The Meaning of Isaiah 26:13 Explained

Isaiah 26:13

KJV: O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.

YLT: O Jehovah our God, lords have ruled us besides Thee, Only, by Thee we make mention of Thy name.

Darby: Jehovah our God, other lords than thee have had dominion over us; by thee only will we make mention of thy name.

ASV: O Jehovah our God, other lords besides thee have had dominion over us; but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

O LORD  our God,  [other] lords  beside  thee have had dominion  over us: [but] by thee only will we make mention  of thy name. 

What does Isaiah 26:13 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Even though the Israelites had other earthly masters through their history (Pharaoh, the Philistines, et al.), it was Yahweh their God who kept them following Him.
". . . fidelity is not an attribute native to the people of God but a gift which he enables them to exercise." [1]

Context Summary

Isaiah 26:11-21 - Chastened By Suffering
When God ordains our peace, a world in arms cannot disturb us. Our peace results from the conviction that God is going before us and preparing our works. But be careful to make mention of His name, that is, to give Him the glory.
Do not be afraid of your enemies. When God brings you back from the ends of the earth, He will free you from their toils and snares. Let us, as Isaiah 26:16 suggests, pour out our prayers, as a vessel its contents; though, as the Hebrew signifies, those prayers are but whispers. It is true that apart from God we work no deliverance in the earth, Isaiah 26:18, but when He speaks, even the dead live. Jesus, the resurrection and the life, speaks in Isaiah 26:19. What comfort results to those that dwell in the dust of self-abasement and despair to look up to the ever-living Christ, from whom streams of life-giving energy come to believing hearts! Arise and sing, thou broken heart: even now the stone is being rolled from the door of thy sepulcher; the morning dew is distilling upon thee. Cast out by earth, thou shalt be welcomed by heaven, and sheltered in God's secret place till the storm-burst has spent itself. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 26

1  Trust in God's Provision

What do the individual words in Isaiah 26:13 mean?

Yahweh our God have had dominion over us masters besides You only [But] by You we make mention of Your name
יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ בְּעָל֥וּנוּ אֲדֹנִ֖ים זֽוּלָתֶ֑ךָ לְבַד־ בְּךָ֖ נַזְכִּ֥יר שְׁמֶֽךָ

יְהוָ֣ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ  our  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
בְּעָל֥וּנוּ  have  had  dominion  over  us 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural, first person common plural
Root: בְּעוּלָה 
Sense: to marry, rule over, possess, own.
אֲדֹנִ֖ים  masters 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אָדֹון  
Sense: firm, strong, lord, master.
זֽוּלָתֶ֑ךָ  besides  You 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
Root: זוּלָה  
Sense: a removal, a putting away prep.
לְבַד־  only 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּד 
Sense: alone, by itself, besides, a part, separation, being alone.
בְּךָ֖  [But]  by  You 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
נַזְכִּ֥יר  we  make  mention 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, first person common plural
Root: זָכַר 
Sense: to remember, recall, call to mind.
שְׁמֶֽךָ  of  Your  name 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.