Bible Strands
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 those who walk in it:
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Yahweh speaks to His Servant (introduced in 42:1–4), identifying Himself as Creator before issuing the commission that follows in 42:6.
The words — בּוֹרֵא (bo.Re') is the participle of bara, a verb reserved for divine creation from nothing. רֹקַע (ro.Ka') means to spread out, carrying the image of a smith hammering metal flat.
The thread — The "stretched out the heavens" formula recurs in Isaiah 40:22 and 45:12, and Jeremiah 10:12 pairs it with "established the world by His wisdom."
Why it lands — The verse grounds the Servant's authority in the Creator's; the one who stretches out heavens and gives breath is the same one who now takes hold of the Servant's hand.
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
Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
Cross-references
- 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.
- 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.
- Jeremiah 10:12 The LORD made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding.
- Zechariah 12:1 This is the burden of the word of the LORD concerning Israel. Thus declares the LORD, who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth, who forms the spirit of man within him:
- Isaiah 48:13 Surely My own hand founded the earth, and My right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they stand up together.
- Psalms 104:2 He wraps Himself in light as with a garment; He stretches out the heavens like a tent,
- 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,
- Psalms 102:25 In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.
- Hebrews 1:10 And: “In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.
- Jeremiah 32:17 “Oh, Lord GOD! You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for You!