Isaiah 63:17 kjv
O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.
Isaiah 63:17 nkjv
O LORD, why have You made us stray from Your ways, And hardened our heart from Your fear? Return for Your servants' sake, The tribes of Your inheritance.
Isaiah 63:17 niv
Why, LORD, do you make us wander from your ways and harden our hearts so we do not revere you? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes that are your inheritance.
Isaiah 63:17 esv
O LORD, why do you make us wander from your ways and harden our heart, so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage.
Isaiah 63:17 nlt
LORD, why have you allowed us to turn from your path?
Why have you given us stubborn hearts so we no longer fear you?
Return and help us, for we are your servants,
the tribes that are your special possession.
Isaiah 63 17 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah 63:17 | O LORD, why dost thou make us err from thy ways, and hardenest our heart from thy fear? | Questioning God's leading |
| Psalm 119:10 | With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. | Seeking to follow God's ways |
| Jeremiah 3:8 | And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her her bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. | God putting away for unfaithfulness |
| Hosea 4:12 | My people ask counsel at their stock, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredom hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from their God. | Spirit causing people to err |
| John 3:19 | And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. | Loving darkness |
| Romans 1:28 | And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; | God giving over to reprobate mind |
| 2 Thessalonians 2:11 | And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: | God sending delusion |
| Hebrews 12:5 | And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: | God's chastening |
| Revelation 3:19 | As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be therefore zealous, and repent. | God's loving rebuke |
| Isaiah 6:9-10 | And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. | Judgment of spiritual blindness |
| Jeremiah 13:23 | Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil. | Inability to change from evil |
| Romans 9:18 | Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. | God's sovereign hardening |
| Psalm 81:11-12 | But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. So I gave them up unto their own heart's lust: and let them follow their own imaginations. | God giving up to lusts |
| Deuteronomy 28:28 | The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and with blindness, and with astonishment of heart: | God smiting with blindness |
| Joshua 24:19 | And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is a holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. | Warning of inability to serve God |
| Acts 7:51 | Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. | Resisting the Holy Spirit |
| Romans 2:5 | But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; | Hardness treasuring wrath |
| Proverbs 29:1 | He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. | Destruction of the hardened |
| Isaiah 30:1 | Woe unto the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin: | Rebellious children |
| Isaiah 57:17 | For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart. | God hiding due to iniquity |
| Psalm 95:8 | Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness. | Warning against hard hearts |
Isaiah 63 verses
Isaiah 63 17 Meaning
This verse expresses the prophet Isaiah's lament over God's perceived withdrawal and the resulting suffering of his people. It signifies a deep longing for God's return and intervention, questioning why God has allowed them to stray so far from His paths and ordinances, leading to spiritual hardness and a loss of communion with Him.
Isaiah 63 17 Context
This verse is found within the closing chapters of the Book of Isaiah, often referred to as "Deutero-Isaiah" or "Trito-Isaiah," depending on critical perspectives. This particular section (Isaiah 63:7-66:24) reflects a period after the Babylonian exile, looking back at God's faithfulness amidst the people's failings. Chapter 63 depicts a victorious return of God, depicted as a powerful warrior, followed by a lament from the people concerning their spiritual state. The verse expresses their realization that their spiritual deviation and hardness of heart are the cause of their suffering, not God's absence of will or power. It serves as an acknowledgment of sin and a plea for God to re-engage with them, to restore their hearts and guide them back to His ways.
Isaiah 63 17 Word Analysis
- O LORD (אֲדֹנָי - Adonai): Master, Lord, Owner. A name of respect and sovereignty. It emphasizes God's authority over His people and the covenant relationship.
- why (לָמָה - lamah): An interrogative particle expressing questioning, seeking a reason. It conveys the people's perplexity and distress over their situation.
- dost thou make us err (תְּתִינוּנוּ - teshaggehnu): From the root שָׁגַג (shagag), meaning to err, go astray, make a mistake. Here it's used causatively, suggesting God allowing or causing them to wander from His ways. It can imply an indirect causation, such as withdrawing guidance or permitting straying due to their prior actions.
- from thy ways (מִדְרָכֶיךָ - midderekeycha): From Your paths, Your manner of living, Your commands. Refers to God's appointed path of obedience and righteousness.
- and hardenest (וַתְּקַשֶּׁה - vattqasheh): From the root קָשָׁה (qashah), meaning to be hard, stiff, obstinate. Used here causatively, suggesting God's role in their spiritual inflexibility. This can be interpreted as God allowing their hearts to become unresponsive to His word due to their continued disobedience, or in the sense of divine judgment as seen in passages like Romans 9.
- our heart (לְבָבֵנוּ - lebabenu): Our inner being, our mind, will, and emotions. The seat of understanding, intent, and affection.
- from thy fear (מִפִּחְדֶּךָ - miphedach): From Your reverence, Your awe, Your presence. The fear of the Lord is understood as deep reverence, awe, and obedience to God's authority, not mere terror.
Words Group Analysis
- "make us err... and hardenest our heart from thy fear": This phrase presents a theological tension. It highlights human responsibility for sin and rebellion, while also acknowledging God's sovereignty. The people are questioning God's action in allowing their spiritual decline, implicitly confessing that their deviation from His ways and their lack of reverence are the root issues. The phrasing suggests God's allowance of consequences for persistent sin, leading to a spiritual numbness and inability to respond to Him.
Isaiah 63 17 Bonus Section
The sentiment expressed here resonates throughout Scripture, portraying God as the ultimate source of guidance and strength, and His people's turning away from Him as the source of their problems. The people's confession, though phrased as a question to God, can be seen as an initial step towards repentance and a plea for restored relationship. The concept of "hardening" the heart in the Bible often describes a state resulting from repeated sin and rejection of God's grace, as seen in Pharaoh's defiance or Israel's persistent rebellion. This verse, therefore, is a cry for divine grace to reverse the effects of sin and enable a return to faithfulness and true devotion.
Isaiah 63 17 Commentary
Isaiah's lament in this verse reflects a profound recognition of spiritual alienation from God. The people acknowledge that their wandering from God's paths and their hearts' hardness, stemming from a lack of reverence, are the cause of their present distress. This is not an accusation against God's goodness, but a desperate plea stemming from the understanding that they have strayed. The text probes the delicate balance between divine sovereignty in judgment and human responsibility in sin. Their question, "Why do You make us err?" acknowledges that ultimately, God has allowed this to happen, not necessarily by directly causing sin, but by the consequences of their own wilful disobedience which leads to spiritual hardening. The deep longing is for God to intervene, soften their hearts, and guide them back to Himself. This highlights the human capacity for self-deception and the crucial need for divine reorientation.