual need and divine provision.