What is…
“parched ground” in the KJV Bible

also known as: mirage, scorched land (Isaiah 35:7 LSB)

Hebrew: שָׁרָב —transliteration: sharab —meaning: quivering glow (of the air), a mirage

And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. —Isaiah 35:7 KJV

They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat [sharab] nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them. —Isaiah 49:10 KJV

This is a phenomenon caused by the refraction of the rays of the sun on the glowing sands of the desert, causing them suddenly to assume the appearance of a beautiful lake.

It is called by the modern Arabs by the same Hebrew name serab.