Isaiah 51:10

Modern

Was it not You who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea for the redeemed to cross over?

Traditional

Art 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?

Literal

Was it not You drying up the Sea, the waters of the great deep, who has made the depths of the sea as a pathway for the redeemed to pass over?

Latin

…numquid non tu siccasti mare, aquam abyssi vehementis; qui posuisti profundum maris viam, ut transirent liberati?

Hebrew

English

Was it not You who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea for the redeemed to cross over?

Awake, 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).

Theme notes and profiles

Isaiah 43:16
Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea and a path through the surging waters,
Isaiah 63:11–12
Then His people remembered the days of old, the days of Moses. Where is He who brought them through the sea with the shepherds of His flock? Where is the One who set His Holy Spirit among them,
Exodus 14:21–22
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided,
Exodus 15:13
With loving devotion You will lead the people You have redeemed; with Your strength You will guide them to Your holy dwelling.
Isaiah 50:2
Why was no one there when I arrived? Why did no one answer when I called? Is My hand too short to redeem you? Or do I lack the strength to deliver you? Behold, My rebuke dries up the sea; I turn the rivers into a desert; the fish rot for lack of water and die of thirst.
Psalm 74:13
You divided the sea by Your strength; You smashed the heads of the dragons of the sea;
Isaiah 42:15
I will lay waste the mountains and hills and dry up all their vegetation. I will turn the rivers into dry land and drain the marshes.