It is the Lord who provides the sun to light the day and the moon and stars to light the night, and who stirs the sea into roaring waves. His name is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, and this is what he says:
Parallel translations
- WEB Yahweh, who gives the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, who stirs up the sea, so that its waves roar; Yahweh of Armies is his name, says:
- KJV Thus 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:
- BSB Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day, who sets in order the moon and stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD of Hosts is His name:
- NKJV Thus says the Lord, Who gives the sun for a light by day, The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who disturbs the sea, And its waves roar (The Lord of hosts is His name):
- NASB ¶This is what the Lord says, He who gives the sun for light by day And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— The Lord of armies is His name:
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 one who fixed the sun, moon, stars, and seas, the LORD of Armies. His creative power guarantees the promises that follow.
Overview
The Lord grounds His covenant faithfulness in His sovereignty over creation, appealing to the fixed ordinances of sun, moon, and sea. The same God who upholds the cosmos has bound Himself to preserve His people. This sets up verse 36's assurance that Israel's continuance is as certain as the created order, a certainty ultimately resting in Christ, through whom and for whom all things were made (Col. 1:16-17).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 32
- Jer 10:16The portion of Jacob is not like these; for he is the former of all things; and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance: Yahweh of Armies is his name.
- Isa 51:15For I am Yahweh your God, who stirs up the sea, so that its waves roar: Yahweh of Armies is his name.
- Ps 136:7–9To him who made the great lights; for his loving kindness endures forever:
- Jer 50:34Their Redeemer is strong: Yahweh of Armies is his name. He will thoroughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the earth, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.
- Gen 1:14–18God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs to mark seasons, days, and years;
- Matt 5:45that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.
- Matt 8:25–26They came to him, and woke him up, saying, “Save us, Lord! We are dying!”
- Deut 4:19and lest you lift up your eyes to the sky, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, even all the army of the sky, you are drawn away and worship them, and serve them, which Yahweh your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole sky.
- Isa 54:5For your Maker is your husband; Yahweh of Armies is his name. The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer. He will be called the God of the whole earth.
- Isa 63:12Who caused his glorious arm to be at Moses’ right hand? Who divided the waters before them, to make himself an everlasting name?
- Jer 51:19The portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the former of all things; including the tribe of his inheritance: Yahweh of Armies is his name.
- Ps 93:3–4The floods have lifted up, Yahweh, the floods have lifted up their voice. The floods lift up their waves.
- Ps 72:5They shall fear you while the sun endures; and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
- Ps 19:1–6For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. The heavens declare the glory of God. The expanse shows his handiwork.
- Exod 14:21–22Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and Yahweh caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
- Isa 48:2(for they call themselves citizens of the holy city, and rely on the God of Israel; Yahweh of Armies is his name):
- Ps 74:13You divided the sea by your strength. You broke the heads of the sea monsters in the waters.
- Ps 89:36–37His offspring will endure forever, his throne like the sun before me.
- Ps 74:16The day is yours, the night is also yours. You have prepared the light and the sun.
- Ps 89:2I indeed declare, “Love stands firm forever. You established the heavens. Your faithfulness is in them.”
- Jer 5:22Don’t you fear me?’ says Yahweh ‘Won’t you tremble at my presence, who have placed the sand for the bound of the sea, by a perpetual decree, that it can’t pass it? and though its waves toss themselves, yet they can’t prevail; though they roar, yet they can’t pass over it.’
- Jer 46:18“As I live,” says the King, whose name is Yahweh of Armies, “surely like Tabor among the mountains, and like Carmel by the sea, so shall he come.
- Jer 32:18who show loving kindness to thousands, and recompense the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them; the great, the mighty God, Yahweh of Armies is his name;
- Ps 114:3–5The sea saw it, and fled. The Jordan was driven back.
- Ps 72:17His name endures forever. His name continues as long as the sun. Men shall be blessed by him. All nations will call him blessed.
- Ps 119:89Yahweh, your word is settled in heaven forever.
- Job 38:10–11marked out for it my bound, set bars and doors,
- Ps 78:13He split the sea, and caused them to pass through. He made the waters stand as a heap.
- Ps 107:25–29For he commands, and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up its waves.
- Job 26:12He stirs up the sea with his power, and by his understanding he strikes through Rahab.
- Ps 106:9He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up; so he led them through the depths, as through a desert.
- Job 38:33Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you establish its dominion over the earth?
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Christ at the center
Against the failure of false shepherds Jeremiah promises the Righteous Branch, 'The LORD our righteousness,' and the new covenant written on the heart and sealed in the blood of Christ.
How Jeremiah 31:35 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
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