Jeremiah 31:35-36
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
While the verse lists the sun, moon, and stars, the focus isn't just on their regularity, but on God's power to stir the sea into roaring chaos, showing His dominion over both predictable order and wild, untamable forces. This contrast highlights that His promises are secure, even when circumstances seem out of control.
Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the LORD of hosts is his name: “If this fixed order departs from before me, declares the LORD, then shall the offspring of Israel cease from being a nation before me forever.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
In the verses leading up to this, Jeremiah has been speaking of a coming new covenant, a profound renewal of God's relationship with His people that goes beyond the old, broken covenant. Following this hopeful vision of restoration and forgiveness, God declares His faithfulness by pointing to the unchangeable order of creation. He reminds Israel that just as the sun, moon, and stars continue their appointed paths and the powerful sea remains under His control, so too will He uphold His promises to them.
How can we trust God's promises when everything around us feels chaotic?
Jeremiah 31:35 opens with a powerful declaration about God's control over creation. He appoints the sun for day, and the moon and stars for night, establishing a predictable, unwavering order.
This isn't just a poetic description; it's a theological statement. The unchanging regularity of the cosmos—the sun's daily journey, the moon's phases, the stars' predictable paths—serves as a divine guarantee. God is saying, 'As surely as these celestial bodies keep their courses, so surely will my promises stand.'
This cosmic order is a constant, visible reminder of God's faithfulness. Even when the waves of the sea roar and seem to threaten chaos, God is the one who orchestrates and, if needed, calms them. His power over the unpredictable mirrors His power to uphold His word.
What does the image of a roaring sea reveal about God's power?
The verse contrasts the serene, ordered movements of the sun, moon, and stars with the turbulent, roaring sea. God is the one who "stirs up the sea so that its waves roar." This imagery isn't about God losing control, but about His sovereignty even over destructive forces.
Some ancient interpreters understood the Hebrew word here to mean "stills" or "calms" the sea. Whether God stirs it up or calms it, the point is the same: He is in absolute command. The roaring waves represent the uncontrollable, the terrifying, the forces that seem to threaten to overwhelm everything. Yet, God is their master.
Ask a follow-up
This mastery over chaos is profoundly reassuring. It means that no matter how fierce the storms of life may become—personal struggles, global crises, or spiritual battles—God's power is greater. His name, "the LORD of hosts," signifies His command over all the armies of heaven and earth, including the chaotic elements.
Understand the original words
ṣāḇāʾ · Hebrew Noun
A title for God emphasizing His role as the sovereign commander of the vast armies of heaven, including angels and the celestial bodies. It speaks to His supreme authority and power over all created reality.
YHWH · Hebrew Noun
The personal name of the one true God of Israel, revealing His covenant faithfulness, eternal self-existence, and holiness. It is the name by which He entered into relationship with His people.
zera · Hebrew Noun
In a biblical context, it refers to descendants, posterity, or seed. It carries the theological weight of covenant inheritance, beginning with the promises made to Abraham regarding his physical and spiritual progeny.
goy · Hebrew Noun
A people group united by common descent, territory, or covenant. In Scripture, Israel is set apart by God to be a light to the nations and the vehicle through which His redemptive purposes are revealed.
In the midst of the profound devastation of Jerusalem and the Temple's destruction, Jeremiah powerfully assures his people that God's control over the unchanging laws of nature is a guarantee of His enduring covenant and the future restoration of Israel.
c. 705-605 BC
Assyrian and Babylonian Empires Rise
The Assyrian Empire, and later the Neo-Babylonian Empire, exert increasing pressure on Judah, leading to political instability and foreshadowing future exile.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Under Nebuchadnezzar II, the first group of Judean exiles, including members of the royal family and educated elite, are deported to Babylon, marking the beginning of the Babylonian Captivity.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Another wave of exiles, including the prophet Ezekiel, are taken to Babylon following a revolt by King Jehoiachin.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Temple Destruction
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, deporting the majority of the remaining population to Babylon. This event represents a profound crisis for Judah's national and religious identity.
c. 550 BC
Rise of the Persian Empire
Cyrus the Great founds the Persian Empire, which will eventually conquer Babylon and allow the Judean exiles to return.
539 BC
Babylon Falls to Persia
Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon, opening the way for the return of Jewish exiles to Jerusalem.
538 BC
Edict of Cyrus and First Return
Cyrus issues a decree allowing exiled Jews to return to Judah and rebuild the Temple. This marks the beginning of the post-exilic period.
This passage describes God establishing the sun, moon, and stars for signs and seasons, mirroring Jeremiah's description of God as the one who sets these celestial bodies in their fixed order for light.
Job 38:8-11Here, God Himself questions Job about His power over the sea, setting its boundaries and restraining its waves, which directly echoes Jeremiah's depiction of God stirring up the sea and its roaring waves.
Psalm 89:34-37This Psalm speaks of God's covenant faithfulness being like the enduring ordinances of the sun and moon, a concept that Jeremiah uses to guarantee the continuity of Israel as a nation.
Isaiah 51:15This verse is almost identical to Jeremiah 31:35, with Isaiah also proclaiming God as the one who stirs up the sea and whose name is the LORD of hosts, reinforcing the divine authority behind Jeremiah's words.
calvinJeremiah 31:35-36: "Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name:"
Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; the LORD of hosts is his name:
Sic dicit Jehova, Qui ponit solera (vel…
pooleJeremiah 31:35: "Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name:"
The word egd is here ill translated divide , which hath led some interpreters to think that God here hath a respect to his dividing the Red Sea, that the Israelites might pass over, which seemeth not at all here to be intended. The word indeed signifieth to divide,…
While the verse lists the sun, moon, and stars, the focus isn't just on their regularity, but on God's power to stir the sea into roaring chaos, showing His dominion over both predictable order and wild, untamable forces. This contrast highlights that His promises are secure, even when circumstances seem out of control.
In the verses leading up to this, Jeremiah has been speaking of a coming new covenant, a profound renewal of God's relationship with His people that goes beyond the old, broken covenant. Following this hopeful vision of restoration and forgiveness, God declares His faithfulness by pointing to the unchangeable order of creation. He reminds Israel that just as the sun, moon, and stars continue their appointed paths and the powerful sea remains under His control, so too will He uphold His promises to them.
In the verses leading up to this, Jeremiah has been speaking of a coming new covenant, a profound renewal of God's relationship with His people that goes beyond the old, broken covenant. Following this hopeful vision of restoration and forgiveness, God declares His faithfulness by pointing to the unchangeable order of creation. He reminds Israel that just as the sun, moon, and stars continue their appointed paths and the powerful sea remains under His control, so too will He uphold His promises to them.
"Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the LORD of hosts is his name: “If this fixed ord…" — While the verse lists the sun, moon, and stars, the focus isn't just on their regularity, but on God's power to stir the sea into roaring chaos, showing His dominion over both predictable order and…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
