--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: not heaven and earth and the great seas…" description: "\"“not heaven and earth and the great seas, not the creatures that live in the water and on dry land, not plants, and stars, and air, and seasons, not th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/338/basil-the-great-47514_death_not-heaven-and-earth-and-the-great-seas_1964908.jpg" --- # not heaven and earth and the great seas, not the creatures… ![“not heaven and earth and the great seas, not the creatures that live in the water and on dry land, not plants, and stars, and air, and seasons, not the vast variety in the order of the universe, so well sets forth the excellency of His might as that God, being incomprehensible, should have been…” quote by Basil the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/338/basil-the-great-47514_death_not-heaven-and-earth-and-the-great-seas_1964908.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/338/basil-the-great-47514_death_not-heaven-and-earth-and-the-great-seas_1964908.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/338/basil-the-great-47514_death_not-heaven-and-earth-and-the-great-seas_1964908.jpg) > ““not heaven and earth and the great seas, not the creatures that live in the water and on dry land, not plants, and stars, and air, and seasons, not the vast variety in the order of the universe, so well sets forth the excellency of His might as that God, being incomprehensible, should have been able, impassibly, through flesh, to have come into close conflict with death, to the end that by His own suffering He might give us the boon of freedom from suffering.”” [Basil the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basil-the-great/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage emphasizes that God's incomprehensible power chose to become human, endure suffering, and thus grant humanity freedom from suffering. **In simple terms:** God became human, suffered, and offers us liberation from pain. Key Takeaway Embrace the hope of divine compassion. Themes theity redemption humanity suffering freedom Mood reverent hopeful Type theological inspirational When to use this quote - personal grief - medical hardship - spiritual crisis - ethical decision making Key Concepts Incarnation theology theology of suffering divine compassion Questions to Reflect On - How does belief in divine suffering influence personal resilience? - What does freedom from suffering mean in everyday life? A Different Perspective The claim may be challenged by those who question the historicity of divine incarnation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Heaven and earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven-and-earth/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [Of all human and ancient opinions concerning religion, that seems to me the most likely and most excusable, that acknowledged God as an incomprehensible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/of-all-human-and-ancient-opinions-concerning-religion-that-seems-to/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [Having refuted, then, as well as we could, every notion which might suggest that we were to think of God as in any degree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/origen/having-refuted-then-as-well-as-we-could-every-notion-which-might/) [Origen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/origen/) > [If God is incomprehensible to man, it would seem rational never to think of Him at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-meslier/if-god-is-incomprehensible-to-man-it-would-seem-rational-never-to/) [Jean Meslier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-meslier/) > [God is not more incomprehensible than you; but if he is not more just, it is hardly worth while beIieving in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/god-is-not-more-incomprehensible-than-you-but-if-he-is-not-more-just/) [Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise du Deffand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/) > [“The very fact that we know that God is incomprehensible is itself an evidence of what he has graciously let us comprehend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mathis/the-very-fact-that-we-know-that-god-is-incomprehensible-is-itself-an/) [David Mathis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mathis/) > [“Are not our lives too short for that full utterance which through all our stammerings is of course our only and abiding intention? 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Make a hairbreadth difference and heaven and earth are set apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/do-not-like-do-not-dislike-all-will-then-be-clear-make-a-hairbreadth/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [“I’ll move heaven and earth to make you happy, Evie. I want you there when I wake up every morning and there when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-raye-harris/i-ll-move-heaven-and-earth-to-make-you-happy-evie-i-want-you-there/) [Lynn Raye Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-raye-harris/) > [“Make peace with yourself, and both heaven and earth will make peace with you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-isaac-the-syrian/make-peace-with-yourself-and-both-heaven-and-earth-will-make-peace/) St. Isaac the Syrian ## More by Basil the Great > [“Care for the needy requires the expenditure of wealth: when all share alike, disbursing their possessions among themselves, they each receive a small portion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basil-the-great/care-for-the-needy-requires-the-expenditure-of-wealth-when-all-share/) [Basil the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basil-the-great/) > [“I know many who fast, pray, sigh, and demonstrate every manner of piety, so long as it costs them nothing, yet would not part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basil-the-great/i-know-many-who-fast-pray-sigh-and-demonstrate-every-manner-of-piety/) [Basil the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basil-the-great/) > [“You showed no mercy; it will not be shown to you. 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