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But I am the LORD thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The LORD of hosts is his name.
Isaiah 51:15 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB For I am Yahweh your God, who stirs up the sea, so that its waves roar: Yahweh of Armies is his name.
  • BSB For I am the LORD your God who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD of Hosts is His name.
  • NKJV But I am the Lord your God, Who divided the sea whose waves roared— The Lord of hosts is His name.
  • NASB For I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar (the Lord of armies is His name).
  • NLT For I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea, causing its waves to roar. My name is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

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

God identifies Himself as the LORD who stirs the roaring sea, the LORD of Armies, the one with power to save.

Overview

God grounds His promises in His own name and power, the one who controls the raging sea and commands the hosts of heaven. His sovereignty guarantees His word. The same divine authority over the sea is displayed by Christ, who stills the storm (Mark 4:39), confirming that the LORD of Armies is mighty to deliver.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 12

  • Jer 31:35Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name:
  • Isa 54:5For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.
  • Amos 9:5–6And the Lord GOD of hosts is he that toucheth the land, and it shall melt, and all that dwell therein shall mourn: and it shall rise up wholly like a flood; and shall be drowned, as by the flood of Egypt.
  • Isa 47:4As for our redeemer, the LORD of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel.
  • Ps 74:13Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.
  • Isa 51:10Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?
  • Ps 136:13To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever:
  • Ps 114:3–5The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back.
  • Jer 10:16The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the former of all things; and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: The LORD of hosts is his name.
  • Isa 48:2For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The LORD of hosts is his name.
  • Job 26:12He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud.
  • Neh 9:11And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Isaiah videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Isaiah 51:15YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on IsaiahMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).

How Isaiah 51:15 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.