'Lord of Hosts' in the Bible

This man went up from his city each year to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh. Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests to the Lord there.

She made a vow, saying, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction (suffering) of Your maidservant and remember, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life; a razor shall never touch his head.”

So the people sent word to Shiloh, and from there they carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts who sits above the cherubim; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were with the ark of the covenant of God.

Thus says the Lord of hosts (armies), ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he set himself against him on the way when Israel came up from Egypt.

Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted.

And David arose and went with all those who were with him to Baale-judah [Kiriath-jearim], to bring up from there [to Jerusalem] the ark of God which is called by the Name—the very Name of the Lord of hosts, who dwells enthroned above the cherubim.

When David had finished offering the burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts (armies),

So now, say this to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel.

so that Your Name may be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts (armies) is God over Israel;’ and may the house (royal dynasty) of Your servant David be established before You.

For You, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house (royal dynasty).’ For that reason Your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to You.

Elijah said, “As the Lord of hosts (armies) lives, before whom I stand, I will certainly show myself to Ahab today.”

Elisha said, “As the Lord of hosts (armies) lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I have regard for Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you nor see you [king of Israel].

For a remnant will go forth from Jerusalem, and [a band of] survivors from Mount Zion. The zeal of the Lord of hosts shall perform this.

David became greater and greater, for the Lord of hosts was with him.

Now, therefore, this is what you shall say to My servant David: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader over My people Israel.

Let Your name [and the character that it denotes] endure and be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is the God of Israel, yes, a God to Israel; and the house of Your servant David is established before You.’

Who is [He then] this King of glory?The Lord of hosts,He is the King of glory [who rules over all creation with His heavenly armies]. Selah.

The Lord of hosts is with us;The God of Jacob is our stronghold [our refuge, our high tower]. Selah.

The Lord of hosts is with us;The God of Jacob is our stronghold [our refuge, our high tower]. Selah.

As we have heard, so have we seenIn the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God:God will establish her forever. Selah.

Do not let those who wait [confidently] for You be ashamed through me, O Lord God of hosts;Do not let those who seek You [as necessary for life itself] be dishonored through me, O God of Israel,

How lovely are Your dwelling places,O Lord of hosts!

The bird has found a house,And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young—Even Your altars, O Lord of hosts,My King and my God.

O Lord of hosts,How blessed and greatly favored is the man who trusts in You [believing in You, relying on You, and committing himself to You with confident hope and expectation].

If the Lord of hostsHad not left us a few survivors,We would be like Sodom,We would be like Gomorrah.

Therefore the Lord God of hosts,The Mighty One of Israel, declares:“Ah, I will be freed of My adversariesAnd avenge Myself on My enemies.

For the Lord of hosts will have a day of reckoningAgainst all who are proud and arrogantAnd against all who are lifted up,That they may be degraded.

Listen carefully, the Lord God of hosts is removing from Jerusalem and from JudahBoth supply and support, the whole supply of breadAnd the whole supply of water;

For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house (nation) of IsraelAnd the men of Judah are His delightful planting [which He loves].So He looked for justice, but in fact, [He saw] bloodshed and lawlessness;[He looked] for righteousness, but in fact, [He heard] a cry of distress and oppression.

In my ears the Lord of hosts said, “Be assured that many houses will become desolate,Even great and beautiful ones will be unoccupied.

But the Lord of hosts will be exalted in justice,And God, the Holy One, will show Himself holy in righteousness [through His righteous judgments].

Therefore, as the tongue of fire consumes the stubble [from straw]And the dry grass collapses into the flame,So their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away like fine dust;Because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hostsAnd despised and discarded the word of the Holy One of Israel.

And one called out to another, saying,“Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts;The whole earth is filled with His glory.”

Then I said,“Woe is me! For I am ruined,Because I am a man of [ceremonially] unclean lips,And I live among a people of unclean lips;For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”

“It is the Lord of hosts whom you are to regard as holy and awesome.He shall be your [source of] fear,He shall be your [source of] dread [not man].

Listen carefully, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are for signs and wonders [that will occur] in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.

There shall be no end to the increase of His government and of peace,[He shall rule] on the throne of David and over his kingdom,To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousnessFrom that time forward and forevermore.The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

Yet the people do not turn back [in repentance] to Him who struck them,Nor do they seek the Lord of hosts [as their most essential need].

