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Isaiah 51:13

in Isaiah 51

But you have forgotten the LORD, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth. You live in terror all day long because of the fury of the oppressor who is bent on destruction. But where is the fury of the oppressor?

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

and hast forgotten Jehovah thy Maker, that stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and fearest continually all the day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he maketh ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?

KJV

And forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?

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This verse in Isaiah 51

Commentary

12 notes on this verse

A commentator

Athanasius of Alexandria

296–373

DEFENCE OF THE NICENE DEFINITION 4 · Written before 373.

And David being taught this, and knowing that the Lord's hand was nothing else than Wisdom, he says in the psalm, "In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creation." Solomon also received the same from God and said, "The Lord by wisdom founded the earth." And John, knowing that the Word was the hand and the Wisdom, preached, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God … without him was not anything made."

This site's exposition

I, even I, am He who comforts you

on Isaiah 51:12-13

The comfort turns into a rebuke of fear of “a son of man who withers like grass”. That man is set beside the Maker, and the fear is traced to a forgetting. The closing question about “the fury of the oppressor” speaks of that fury as already gone.

This site's exposition

your Maker, who stretched out the heavens

Barnes finds the fear common among the people of God, who count the strength of their foes and forget the promises made to them. Athanasius reads the Maker who laid the foundations of the earth as working through His Word, who is His Wisdom. The Maker still holds that power.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers1 voice

A commentator

Jerome

Commentary on Isaiah · Written before 420.

proposed

(Verse 12, 13.) I, I myself will comfort you. Who are you that you fear from a mortal man, and from the son of man, who will dry up like grass? And you have forgotten the God your maker, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth; and you were constantly afraid all day long because of the fury of the one who was afflicting you, who had prepared to destroy. Where is the fury of the one afflicting you now?

The Medieval Church1 voice

A commentator

Thomas Aquinas

Commentary on Isaiah · Written before 1274.

proposed

And the power of God protecting them: and you have forgotten the Lord your maker? You have forsaken the God that begot you, and have forgotten the Lord that created you (Deut 32:18); and the mockery of the enemy: where is now the fury of …

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

15 ), and to bring upon ourselves that sore judgment which is threatened, Deut. xxviii. Thou shalt fear, day and night. [3.] It is absurd to fear beyond what there is cause: "Thou art afraid of the fury of the oppressor.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-citation-number+unbalanced-parens+odd-straight-quotes

And forgettest the Lord thy Maker,....

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

And forgettest the Lord thy Maker - These verses are designed to rebuke that state of the mind - alas! too common, even among the people of God - where they are intimidated by the number and strength of their foes, and forget their dependence on God, and his promises of aid. In such circumstances God reproves them for their want of confidence in him, and calls on them to remember that he has made the heavens, and has all power to save them. That hath stretched forth the heavens - (See the notes at Isa 40:12, Isa 40:26).
4 more voices on this verse

The Nineteenth Century4 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

(Isa 40:12, 26, 28), the same argument of comfort drawn from the omnipotence of the Creator. as if . . . ready, &c.--literally, "when he directs," namely, his arrow, to destroy (Ps 21:12;

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

OBJECTS often influence us out of proportion to their value because of their nearness. For instance, the moon is a very small insignificant body compared with the sun, yet it has far more influence over the tides and many other matters in the world than the sun has simply because it is so much nearer to the earth than the sun is.
OBJECTS often influence us out of proportion to their value because of their nearness. For instance, the moon is a very small insignificant body compared with the sun, yet it has far more influence over the tides and many other matters in the world than the sun has simply because it is so much nearer to the earth than the sun is. The life that is to come is infinitely more important than the life that now is and I hope that in our inmost hearts, we reckon that the things that are seen and temporal are mere trifles compared with the things which are not seen and eternal! Yet it often happens that the less important matters have a greater influence over us than those which are far more important, simply because the things of earth are so much nearer to us. Heaven is infinitely more to be desired than any joy of earth, yet it seems far off and, therefore, these fleeting joys may give us greater present comfort. The wrath of God is far more to be dreaded than the anger of man, yet sometimes a frown or a rebuke from a fellow creature will have more effect upon our minds than the thought of the anger of God. This is because the one appears to be remote, while, being in this body, we are so near to the other. Now, Beloved, it will sometimes happen that a matter which is scarcely worthy of the thought of an immortal spirit will fret and worry us from day to day. There is some oppressor, as the text puts it, whom we dread and fear continually, yet we forget the Almighty God who is on our side, who is stronger than all the oppressors who have ever lived and who has all people and all things under His control! The reason why we act thus is because we think of God as if He were far off, while we can see the oppressor with our eyes and we can hear with our ears his threatening words.

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

Of the oppressor, as if he, etc. - “The כ caph in כאשר keasher seems clearly to have changed its situation from the end of the preceding word to the beginning of this; or rather, to have been omitted by mistake there, because it was here. That it was there the Septuagint show by rendering המציקך hammetsikech θλιβοντος σε, of him, that oppressed thee. And so they render this word in both its places in this verse. The Vulgate also has the pronoun in the first instance; furoris ejus qui te tribulabat.” Dr. Jubb. The correction seems well founded; I have not conformed the translation to it, because it makes little difference in the sense.

