The Bible talks a lot about the ocean, showing it as a symbol of God’s power. In these verses, we see how the ocean represents God’s strength, creation, and the limits set by Him. Let’s take a look at these 115 Bible verses about the ocean that highlight the ocean’s role in telling us about God’s authority over the big and mysterious waters of life.

God’s Creation of the Ocean and Its Majesty

• Genesis 1:9-10 – “And God said, ‘Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.’ And it was so. God called the dry ground ‘land,’ and the gathered waters he called ‘seas.’ And God saw that it was good.”
• Job 38:8-11 – “Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt’?”
• Psalm 104:25-26 – “There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number—living things both large and small. There the ships go to and fro, and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.”
• Psalm 95:5 – “The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.”
• Psalm 65:5-7 – “You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas, who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength, who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations.”
• Proverbs 8:29 – “When he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.”
• Jeremiah 5:22 – “Should you not fear me?” declares the LORD. “Should you not tremble in my presence? I made the sand a boundary for the sea, an everlasting barrier it cannot cross. The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail; they may roar, but they cannot cross it.”
• Psalm 107:23-24 – “Some went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters. They saw the works of the LORD, his wonderful deeds in the deep.”
• Genesis 1:21 – “So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.”

God’s Control and Power Over the Oceans

• Mark 4:39-41 – “He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’ They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!'”
• Matthew 8:26-27 – “He replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!'”
• Psalm 93:3-4 – “The seas have lifted up, LORD, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea—the LORD on high is mighty.”
• Psalm 107:29 – “He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.”
• Job 9:8 – “He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.”
• Nahum 1:4 – “He rebukes the sea and dries it up; he makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither and the blossoms of Lebanon fade.”
• Psalm 29:3 – “The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.”
• Jonah 1:4 – “Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.”

God’s Provision through the Ocean

• Exodus 14:21-22 – “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.”
• Jonah 2:3-6 – “You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’ The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit.”
• Genesis 9:15 – “I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.”
• Exodus 15:8 – “By the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up. The surging waters stood up like a wall; the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.”
• Joshua 3:16 – “The water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.”
• Nehemiah 9:11 – “You divided the sea before them, so they passed through it on dry ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths, like a stone into mighty waters.”
• Psalm 66:6 – “He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the waters on foot—come, let us rejoice in him.”
• Isaiah 43:16 – “This is what the LORD says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters.”
• Isaiah 51:10 – “Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep; who made a road in the depths of the sea so that the redeemed might cross over?”
• Isaiah 63:13 – “Who led them through the depths? Like a horse in open country, they did not stumble.”

Reflection and Praise at the Ocean

• Psalm 72:8 – “May he rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.”
• Psalm 146:6 – “He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—he remains faithful forever.”
• Revelation 10:5-6 – “Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, ‘There will be no more delay!'”
• Psalm 98:7 – “Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”
• Psalm 69:34 – “Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and all that move in them.”
• Ezekiel 26:17 – “They will raise a lament concerning you and say to you, ‘How you are destroyed, city of renown, peopled by men of the sea! You were a power on the seas, you and your citizens; you put your terror on all who lived there.'”
• Psalm 148:7 – “Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths.”
• Isaiah 42:10 – “Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them.”
• Jeremiah 31:35 – “This is what the LORD says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD Almighty is his name.”
• Habakkuk 2:14 – “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.”

The Ocean as a Place of God’s Deliverance

• Psalm 18:16 – “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.”
• 2 Samuel 22:17 – “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.”
• Jonah 1:15 – “Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm.”
• Acts 27:24 – “And said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’”
• Psalm 18:15 – “The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, LORD, at the blast of breath from your nostrils.”
• Psalm 32:6 – “Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them.”
• Psalm 106:9 – “He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; he led them through the depths as through a desert.”
• Psalm 66:5-6 – “Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind! He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the waters on foot—come, let us rejoice in him.”
• Exodus 14:29-30 – “But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. That day the LORD saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore.”
• Psalm 77:16 – “The waters saw you, God, the waters saw you and writhed; the very depths were convulsed.”

Warnings and Judgment Associated with the Ocean

• Luke 21:25 – “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.”
• Revelation 8:8-9 – “The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.”
• Amos 9:3 – “Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, there I will hunt them down and seize them. Though they hide from my eyes at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent to bite them.”
• Ezekiel 27:26-27 – “Your oarsmen take you out to the high seas. But the east wind will break you to pieces far out at sea. Your wealth, merchandise and wares, your mariners, sailors and shipwrights, your merchants and all your soldiers, and everyone else on board will sink into the heart of the sea on the day of your shipwreck.”
• Psalm 46:2-3 – “Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”
• Jeremiah 49:23 – “Concerning Damascus: Hamath and Arpad are dismayed, for they have heard bad news. They are disheartened, troubled like the restless sea.”
• Revelation 16:3 – “The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died.”
• Jonah 1:12 – “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”
• Matthew 18:6 – “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”

