Isaiah — Chapter 64

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1If only You would rend the heavens and come down, so that mountains would quake at Your presence,

2as fire kindles the brushwood and causes the water to boil, to make Your name known to Your enemies, so that the nations will tremble at Your presence!

3When You did awesome works that we did not expect, You came down, and the mountains trembled at Your presence.

4From ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides You, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.

5You welcome those who gladly do right, who remember Your ways. Surely You were angry, for we sinned. How can we be saved if we remain in our sins?

6Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.

7No one calls on Your name or strives to take hold of You. For You have hidden Your face from us and delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.

8But now, O LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand.

9Do not be angry, O LORD, beyond measure; do not remember our iniquity forever. Oh, look upon us, we pray; we are all Your people!

10Your holy cities have become a wilderness. Zion has become a wasteland and Jerusalem a desolation.

11Our holy and beautiful temple, where our fathers praised You, has been burned with fire, and all that was dear to us lies in ruins.

12After all this, O LORD, will You restrain Yourself? Will You keep silent and afflict us beyond measure?

1Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,

2As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!

3When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.

4For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.

5Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.

6But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

7And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.

8But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

9Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.

10Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.

11Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste.

12Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O LORD? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?

1Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might quake at thy presence,

2as when fire kindleth the brushwood, [and] the fire causeth the waters to boil; to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!

3When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains quaked at thy presence.

4For from of old men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen a God besides thee, who worketh for him that waiteth for him.

5Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou wast wroth, and we sinned: in them [have we been] of long time; and shall we be saved?

6For we are all become as one that is unclean, and all our righteousnesses are as a polluted garment: and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

7And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee; for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us by means of our iniquities.

8But now, O Jehovah, thou art our Father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

9Be not wroth very sore, O Jehovah, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, look, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.

10Thy holy cities are become a wilderness, Zion is become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.

11Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned with fire; and all our pleasant places are laid waste.

12Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O Jehovah? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?

1(63:19b) If only you would tear apart the sky and come down! The mountains would tremble before you!

2(64:1) As when fire ignites dry wood or fire makes water boil, let your adversaries know who you are, and may the nations shake at your presence!

3When you performed awesome deeds that took us by surprise, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.

4Since ancient times no one has heard or perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who intervenes for those who wait for him.

5You assist those who delight in doing what is right, who observe your commandments. Look, you were angry because we violated them continually. How then can we be saved?

6We are all like one who is unclean, all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in your sight. We all wither like a leaf; our sins carry us away like the wind.

7No one invokes your name, or makes an effort to take hold of you. For you have rejected us and handed us over to our own sins.

8Yet, Lord, you are our father. We are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the product of your labor.

9Lord, do not be too angry! Do not hold our sins against us continually. Take a good look at your people, at all of us.

10Your chosen cities have become a wilderness; Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem, a desolate ruin.

11Our holy temple, our pride and joy, the place where our ancestors praised you, has been burned with fire; all our prized possessions have been destroyed.

12In light of all this, how can you still hold back, Lord? How can you be silent and continue to humiliate us?

1Oh that you would tear the heavens, that you would come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence.

2As when fire kindles the brushwood, and the fire causes the water to boil; Make your name known to your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at your presence!

3When you did awesome things which we didn’t look for, you came down, and the mountains quaked at your presence.

4For from of old men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen a God besides you, who works for him who waits for him.

5You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned. We have been in sin for a long time. Shall we be saved?

6For we have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteousness is like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

7There is no one who calls on your name, who stirs himself up to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have consumed us by means of our iniquities.

8But now, Yahweh, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you our potter. We all are the work of your hand.

9Don’t be furious, Yahweh, and don’t remember iniquity forever. Look and see, we beg you, we are all your people.

10Your holy cities have become a wilderness. Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.

11Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised you, is burned with fire; and all our pleasant places are laid waste.

12Will you hold yourself back for these things, Yahweh? Will you keep silent, and punish us very severely?

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

The prayer begun in 63:15 continues with a passionate plea for God to tear open the heavens and come down in power as he has in the past (vv. 1-3), for no eye has ever seen a God like him who acts on behalf of those who wait for him (v. 4). The prayer turns to confession: the people are all unclean, their righteous deeds like filthy rags, and they wither like leaves carried off by their sin (vv. 5-7). Yet they appeal to God as Father and themselves as clay in the hands of their Potter (v. 8), pleading with him not to remember their iniquity forever or stay angry, but to look on the ruined cities that bear his name (vv. 9-12).

