Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over?
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse emphasizes not just God's power to dry up the sea, but His ability to turn the "great deep"—primordial chaos and overwhelming forces—into a "way" for His people. This highlights a divine strategy of making a path for the redeemed not by eliminating obstacles, but by transforming them.
Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over?
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage is part of a larger prophecy where God, through Isaiah, is comforting His people who are in exile and despair. The prophet begins by reminding them of God's power in creation and in their historical deliverance from Egypt, specifically their miraculous crossing of the Red Sea. This is to encourage them to trust that God, who performed such mighty acts in the past, can and will deliver them from their present hardship.
God's mighty acts aren't just historical events; they resonate with the very beginning of everything.
When Isaiah references God drying up the sea and making a path through the deep, he's not just talking about the Exodus. He's tapping into the ancient memory of creation itself!
From Chaos to Order
Think back to the very beginning, before land and sea were separated. The ancient world pictured the 'great deep' as a chaotic, watery abyss, sometimes even personified as a monster (like 'Rahab' and 'the dragon' mentioned earlier in Isaiah 51:9).
God's Authority Over Chaos
God's act of creation involved bringing order to this watery chaos. When He parted the Red Sea for Israel, it was a powerful echo of that original act. He was again demonstrating His supreme authority over the forces of chaos and the deepest waters, revealing Himself as the Creator and Sustainer of all.
God doesn't just overcome obstacles; He creates a path through them for His people.
This verse isn't just about a historical event; it's a profound statement about God's commitment to His 'ransomed' or 'redeemed' people.
From Bondage to Freedom
The Israelites were slaves in Egypt, facing an insurmountable obstacle: the Red Sea. God didn't just remove the sea; He transformed it. He made the 'depths of the sea a way'—an impossible path made possible by divine power.
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God's Active Deliverance
This 'way' through the sea signifies that God actively intervenes in the lives of those He redeems. He doesn't wait for the obstacles to disappear; He makes a path where none exists. It's a testament to His power and His faithfulness to those He has claimed as His own.
Understand the original words
ga'al · Hebrew Adjective/Participle
A term describing those who have been bought back or liberated from slavery, bondage, or destruction, typically through the payment of a price or by a display of divine power.
Isaiah reminds the exiles of God's past power in delivering them from Egypt by parting the Red Sea. This powerful act of redemption is invoked to assure them that God is still able to bring them out of their Babylonian exile and restore them to Zion.
~1446 BC— this verse
Exodus from Egypt
God miraculously parts the Red Sea, allowing the Israelites to escape from Egyptian bondage. This event serves as a foundational miracle in Israel's history and identity.
c. 586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Babylonian Exile
The Babylonians conquer Jerusalem, destroy the Temple, and exile many of the remaining Israelites. This period of hardship and loss deeply impacted the people's faith and hope.
c. 539 BC
Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon
Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, overthrows the Babylonian Empire. This conquest would eventually lead to the decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Judah.
c. 538 BC
Edict of Cyrus for Return
Cyrus issues a decree permitting the Jewish exiles to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple. This marks the beginning of the return from exile.
This passage directly describes the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, which is the historical event Isaiah is powerfully alluding to as a demonstration of God's saving power.
Psalm 106:9-11This psalm recounts the Exodus, highlighting God's mighty act of parting the sea for His people, echoing Isaiah's theme of divine intervention for the redeemed.
Joshua 3:15-17This passage parallels the crossing of the Jordan River with the Red Sea crossing, showing a recurring pattern of God making a way through water for His people to enter the promised land.
Nehemiah 9:11Nehemiah's prayer explicitly references God dividing the Red Sea, framing it as a sign of His strength and guidance for Israel, directly connecting to Isaiah's imagery.
Revelation 15:2-3This New Testament passage speaks of those who have victory over the beast standing by a sea of glass, singing the song of Moses and the Lamb, signifying a future redemption that echoes the Red Sea deliverance.
gillIsaiah 51:10: "Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?"
Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep,.... That is, the Red sea, and the deep waters of it; as it did, by causing a strong east wind to blow, which drove the sea back, and made it a dry land, in the midst of which the children of Israel walked as on dry land, Exodus 14:21 and the same arm and mighty pow…
barnesIsaiah 51:10: "Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?"
Art thou not it - Art thou not still the same? The ground of the appeal is, that the same arm that dried up the sea, and made a path for the Jewish people, was still able to interpose and rescue them. Which hath dried the sea - The Red Sea when the children of Israel passed over Exodus 14:21. This is the common illustration to which th…
The verse emphasizes not just God's power to dry up the sea, but His ability to turn the "great deep"—primordial chaos and overwhelming forces—into a "way" for His people. This highlights a divine strategy of making a path for the redeemed not by eliminating obstacles, but by transforming them.
This passage is part of a larger prophecy where God, through Isaiah, is comforting His people who are in exile and despair. The prophet begins by reminding them of God's power in creation and in their historical deliverance from Egypt, specifically their miraculous crossing of the Red Sea. This is to encourage them to trust that God, who performed such mighty acts in the past, can and will deliver them from their present hardship.
This passage is part of a larger prophecy where God, through Isaiah, is comforting His people who are in exile and despair. The prophet begins by reminding them of God's power in creation and in their historical deliverance from Egypt, specifically their miraculous crossing of the Red Sea. This is to encourage them to trust that God, who performed such mighty acts in the past, can and will deliver them from their present hardship.
"Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over?" — The verse emphasizes not just God's power to dry up the sea, but His ability to turn the "great deep"—primordial chaos and overwhelming forces—into a "way" for His people. This highlights a divine st…
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Last reviewed October 2026