Isaiah 51: Awake, O Arm of the LORD
Look to the rock you were cut from, the sea monster cut in pieces, and the cup of staggering taken away
"Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness… look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him" (51:1–2).
"Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days… Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon? 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?" (vv. 9–10).
"Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury… Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling… thou shalt no more drink it again: But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee" (vv. 17, 22–23).
| Verses | What it says | What to notice |
|---|---|---|
| 51:1–3 | Look to the rock and quarry you came from: Abraham and Sarah; one man made many; Zion's desert like Eden | The only mention of Sarah outside Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. |
| 51:4–6 | Teaching and justice a light to peoples; heavens like smoke, earth like a worn garment; my salvation forever | Compare Psalm 102:25–27. |
| 51:7–8 | Do not fear human scorn; moth and worm will eat them | Echoes 50:9. |
| 51:9–11 | Awake, arm of the LORD: you cut Rahab, pierced the dragon (tannin), dried the sea, made a way for the redeemed; the ransomed return singing | Chaos-battle, exodus and return joined. 51:11 = 35:10. |
| 51:12–16 | I am your comforter: why fear mortals? The captive will soon be freed; I put my words in your mouth | God "stretched the heavens" and "laid the earth's foundations." |
| 51:17–20 | Awake, Jerusalem, who drank the cup of wrath to the dregs; no son to lead you; devastation, famine, sword | The cup: Jeremiah 25:15–29; Psalm 75:8. |
| 51:21–23 | I take the cup from your hand and give it to your tormentors, who made you lie down as a road | Reversal. |
Rahab and the dragon
Rahab ("arrogance, storm") is the name of a sea monster God defeated at creation (Job 9:13; 26:12; Psalm 89:10) and a poetic name for Egypt (Psalm 87:4; Isaiah 30:7). The tannin (dragon) is the sea creature of 27:1. Isaiah 51:9–10 uses the old picture of God's victory over the chaos waters and applies it to the crossing of the Red Sea and the return from exile. The language is shared with Ugaritic and Mesopotamian myths (Baal and Yam; Marduk and Tiamat); its use here is Israelite theology, not a description of creatures. See "The Holy One and the Sea Monsters" (planned).
The cup of wrath
The prophets picture judgment as a cup God makes nations drink until they stagger (Jeremiah 25:15–29; Ezekiel 23:31–34; Habakkuk 2:16; Psalm 75:8). In Gethsemane Jesus prays, "take away this cup from me" (Mark 14:36, in Mark's report), and Revelation speaks of "the wine of the wrath of God" (14:10). Isaiah 51 is the one place where God takes the cup back from his people.
Abraham and Sarah
Isaiah 51:2 is the only reference to Sarah in the Hebrew Bible outside Genesis. The exiles, few and powerless, are told that God made a great people from one couple. Paul (Romans 4) and Hebrews 11:11–12 develop the same theme.
What the evidence shows
- Isaiah 51:2 is the only mention of Sarah outside Genesis in the Hebrew Bible.
- Isaiah 51:9 refers to a chaos monster named Rahab.
- Isaiah 51:11 repeats 35:10.
Continue the journey
Echoes Across CivilizationsTaming the sea and its monstersDid other ancient peoples picture a god defeating or restraining the sea and a many-headed sea-serpent?More from this lesson
Echoes Across Civilizations
Optional: how other ancient peoples told similar stories. Open one to compare, then come back to the lesson.
Taming the sea and its monstersUgaritic (Canaanite) · Babylonian · Egyptian
Did other ancient peoples picture a god defeating or restraining the sea and a many-headed sea-serpent?
- Ugaritic (Canaanite): The Baal Cycle Shared literary world
- Babylonian: Enuma Elish Shared literary world
- Egyptian: Apophis, the chaos serpent Resemblance only
Why this matters to the rest of Scripture
- Psalm 89:9–10; Job 26:12Rahab crushed.
- A way through the sea.
- The cup of wrath.
- "Take away this cup from me."