By the wrath of the Lord of hosts the land is burned up,And the people are like fuel for the fire;No man spares his brother.

Therefore the Lord, the God of hosts, will send a wasting disease among the stout warriors of Assyria;And under his glory a fire will be kindled like a burning flame.

For the Lord, the God of hosts, will execute a complete destruction, one that is decreed, in the midst of all the land.

Therefore, the Lord God of hosts says this, “O My people who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian who strikes you with a rod and lifts up his staff against you, as [the king of] Egypt did.

The Lord of hosts will brandish a whip against them like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; and His staff will be over the [Red] Sea and He will lift it up the way He did in [the flight from] Egypt.

Listen carefully, the Lord, the God of hosts, will lop off the [beautiful] boughs with terrifying force;The tall in stature will be cut downAnd the lofty will be abased and humiliated.

A sound of tumult on the mountains,Like that of many people!A sound of the uproar of the kingdoms,Of nations gathered together!The Lord of hosts is mustering an army for battle.

Therefore I will make the heavens tremble;And the earth will be shaken from its placeAt the wrath of the Lord of hostsIn the day of His burning anger.

“I will rise up against them,” says the Lord of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon name and survivors, and son and grandson,” declares the Lord.

“I will also make Babylon a possession of the hedgehog and of swamps of water, and I will sweep it away with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord of hosts.

The Lord of hosts has sworn [an oath], saying, “Just as I have intended, so it has certainly happened, and just as I have planned, so it will stand—

For the Lord of hosts has decided and planned, and who can annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?”

“The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim,And the kingdom from DamascusAnd the remnant of Aram (Syria);They will be like the [departed] glory of [her ally] the children of Israel,”Declares the Lord of hosts.

At that time a gift of homage will be brought to the Lord of hostsFrom a people tall and smooth (clean shaven),From a people feared far and wide,A powerful and oppressive nation,Whose land the rivers divide—To the place [of worship] of the name of the Lord of hosts, to Mount Zion [in Jerusalem].

“And I will hand over the Egyptians to a hard and cruel master,And a mighty king will rule over them,” declares the Lord God of hosts.

Where then are your wise men?Please let them tell you,And let them understand what the Lord of hostsHas purposed against Egypt [if they can].

In that day the Egyptians will become like [helpless] women, and they will tremble and be frightened because of the waving of the hand of the Lord of hosts, which He is going to wave over them.

The land of Judah [Assyria’s ally] will become a terror to the Egyptians; everyone to whom Judah is mentioned will be in dread of it, because of the purpose of the Lord of hosts which He is planning against Egypt.

In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of [the Hebrews of] Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord of hosts. One [of them] will be called the City of Destruction.

It will become a sign and a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the Lord because of oppressors, and He will send them a Savior, a [Great] Defender, and He will rescue them.

whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My heritage.”

O my threshed people [Judah, who must be judged and trampled down by Babylon], my afflicted of the threshing floor.What I have heard from the Lord of hosts,The God of Israel, I have [joyfully] announced to you [that Babylon is to fall].

But the Lord of hosts revealed Himself in my ears,“This sin absolutely will not be forgiven youUntil you die,” says the Lord God of hosts.

In that day,” declares the Lord of hosts, “the peg (Eliakim) that was driven into the firm place will give way; it will even break off and fall, and the burden hanging on it will be cut off, for the Lord has spoken.”

The Lord of hosts has planned it, to defile the pride of all beauty,To bring into contempt and humiliation all the honored of the earth.

Then the full moon will be embarrassed and the sun ashamed,For the Lord of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,And His glory and brilliance will shine before His elders.

On this mountain [Zion] the Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples [to welcome His reign on earth],A banquet of aged wines—choice pieces [flavored] with marrow,Of refined, aged wines.

In that day the Lord of hosts will become a magnificent crownAnd a glorious diadem to the [converted] remnant of His people,

This also comes from the Lord of hosts,Who has made His counsel wonderful and His wisdom great.

You will be punished by the Lord of hosts with thunder and earthquake and great noise,With whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.

