For as the waters fill the sea, the earth will be filled with an awareness of the glory of the Lord.
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.
- 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.
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 not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of Yahweh, as the waters cover the sea.
- Ps 22:27All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to Yahweh. All the relatives of the nations shall worship before you.
- Ps 72:19Blessed be his glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and amen.
- Isa 6:3One called to another, and said, “Holy, holy, holy, is Yahweh of Armies! The whole earth is full of his glory!”
- Ps 86:9All nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord. They shall glorify your name.
- Zech 14:8–9It will happen in that day, that living waters will go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the western sea; in summer and in winter will it be.
- Rev 11:15The seventh angel sounded, and great voices in heaven followed, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ. He will reign forever and ever!”
- Ps 67:1–2For the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Psalm. A song. May God be merciful to us, bless us, and cause his face to shine on us. Selah.
- Rev 15:4Who wouldn’t fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you only are holy. For all the nations will come and worship before you. For your righteous acts have been revealed.”
- Ps 98:1–3A Psalm. Sing to Yahweh a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand, and his holy arm, have worked salvation for him.
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.