For the earth shall 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.
- BSB For the earth will 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 shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
- Ps 22:27All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
- Ps 72:19And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.
- Isa 6:3And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
- Ps 86:9All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.
- Zech 14:8–9And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
- Rev 11:15And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
- Ps 67:1–2God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.
- Rev 15:4Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.
- Ps 98:1–3O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten 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.