For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
Parallel translations
- WEB For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of Yahweh’s glory, as the waters cover the sea.
- KJV For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
- NKJV For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, As the waters cover the sea.
- NASB “For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, As the waters cover the sea.
- NLT For as the waters fill the sea, the earth will be filled with an awareness of the glory of the Lord.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord's glory as the waters cover the sea. It is a soaring promise that God's glory will ultimately fill all creation despite present evil.
Overview
Set against the futility of human empire, this verse promises a future when knowledge of God's glory saturates the whole earth. The simile of waters covering the sea conveys total, all-encompassing fullness. This hope, echoing Isaiah 11:9, finds its trajectory in the spread of the gospel and its consummation in the new creation, where Christ is acknowledged by all and the knowledge of God is complete.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Isa 11:9They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the sea is full of water.
- Ps 22:27All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him.
- Ps 72:19And blessed be His glorious name forever; may all the earth be filled with His glory. Amen and amen.
- Isa 6:3And they were calling out to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; all the earth is full of His glory.”
- Ps 86:9All the nations You have made will come and bow before You, O Lord, and they will glorify Your name.
- Zech 14:8–9And on that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it toward the Eastern Sea and the other half toward the Western Sea, in summer and winter alike.
- Rev 11:15Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.”
- Ps 67:1–2For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Psalm. A song. May God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, Selah
- Rev 15:4Who will not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.”
- Ps 98:1–3A Psalm. Sing to the LORD a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand and holy arm have gained Him the victory.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
'The righteous shall live by his faith' (2:4) becomes a cornerstone of the gospel in Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews — the faith that lays hold of Christ.
How Habakkuk 2:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.