The Ocean in Eschatology and Prophecy

• Revelation 21:1 – “Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.”
• Daniel 7:2-3 – “Daniel said: ‘In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.'”
• Revelation 13:1 – “The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.”
• Isaiah 60:5 – “Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come.”
• Zechariah 9:10 – “I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.”
• Haggai 2:6 – “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.'”
• Isaiah 17:12 – “Woe to the many nations that rage— they rage like the raging sea! Woe to the peoples who roar— they roar like the roaring of great waters!”
• Matthew 24:29 – “Immediately after the distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'”

Metaphors and Parables Involving the Ocean

• Matthew 13:47-48 – “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away.”
• Luke 5:4-6 – “When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.’ When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.”
• Ezekiel 26:19 – “For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: When I make you a desolate city, like cities no longer inhabited, when I bring the ocean depths upon you and the great waters cover you.”
• Habakkuk 1:14 – “You have made people like fish in the sea, like sea creatures that have no ruler.”
• Matthew 4:19 – “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”
• Jonah 1:17 – “Now the LORD provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”
• John 21:6 – “He said, ‘Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.’ When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.”
• Ezekiel 32:2 – “Son of man, take up a lament concerning Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him: ‘You are like a lion among the nations; you are like a monster in the seas thrashing about in your streams, troubling the water with your feet and muddying the streams.’”
• Luke 8:22-25 – “One day Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.’ So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Master, Master, we’re going to drown!’ He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.”
• James 3:4 – “Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.”

The Ocean as a Symbol of God’s Unfathomable Nature

• Job 11:9 – “Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea.”
• Psalm 36:6 – “Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, LORD, preserve both people and animals.”
• Habakkuk 3:10 – “The mountains saw you and writhed. Torrents of water swept by; the deep roared and lifted its waves on high.”
• Job 38:16 – “Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep?”
• Psalm 78:15-16 – “He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them water as abundant as the seas; he brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers.”
• Psalm 33:7 – “He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses.”
• Job 28:14 – “The deep says, ‘It is not in me’; and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’”
• Psalm 93:4 – “Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea—the LORD on high is mighty.”
• Proverbs 30:4 – “Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Whose hands have gathered up the wind? Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is the name of his son? Surely you know!”
• Psalm 77:19 – “Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.”

Restoration and Renewal Through the Ocean

• Isaiah 57:20-21 – “‘But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud. There is no peace,’ says my God, ‘for the wicked.'”
• Revelation 22:1-2 – “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”
• Ezekiel 47:8-12 – “He said to me, ‘This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds—like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea. But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.'”
• Isaiah 11:9 – “They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.”
• Micah 7:19 – “You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.”
• Revelation 21:6 – “He said to me: ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.'”
• Psalm 107:23-31 – “Some went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters. They saw the works of the Lord, his wonderful deeds in the deep. For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves. They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away. They reeled and staggered like drunkards; they were at their wits’ end. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.”
• Isaiah 43:2 – “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

The Ocean as a Place of Refuge and Healing

• Jonah 1:9 – “He answered, ‘I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.'”
• Exodus 14:31 – “And when the Israelites saw the great power the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.”
• Psalm 107:28-30 – “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.”
• Isaiah 51:15 – “But I am the LORD your God, who churns up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD Almighty is his name.”
• Matthew 8:32 – “He said to them, ‘Go!’ So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water.”
• Luke 8:33 – “When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.”
• Acts 27:44 – “The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely.”
• Psalm 89:9 – “You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.”
• Revelation 7:1-3 – “After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea.”

Guidance and Teaching by the Ocean

• Mark 4:1 – “Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge.”
• John 21:1 – “Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias. It happened this way.”
• Matthew 13:1-2 – “That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore.”
• John 21:4-6 – “Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, ‘Friends, haven’t you any fish?’ ‘No,’ they answered. He said, ‘Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.’ When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.”
• Matthew 4:18-19 – “As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.'”
• Luke 5:1-3 – “One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.”
• Acts 10:6 – “He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”
• Matthew 13:47-50 – “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous.”
• John 21:9-11 – “When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish you have just caught.’ Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.”
• Mark 2:13 – “Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them.”

The Ocean in Miracles and Supernatural Events

• Matthew 14:25-33 – “Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. ‘It’s a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’ ‘Lord, if it’s you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’ ‘Come,’ he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’ And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.'”
• John 6:16-21 – “When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. But he said to them, ‘It is I; don’t be afraid.’ Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.”
• Luke 8:24-25 – “The disciples went and woke him, saying, ‘Master, Master, we’re going to drown!’ He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. ‘Where is your faith?’ he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, ‘Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.'”
• Acts 27:13-44 – “When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the Northeaster, swept down from the island. The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure, so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Because we were exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship. On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.”

Conclusion

These Bible verses about the ocean encourage us to think about the vastness of God’s creation and the lessons found in the steady movement of the sea, reminding believers of the lasting strength and authority of their Creator.