For so the Lord says to me,“As the lion or the young lion growls over his prey,And though a large group of shepherds is called out against himHe will not be terrified at their voice nor cringe at their noise,So the Lord of hosts will come down to wage war on Mount Zion and on its hill.”

Like flying birds, so will the Lord of hosts protect Jerusalem;He will protect and save it,He will pass over and rescue it.

“O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.

For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant and from Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”’

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts,

“For the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts says this,‘I am the First and I am the Last;And there is no God besides Me.

“I have stirred up Cyrus and put him into action in righteousness [to accomplish My purpose]And I will make all his ways smooth;He will build My city and let My exiles go,Without any payment or reward,” says the Lord of hosts.

Our Redeemer [will do all this], the Lord of hosts is His name,The Holy One of Israel.

“For they call themselves [citizens of Jerusalem] after the holy cityAnd depend on the God of Israel;The Lord of hosts is His name.

For I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the Lord of hosts is His name.

“For your husband is your Maker,The Lord of hosts is His name;And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,Who is called the God of the whole earth.

“Your own wickedness will discipline you,And your desertion of the faith will punish you.Know therefore that it is an evil and bitter thingFor you to abandon (reject) the Lord your God,And for you to be indifferent to Me and dismiss the [reverent] fear of Me,” says the Lord God of hosts.

For the Lord of hosts has said,“Cut down her treesAnd build a siege [mound] against Jerusalem.This is the city which must be punished;There is nothing but oppression inside her [walls].

Thus says the Lord of hosts,“They will thoroughly gather like [fruit on] a vine what is left of Israel;Pass your hand [over the vine] again and again [Babylon, tool of destruction] like a grape gatherer,Over the branches [stripping the tendrils off the vine].”

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Change your ways and your behavior, and I will let you live in this place.

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat the meat.

And death will be chosen rather than life by all the remnant of those who remain of this evil family (nation), who remain in all the places to which I have driven them,” says the Lord of hosts.

Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts,“Behold, I will refine them [through suffering] and test them;For how else should I deal with the daughter of My people?

therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “behold, I will feed them, this people, with wormwood and give them bitter and poisonous water to drink.

Thus says the Lord of hosts,“Consider and call for the mourning women to come;Send for the wailing women to come.

The Portion of Jacob [the true God on whom Israel has a claim] is not like these;For He is the Designer and Maker of all things,And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance [and He will not fail them]—The Lord of hosts is His name.

For the Lord of hosts, who planted you, has pronounced evil and horror against you because of the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done to provoke Me [to anger] by offering sacrifices and burning incense to Baal.

But, O Lord of hosts, who judges righteously,Who tests the feelings and the heart (mind),Let me see Your vengeance on them,For to You I have committed my cause.

Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, I am about to punish them. Their young men will die by the sword, their sons and their daughters will die by famine;

For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold, I will remove from this place, before your very eyes and in your time, the sound of joy and the shout of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.

and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold (listen carefully), I am going to bring such disaster on this place that the ears of everyone who hears about it will tingle [in shock].

and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “This is the way I will break this people and this city as one breaks a potter’s vessel, so that it cannot be mended. They will bury [corpses] in Topheth until there is no more room left [in that place] to bury [the dead].

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am going to bring on this city and on all its towns, all the devastation that I have declared against it, because they have become stiff-necked and refused to hear and obey My words.’”

But, O Lord of hosts, You who examine the righteous,Who see the heart and the mind,Let me see Your vengeance on them;For to You I have committed my cause.

Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts in regard to the prophets,‘Behold, I am going to feed them [the bitterness of] wormwoodAnd make them drink the poisonous water [of gall],For from the [counterfeit] prophets of JerusalemProfaneness and ungodliness have spread into all the land.’”

Thus says the Lord of hosts,“Do not listen to the words of the [false] prophets who prophesy to you.They are teaching you worthless things and are leading you into futility;They speak a vision of their own mind and imaginationAnd not [truth] from the mouth of the Lord.

For you will no longer remember the oracle of the Lord, because every man’s own word will become the oracle, [for as they mockingly call all prophecies oracles, whether good or bad, so will it prove to be to them; God will take them at their own word]; and you have perverted the words [not of a lifeless idol, but] of the living God, the Lord of hosts, our God.