Authorship & Background

Author: Isaiah son of Amoz (see Chapter 1 notes for full details).
Classification: Communal Lament and Confession
Key Themes: Prayer for God to rend the heavens, the incomparable God who acts for those who wait, universal uncleanness, filthy rags righteousness, fading like autumn leaves, God as Father and Potter, appeal for mercy
Historical Context: This chapter continues the prayer begun in 63:15. It combines desperate longing for God's intervention with honest confession of Israel's unworthiness. The prayer moves from bold request ("rend the heavens!") to humble confession ("we are all as an unclean thing") to trusting appeal ("thou art our Father"). The language of v.6 ("filthy rags") became one of Protestantism's key texts on human inability to achieve self-righteousness. The chapter ends with a question hanging in the air: "Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things?" (v.12) — God's answer comes in chapters 65-66.
Oh That Thou Wouldest Rend the Heavens (vv.1-3): Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence. The prayer of chapter 63 continues and it asks for a tearing rather than an opening, and the model cited is Sinai, when thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence. What is being requested is a repeat of the most frightening event in the national memory, on the grounds that it would at least be unmistakable.
Neither Hath the Eye Seen (v.4): One verse, and for since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. Paul quotes it in 1 Corinthians 2:9, and in both places the point is the same: the thing being waited for has no precedent in anybody's experience, so nobody's imagination is the measure of it. And the condition attached is the one this book returns to more than any other, for him that waiteth for him.
All Our Righteousnesses Are as Filthy Rags (vv.5-7): Behold, thou art wroth, for we have sinned, in those is continuance, and we shall be saved. Then the confession that the chapter is known for, and it does not exempt the good conduct, but we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. The image after it is autumnal, and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And the last verse describes the state of religious practice, and there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee, with the cause assigned to God in the same breath, for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.
We Are the Clay (v.8): One verse, and it is the turn of the whole prayer. But now, O LORD, thou art our father, we are the clay, and thou our potter, and we all are the work of thy hand. Where the potter image is used in 45:9 and Jeremiah 18 to silence an objection, here it is picked up by the objectors themselves and used as a plea: if we are your work, the state we are in is your concern. It is the strongest argument in the prayer and it is made in eight words.
Wilt Thou Hold Thy Peace (vv.9-12): Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever, behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people. Then the state of the buildings, which dates the prayer, thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation, our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire. And the chapter, and the prayer, ends on a question that is left standing: wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O LORD, wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore. Chapter 65 is the answer, and it does not begin the way the prayer expected.

Map & Geography

  • Jerusalem (v.10): Capital of Judah; the holy city where the Temple stood.
  • Zion (v.10): The hill on which Jerusalem/the Temple stood; often used poetically for God's dwelling.

Places on this map

  • JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia

Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Isaiah 64 - Bible Study, Explanation, and Application
2BeLikeChrist

Isaiah 63-66 | The Warrior in Red | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

How to Ask God for Help - Isaiah 64:8-9
David Guzik

Articles

  • BibleProject: bibleproject.com On the whole book: the promised king who runs through Isaiah from beginning to end.
  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Isaiah -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • Rend the Heavens and Come Down (v.1) — The prayer opens with desperate boldness, pleading for God to tear open the heavens and act visibly. Do you ever pray with that kind of urgency, or does your prayer life stay polite and restrained even in hard seasons?
  • What No Eye Has Seen (v.4) — No one has ever heard or seen a God like this, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him. Whatever you're currently waiting on, do you trust God is preparing something beyond what you can currently imagine?
  • Our Righteousness Is Like Filthy Rags (v.6) — Even the people's righteous acts are described as filthy garments, and they fade like a leaf carried off by the wind. Do you rely on your best efforts to feel acceptable to God, or on a righteousness that isn't your own?
  • We Are the Clay, You Are the Potter (v.8) — Having confessed their unworthiness, the people appeal to the relationship itself: God is their Father and they are the work of His hands. When you have nothing left to offer God, do you still trust He won't abandon what He shaped?
  • Will You Restrain Yourself Forever? (v.12) — The prayer ends hanging in the air, asking whether God will keep silent and let His people suffer indefinitely. When your own prayers feel unanswered, can you trust the answer is still coming, even if it arrives further down the road than you'd like?