The Bible — World English Bible

Isaiah 64

In brief

Isaiah 64 continues a long prayer of God's people after the exile. The believers ask God to tear open the heavens and come down, as in the days of the great wonders. They recall that no other god acts this way for those who trust in him, then admit their own state: their righteousness is like a filthy garment, and no one wakes up to hold fast to God. The prayer then turns to the Father and the potter, and begs God not to stay silent before the desolation of Zion.

The chapter in 3 parts

  1. v. 1-4Oh that you would tear the heavens: the memory of wonders
  2. v. 5-7The confession: our righteousness is like a filthy garment
  3. v. 8-12You are our father, we are the clay: a plea for Zion

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. 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. 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?

Key verses

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

The people's cry asks God to intervene visibly, breaking the distance between heaven and earth. The New Testament answers it when the heavens are opened at the baptism of Jesus.

Verse 4
For 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.

No other god acts for those who trust in him. Paul quotes this verse in 1 Corinthians 2:9 to speak of what God prepares, which the eye has not seen.

Verse 5-6
You 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? For 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.

The people admit that even their best works are stained before God. Verse 6 is often cited to remind us that salvation rests not on merit but on grace.

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

God is both father and potter: the one who gives life and the one who shapes. The clay does not form itself, it lets itself be molded. The image supports trust in God's patient work.

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What the sermons say

Breakthroughs in the Heavens: Your Freedom Comes Down from AboveThe sermon starts from the cry of verse 1 to invite us to ask God to come down into situations that seem closed, resting on Jesus as the way, the truth and the life.Read the summary →The Cross: True Wisdom Revealed by the SpiritCommenting on 1 Corinthians 2:9, the sermon recalls that Paul quotes Isaiah 64:4: what the eye has not seen, God reveals by the Spirit, and the cross is at its heart.Read the summary →That Christ Be Formed in Me: The Tests That Prepare the Son's ImageMalu Bialuta builds on verse 8: we are the clay and God shapes us. He concludes that Christ takes form in us through trials that prepare likeness to the Son.Read the summary →Unanswered Prayer: 5 Obstacles to OvercomeStéphane Burgos cites verse 5 to show that we cannot base our prayer on our own merit: none of us is worthy, and it is God's covenant that sustains prayer.Read the summary →

Frequently asked questions about Isaiah 64

What does Oh that you would tear the heavens mean in Isaiah 64:1?

It is a prayer of the people asking God to intervene visibly, as at Sinai when the mountains shook. The believers feel far from him after the exile and hope for a manifestation of his presence. Many Christians see in it an echo of the opening of the heavens at the baptism of Jesus.

What does all our righteousness is like a filthy garment mean?

Verse 6 acknowledges that even the acts we think good are not enough before the holiness of God. It does not despise the good, but it rules out the idea that we can save ourselves. Christians find in it a reason to lean on God's grace rather than on their own merit.

What does the image of the clay and the potter mean in Isaiah 64:8?

God is presented as a father and a potter: the people are his work, shaped by his hands. The image serves as an appeal to mercy, since a potter does not destroy forever what he has formed. It also invites each person to let God mold him with trust.

Articles quoting Isaiah 64

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World English Bible translation — public domain.