Bible Strands
Jeremiah 51:15
The LORD made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The LORD speaks in an oracle against Babylon, positioned between a sworn threat to fill the city with triumphant enemies (v. 14) and a description of His control over weather (v. 16). It is a declaration of creator authority deployed as the basis for judgment.
The words — עֹשֵׂה ('o.Seh) is a participle, "the Maker," functioning here as a title rather than a simple past-tense verb. תְּבוּנָה (t.vu.na.T), "understanding," is a rare term distinct from חָכְמָה (wisdom), suggesting practical discernment rather than abstract knowledge.
The thread — Jeremiah 10:12 repeats this verse nearly verbatim within an oracle against idolatry. Jeremiah 32:17 and Revelation 4:11 echo the same creator-power motif.
Why it lands — In context this is not praise for its own sake; it is the warrant for unmaking Babylon. The reader is asked to recognize that the God who assembled the cosmos by power, wisdom, and understanding is the same God now addressing a city as something to be dismantled.
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
He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding.
Cross-references
- 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.
- Revelation 4:11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and were created.”
- 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!
- Acts 14:15 “Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them.
- Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse.
- Colossians 1:16 For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him.
- Job 9:8 He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.
- Psalms 148:1 Hallelujah! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise Him in the highest places.
- Proverbs 3:19 The LORD founded the earth by wisdom and established the heavens by understanding.
- Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.