Isaiah 51:13
And forgettest the LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?
Original Language Analysis
וַתִּשְׁכַּ֞ח
And forgettest
H7911
וַתִּשְׁכַּ֞ח
And forgettest
Strong's:
H7911
Word #:
1 of 20
to mislay, i.e., to be oblivious of, from want of memory or attention
יְהוָ֣ה
the LORD
H3068
יְהוָ֣ה
the LORD
Strong's:
H3068
Word #:
2 of 20
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
עֹשֶׂ֗ךָ
thy maker
H6213
עֹשֶׂ֗ךָ
thy maker
Strong's:
H6213
Word #:
3 of 20
to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
נוֹטֶ֣ה
that hath stretched forth
H5186
נוֹטֶ֣ה
that hath stretched forth
Strong's:
H5186
Word #:
4 of 20
to stretch or spread out; by implication, to bend away (including moral deflection); used in a great variety of application (as follows)
שָׁמַיִם֮
the heavens
H8064
שָׁמַיִם֮
the heavens
Strong's:
H8064
Word #:
5 of 20
the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies r
וְיֹסֵ֣ד
and laid the foundations
H3245
וְיֹסֵ֣ד
and laid the foundations
Strong's:
H3245
Word #:
6 of 20
to set (literally or figuratively); intensively, to found; reflexively, to sit down together, i.e., settle, consult
וַתְּפַחֵ֨ד
and hast feared
H6342
וַתְּפַחֵ֨ד
and hast feared
Strong's:
H6342
Word #:
8 of 20
to be startled (by a sudden alarm); hence, to fear in general
תָּמִ֜יד
continually
H8548
תָּמִ֜יד
continually
Strong's:
H8548
Word #:
9 of 20
properly, continuance (as indefinite extension); but used only (attributively as adjective) constant (or adverbially, constantly); elliptically the re
כָּל
H3605
כָּל
Strong's:
H3605
Word #:
10 of 20
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
הַיּ֗וֹם
every day
H3117
הַיּ֗וֹם
every day
Strong's:
H3117
Word #:
11 of 20
a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an asso
מִפְּנֵי֙
because
H6440
מִפְּנֵי֙
because
Strong's:
H6440
Word #:
12 of 20
the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposi
חֲמַ֥ת
and where is the fury
H2534
חֲמַ֥ת
and where is the fury
Strong's:
H2534
Word #:
13 of 20
heat; figuratively, anger, poison (from its fever)
הַמֵּצִֽיק׃
of the oppressor
H6693
הַמֵּצִֽיק׃
of the oppressor
Strong's:
H6693
Word #:
14 of 20
to compress, i.e., (figuratively) oppress, distress
כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר
as if
H834
כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר
as if
Strong's:
H834
Word #:
15 of 20
who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc
כּוֹנֵ֖ן
he were ready
H3559
כּוֹנֵ֖ן
he were ready
Strong's:
H3559
Word #:
16 of 20
properly, to be erect (i.e., stand perpendicular); hence (causatively) to set up, in a great variety of applications, whether literal (establish, fix,
לְהַשְׁחִ֑ית
to destroy
H7843
לְהַשְׁחִ֑ית
to destroy
Strong's:
H7843
Word #:
17 of 20
to decay, i.e., (causatively) ruin (literally or figuratively)
Cross References
Isaiah 17:10Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips:Isaiah 40:22It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:Isaiah 45:12I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.Psalms 104:2Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:Isaiah 44:24Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;Isaiah 48:13Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.Job 9:8Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea.Daniel 3:19Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
Historical Context
The oppressor likely refers to Babylon, whose military might dominated the ancient Near East from 605-539 BCE. Nebuchadnezzar's conquests seemed unstoppable, creating existential threat to Jewish identity. The question "where is the fury?" prophetically anticipates Babylon's sudden fall—within Isaiah's prophecy framework, the seemingly invincible empire would vanish.
This pattern repeats throughout history: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome—each dominated then disappeared. Meanwhile, God's people persist. The church has outlasted every persecuting empire: Nero's Rome, Diocletian's persecutions, Islamic conquests, Soviet atheism. Isaiah's question remains relevant—where are the oppressors who seemed ready to destroy God's people? Gone, while the church endures, vindicated by God's creative power and covenant faithfulness.
Questions for Reflection
- What "oppressors" (circumstances, people, fears) loom larger in your consciousness than God?
- How does remembering God as Creator practically affect your daily anxieties?
- Where are the "furies" you feared last year? How does their disappearance teach you to trust God?
Analysis & Commentary
And forgettest the LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor? God rebukes Israel for forgetting Him—not intellectual amnesia but practical neglect. The verb shakach (שָׁכַח, "forgettest") suggests pushing God out of consciousness, allowing circumstances to eclipse divine reality. Two divine titles counter this: "thy maker" ('oseikha, עֹשֶׂיךָ) and the Creator who "stretched forth the heavens" and "laid the foundations of the earth."
The cosmic scope of God's creative power contrasts sharply with fearing the "oppressor" (mets, מֵץ, one who presses/afflicts). The phrase "as if he were ready to destroy" indicates that feared destruction is illusory—the oppressor's fury is temporary and ultimately impotent before the Creator. The rhetorical question "where is the fury of the oppressor?" expects the answer: vanished, gone, ineffective against God's purposes.
From a Reformed perspective, this addresses the sin of practical atheism—living as if God were irrelevant while fearing created things. Jesus teaches identical truth: "Fear not them which kill the body...but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28). The antidote to fear is remembering God's character and power. If He stretched the heavens, no earthly oppressor threatens His plans. This verse grounds courage in theology proper—right understanding of God displaces disordered fears.