How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

And you forgot the Lord your Maker and you did not rely on Him.
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on Isaiah 51:13:1, via Sefaria, The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
who are you the daughter of the righteous like you and full of merits, why should you fear man, whose end is to die?
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on Isaiah 51:12:1, via Sefaria, The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.

Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.

The words behind it

20 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וַתִּשְׁכַּ֞חand you have forgotten

    vatishkachH7911 →102 times

  • יְהוָ֣הYahweh

    yahwehH3068 →6520 times

  • עֹשֶׂ֗ךָ[who] made you

    ʾosekhaH6213 →2628 times

  • נוֹטֶ֣ה[who] stretched out

    notehH5186 →214 times

  • שָׁמַיִם֮[the] heavens

    shamayimH8064 →421 times

  • וְיֹסֵ֣דand [who] founded

    veyosedH3245 →43 times

  • אָרֶץ֒[the] earth

    ʾaretzH776 →2504 times

  • וַתְּפַחֵ֨דand you have been in dread

    vatefachedH6342 →25 times

  • תָּמִ֜ידcontinually

    tamidH8548 →104 times

  • כָּל־all

    kol-H3605 →5413 times

  • הַיּ֗וֹםthe day

    haiyomH3117 →2304 times

  • מִפְּנֵי֙of <the face of>

    mipeneiH6440 →2123 times

  • חֲמַ֣ת[the] anger of

    chamatH2534 →125 times

  • הַמֵּצִ֔יקthe oppressor

    hametzikH6693 →11 times

  • כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר<just> when

    kaasherH834 →5497 times

  • כּוֹנֵ֖ןhe has prepared

    konenH3559 →217 times

  • לְהַשְׁחִ֑יתto destroy

    lehashchitH7843 →146 times

  • וְאַיֵּ֖הand where?

    veaiyehH346 →45 times

  • חֲמַ֥ת[is] [the] anger of

    chamatH2534 →125 times

  • הַמֵּצִֽיק׃the oppressor

    hametzikH6693 →11 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

18 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Genesis 1:1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.56 worksIsaiah 44:24Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer who formed you from the womb: “I am the LORD, who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who by Myself spread out the earth,9 worksHebrews 1:10And: “In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.6 worksPsalms 104:2He wraps Himself in light as with a garment; He stretches out the heavens like a tent,5 worksIsaiah 45:12It is I who made the earth and created man upon it. It was My hands that stretched out the heavens, and I ordained all their host.5 worksIsaiah 40:22He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth; its dwellers are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.5 works
The other 12 cross-references, with their words ▾
Isaiah 17:10For you have forgotten the God of your salvation and failed to remember the Rock of your refuge. Therefore, though you cultivate delightful plots and set out cuttings from exotic vines—5 worksPsalms 50:22Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you:5 worksJeremiah 27:5By My great power and outstretched arm, I made the earth and the men and beasts on the face of it, and I give it to whom I please.5 worksJob 9:8He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.4 worksDaniel 3:19At this, Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders to heat the furnace seven times hotter than usual,4 works1 Corinthians 1:20Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?4 worksIsaiah 48:13Surely My own hand founded the earth, and My right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they stand up together.4 worksIsaiah 54:14In righteousness you will be established, far from oppression, for you will have no fear. Terror will be far removed, for it will not come near you.4 worksIsaiah 49:17Your builders hasten back; your destroyers and wreckers depart from you.4 worksJob 35:10But no one asks, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives us songs in the night,4 worksJeremiah 51:15The LORD made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding.4 worksRevelation 19:20But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.3 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Isaiah 44:24

    Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer who formed you from the womb: “I am the LORD, who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who by Myself spread out the earth,

    it leads to

    • Isaiah 42:5

      This is what God the LORD says—He who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it and life to…

      Reached by 3 separate paths from here.

    • Isaiah 45:12

      It is I who made the earth and created man upon it. It was My hands that stretched out the heavens, and I ordained all their host.

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

    • Isaiah 54:5

      For your husband is your Maker—the LORD of Hosts is His name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth.

    • Isaiah 45:18

      For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens—He is God; He formed the earth and fashioned it; He established it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be…

    • Isaiah 44:2

      This is the word of the LORD, your Maker, who formed you from the womb and who will help you: “Do not be afraid, O Jacob My servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.

  • Through

    Isaiah 40:22

    He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth; its dwellers are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

    it leads to

    • Proverbs 8:27

      I was there when He established the heavens, when He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,

  • Through

    Isaiah 45:12

    It is I who made the earth and created man upon it. It was My hands that stretched out the heavens, and I ordained all their host.

    it leads to

    • Isaiah 44:24

      Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer who formed you from the womb: “I am the LORD, who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who by Myself spread out the earth,

  • Through

    Psalms 104:2

    He wraps Himself in light as with a garment; He stretches out the heavens like a tent,

    it leads to

    • Isaiah 40:22

      He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth; its dwellers are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

Where this verse is studied

About Isaiah

The Prophet Isaiah, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
The Prophet Isaiah, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Isaiah: the study guide →Read Isaiah 51 →
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Isaiah; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Athanasius of Alexandria, DEFENCE OF THE NICENE DEFINITION 4; Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 3098: “Needless Fears” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.

Read on in Isaiah 51 →