New King James Version
Isaiah 51:9
9Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord! Awake as in the ancient days, In the generations of old. Are You not the arm that cut Rahab apart, And wounded the serpent?
Isaiah 51:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?
- New International Version (NIV)Awake, awake, arm of the Lord, clothe yourself with strength! Awake, as in days gone by, as in generations of old. Was it not you who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced that monster through?
- English Standard Version (ESV)Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in days of old, the generations of long ago. Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the dragon?
- New Living Translation (NLT)Wake up, wake up, O Lord! Clothe yourself with strength! Flex your mighty right arm! Rouse yourself as in the days of old when you slew Egypt, the dragon of the Nile.
Context of Isaiah 51:9
7“Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, You people in whose heart is My law: Do not fear the reproach of men, Nor be afraid of their insults. 8For the moth will eat them up like a garment, And the worm will eat them like wool; But My righteousness will be forever, And My salvation from generation to generation.” Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord! Awake as in the ancient days, In the generations of old. Are You not the arm that cut Rahab apart, And wounded the serpent? 10Are You not the One who dried up the sea, The waters of the great deep; That made the depths of the sea a road For the redeemed to cross over? 11So the ransomed of the Lord shall return, And come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness; Sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Read all of Isaiah 51Isaiah 51:9 word by word
עוּרִ֨י עוּרִ֤י לִבְשִׁי־עֹז֙ זְר֣וֹעַ יְהוָ֔ה ע֚וּרִי כִּ֣ימֵי קֶ֔דֶם דֹּר֖וֹת עוֹלָמִ֑ים הֲל֥וֹא אַתְּ־הִ֛יא הַמַּחְצֶ֥בֶת רַ֖הַב מְחוֹלֶ֥לֶת תַּנִּֽין׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Awakeעוּר‛ûr · to rouseH5782
- put onלָבֵשׁlâbash lâbêsh · to clotheH3847
- strengthעֹז‛ôz ‛ôz · strengthH5797
- O armזְרוֹעַzerôa‛ zerôa‛ zerô‛âh zerô‛âh · armH2220
- of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- as in the ancientקֶ֫דֶםqedem qêdmâh · front: oldH6924
- daysיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- in the generationsדּוֹרdôr dôr · generationH1755
- of oldעוֹלָם‛ôlâm ‛ôlâm · forever: antiquityH5769
- thou not it that hath cutחָצַבchâtsab châtsêb · to hewH2672
- Rahabרַ֫הַבrahab · Rahab monsterH7294
- woundedחָלַלchâlal · to boreH2490
- the dragonתַּנִּיןtannîyn tannîym · serpent: monsterH8577
Cross-references for Isaiah 51:9
- Isaiah 51:17Awake, awake! Stand up, O Jerusalem, You who have drunk at the hand of the Lord The cup of His fury; You have drunk the dregs of the cup of trembling, And drained it out.
- Isaiah 27:1In that day the Lord with His severe sword, great and strong, Will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan that twisted serpent; And He will slay the reptile that is in the sea.
- Psalms 7:6Arise, O Lord, in Your anger; Lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies; Rise up for me to the judgment You have commanded!
- Psalms 44:23Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord? Arise! Do not cast us off forever.
- Psalms 59:4They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine. Awake to help me, and behold!
- Psalms 78:65Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, Like a mighty man who shouts because of wine.
- Habakkuk 2:19Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’ To silent stone, ‘Arise! It shall teach!’ Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, Yet in it there is no breath at all.
- Isaiah 52:1Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean Shall no longer come to you.
- Isaiah 59:17For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, And was clad with zeal as a cloak.
- Psalms 21:13Be exalted, O Lord, in Your own strength! We will sing and praise Your power.
- Psalms 74:13You divided the sea by Your strength; You broke the heads of the sea serpents in the waters.
- Psalms 93:1The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The Lord is clothed, He has girded Himself with strength. Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved.
- Revelation 11:17saying: “We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.
- Isaiah 51:5My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth, And My arms will judge the peoples; The coastlands will wait upon Me, And on My arm they will trust.
- Isaiah 53:1Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
- Isaiah 59:16He saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, it sustained Him.
Commentaries on Isaiah 51:9
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9Awake, awake - This verse commences a new subject (see the analysis of the chapter). It is the solemn and impassioned entreaty of those who were in exile that God would interpose in their behalf, as he did in behalf of his people when they were suffering in cruel bondage in Egypt. The word awake‘ here, which is addressed to the arm of Jehovah, is a petition that it might be roused from its apparent stupor and inactivity, and its power exerted in their…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-16Verses 9-16 The people whom Christ has redeemed with his blood, as well as by his power, will obtain joyful deliverance from every enemy. He that designs such joy for us at last, will he not work such deliverance in the mean time, as our cases require? In this world of changes, it is a short step from joy to sorrow, but in that world, sorrow shall never come in view. They prayed for the display of God's power; he answers them with consolations of his…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 9-10Awake, awake: God does not sleep. This prayer asks God to act immediately to save his people (see Isaiah 52:1; see especially God’s military clothing in 59:17). in generations of old: The exodus from Egypt was an act of redemption. It showed God’s power as he made a path of escape (Isaiah 51:10) for his people (see also 11:15).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 99. Impassioned prayer of the exiled Jews. ancient days--(Psa 44:1). Rahab--poetical name for Egypt (see on Is 30:7). dragon--Hebrew, tannin. The crocodile, an emblem of Egypt, as represented on coins struck after the conquest of Egypt by Augustus; or rather here, "its king," Pharaoh (see on Is 27:1; Psa 74:13, 14; Eze 32:2, Margin; Eze 29:3).Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 51:9
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 51
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries