Isaiah 26:13 (KJV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

Isaiah 26:11 LORD, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them.

Isaiah 26:12 LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.

Isaiah 26:13 O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.

Isaiah 26:14 They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.

Isaiah 26:15 Thou hast increased the nation, O LORD, thou hast increased the nation: thou art glorified: thou hadst removed it far unto all the ends of the earth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lord", "other", "lords", "beside", "thee", "dominion", and "over". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lord" and "other", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "LORD thou wilt ordain peace for us..." into verse 14's "They are dead they shall not live...", so "lord" and "other" belong inside that flow. In Isaiah context, the local focus is the Holy One of Israel, judgment and restoration, the servant of the LORD, and Zion's hope.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "lord" and "other" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.