Bible Strands
Isaiah 33:2
O LORD, be gracious to us! We wait for You. Be our strength every morning and our salvation in time of trouble.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The remnant of Judah addresses Yahweh directly, caught between the woe oracle against their destroyer (v. 1) and the image of nations scattering before God's voice (v. 3).
The words — חָנֵּנוּ (chānnēnū, "show favor to us") is a strong imperative demanding unmerited grace, not mere mercy. זְרוֹעָם (zəroʿām, "their arm") renders "strength" as a concrete limb—power that acts, not an abstract quality.
The thread — Isaiah 30:18 reverses the direction: God "longs to be gracious" from the same root חָנַן. Isaiah 59:16 pairs the same arm (זְרוֹעַ) with the act of bringing salvation.
Why it lands — The prayer does not ask for the threat to be removed; it asks for Yahweh's arm to be the reader's, every morning and in the crisis. It forces a choice: trust in a recurring strength or in a one-time escape.
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, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.
Cross-references
- 2 Corinthians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
- Isaiah 30:18 Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore He rises to show you compassion, for the LORD is a just God. Blessed are all who wait for Him.
- Isaiah 59:16 He saw that there was no man; He was amazed that there was no one to intercede. So His own arm brought salvation, and His own righteousness sustained Him.
- Psalms 60:11 Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless.
- Psalms 62:8 Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah
- Exodus 14:27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea returned to its normal state. As the Egyptians were retreating, the LORD swept them into the sea.
- Psalms 46:1 For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.
- Psalms 62:1 For the choirmaster. According to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. In God alone my soul finds rest; my salvation comes from Him.
- Psalms 130:4 But with You there is forgiveness, so that You may be feared.
- Isaiah 25:9 And in that day it will be said, “Surely this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He has saved us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited. Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”