when he gave to the sea its boundary, that the waters should not violate his commandment, when he marked out the foundations of the earth;
Parallel translations
- KJV When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:
- BSB when He set a boundary for the sea, so that the waters would not surpass His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth.
- NKJV When He assigned to the sea its limit, So that the waters would not transgress His command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth,
- NASB When He set a boundary for the sea So that the water would not violate His command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth;
- NLT I was there when he set the limits of the seas, so they would not spread beyond their boundaries. And when he marked off the earth’s foundations,
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
Wisdom was present when God set the sea's boundary and laid the earth's foundations. The ordering and restraining of creation took place with wisdom.
Overview
God's command that the sea not overstep its bounds displays his sovereign ordering of creation, and wisdom was present for it (cf. Job 38:8-11). The marking out of the earth's foundations shows the careful, deliberate craftsmanship of God. This wise governance of creation continues to point to Christ, in whom 'all things hold together' (Colossians 1:17).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Ps 104:9You have set a boundary that they may not pass over; that they don’t turn again to cover the earth.
- 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.’
- Gen 1:9–10God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so.
- Ps 33:7He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap. He lays up the deeps in storehouses.
- Job 38:4–11“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if you have understanding.
- Ps 104:5He laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be moved forever.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 8:29 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.