“Prêcher dans le désert” means to speak without being heard, to speak to those who don’t want to listen, or to speak uselessly to people who don’t want to allow themselves to be convinced. Literally, it means “to preach in the desert” and is an evocative saying.

This expression dates from the 18th century. It doesn’t mean that the person is speaking in an empty desert, however, but rather that those around him are unwilling to listen.

It comes from a mistaken transcription of two books of the Bible. In the first, it is said of Isaiah that “a voice cries: in the desert, prepare the way for Yahweh.” But this became “a voice cries in the desert,” implying futility and total lack of success in communicating.

In the Gospels, John the Baptist was preaching in a desert area on the banks of the River Jordan. He was compared to the misunderstood Isaiah, but in fact John the Baptist had succeeded in drawing many people who wanted to be baptised in the River Jordan.

Equivalent English expressions include “a voice in the wilderness,” “a voice crying in the wilderness,” or “to fall on deaf ears.”

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