Bible Strands
Isaiah 26:13
O LORD our God, other lords besides You have ruled over us, but Your name alone do we confess.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The prophet speaks on behalf of Israel to Yahweh, acknowledging past subjugation under foreign powers while affirming exclusive loyalty to Him. This declaration follows a promise of divine peace and precedes a warning against trusting in dead idols.
The words — The Hebrew בְּעָל֥וּנוּ (be.'a.Lu./nu) literally means "they have ruled over us," describing the historical dominion of foreign powers. The phrase לְבַד־ (le./vad-) translates as "alone" or "only," emphasizing exclusive remembrance of Yahweh’s name.
The thread — This exclusive confession echoes the prohibition against calling on the names of foreign gods in Joshua 23:7 and contrasts with the idolatry condemned in Isaiah 2:8. It also anticipates the covenant loyalty described in Isaiah 63:7 regarding Yahweh’s acts.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that historical authority ultimately belongs to Yahweh alone, rejecting any competing allegiance. It requires the reader to confess only His name, abandoning reliance on any other power.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
O Lord our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 2:8 Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made.
- Isaiah 63:7 I will make known the LORD’s loving devotion and His praiseworthy acts, because of all that the LORD has done for us—the many good things for the house of Israel according to His great compassion and loving devotion.
- Joshua 23:7 So you are not to associate with these nations that remain among you. You must not call on the names of their gods or swear by them, and you must not serve them or bow down to them.
- 2 Chronicles 12:8 Nevertheless, they will become his servants, so that they may learn the difference between serving Me and serving the kings of other lands.”
- Isaiah 10:11 and as I have done to Samaria and its idols, will I not also do to Jerusalem and her idols?”
- Isaiah 12:4 and on that day you will say: “Give praise to the LORD; proclaim His name! Make His works known among the peoples; declare that His name is exalted.
- Isaiah 51:22 Thus says your Lord, the LORD, even your God, who defends His people: “See, I have removed from your hand the cup of staggering. From that goblet, the cup of My fury, you will never drink again.
- Amos 6:10 And when the relative who is to burn the bodies picks them up to remove them from the house, he will call to one inside, “Is anyone else with you?” “None,” that person will answer. “Silence,” the relative will retort, “for the name of the LORD must not be invoked.”
- Romans 6:22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you reap leads to holiness, and the outcome is eternal life.
- Hebrews 13:15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess His name.