Isaiah 63:18 kjv
The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary.
Isaiah 63:18 nkjv
Your holy people have possessed it but a little while; Our adversaries have trodden down Your sanctuary.
Isaiah 63:18 niv
For a little while your people possessed your holy place, but now our enemies have trampled down your sanctuary.
Isaiah 63:18 esv
Your holy people held possession for a little while; our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary.
Isaiah 63:18 nlt
How briefly your holy people possessed your holy place,
and now our enemies have destroyed it.
Isaiah 63 18 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah 63:17 | O LORD, why do you make us err from your ways and harden your heart, lest we fear you? | Consequence of rebellion |
| Psalm 119:73 | Your hands made me and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments. | God as Creator and Sustainer |
| Jeremiah 10:23 | O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps. | Human inability to self-direct |
| Romans 9:18 | So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and on whomever he wills he hardens his heart. | God's sovereignty in mercy/judgment |
| Hosea 12:11 | Is Ephraim also like a barbarian of the Ethiopians? Are not his sacrifices, like sacrifices of meat? | Israels spiritual decay |
| Micah 6:3 | O my people, what have I done to you? In what way have I wearied you? Testify against me. | God’s gentle dealing with Israel |
| Psalm 80:1 | Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. | God as Shepherd |
| Psalm 44:23 | Rouse yourself, O Lord! Why do you sleep, O Lord? Awake! Do not cast us off forever! | Plea for divine intervention |
| Isaiah 59:1-2 | Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear deafened, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God... | Sin creates separation |
| Romans 3:23 | for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God | Universal sin |
| Acts 17:24 | The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by hands. | God's transcendence |
| Matthew 10:13 | And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. | Blessing dependent on worthiness |
| Deuteronomy 32:15 | But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked— you grew fat, thick-skinned, and greasy. Then he forsook God who made him and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation. | Apostasy of Israel |
| Jeremiah 2:11 | Has a nation changed its gods? —yet they are no gods! But my people have changed my glory for that which does not profit. | Idolatry vs. true worship |
| Galatians 4:30 | But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave girl and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman.” | Ishmael vs. Isaac comparison |
| Psalm 95:7 | For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand! Today, if you hear his voice | God's flock, call to obedience |
| Romans 11:22 | See then the kindness and severity of God: severity land on those who fell, but God’s kindness on you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you too will be cut off. | Conditional kindness |
| Isaiah 64:8 | But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hands. | God as Potter |
| John 10:29 | My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand. | God's protective hand |
| Revelation 7:15 | Therefore they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. | God's dwelling with His people |
| Hosea 4:6 | My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. | Rejection due to rejecting knowledge |
Isaiah 63 verses
Isaiah 63 18 Meaning
This verse expresses God's disappointment and sorrow over His people's actions, contrasting His past actions on their behalf with their current unfaithfulness. It highlights a period when God’s presence seemed absent due to His judgment, causing great grief to His people who longed for His intervention and deliverance.
Isaiah 63 18 Context
Chapter 63 of Isaiah marks the end of a powerful oracle, commencing with a vivid depiction of God's conquering vengeance against His enemies (vv. 1-6). This imagery transitions to God's remembrance of His past faithfulness and His people's distress (vv. 7-14), leading to a lament and plea for divine intervention (vv. 15-19), which this verse is part of. The prophet, on behalf of the distressed remnant, articulates their current sorrow and sense of abandonment. The historical backdrop likely refers to a time of post-exilic hardship or a similar period of oppression, where the people feel the sting of their sins and God's perceived absence. They recall God's fatherly care in the past but lament their present suffering, attributing it to their own sin and a desire for God to turn and intercede once more.
Isaiah 63 18 Word Analysis
- "Yet" (Hebrew: עַ֔תָּה,
attah): Here signifies a temporal shift, contrasting the present distress with past actions or expected states. It emphasizes the current difficult reality. - "you" (Hebrew: אַתָּ֖ה,
attah): Refers directly to God. The people address God directly, pouring out their hearts in their lament. - "are our Father" (Hebrew: אָבִ֥ינוּ,
avinu): Possessive pronoun 'our' highlights their relationship as children, emphasizing intimacy and dependence. God's role as Father implies provision, protection, and guidance. - "Abram is dead": This is not found in the Hebrew text. The Hebrew reads "אֱלֹהִ֖ים מִקֶּ֥רֶב,
Elohim miqqerev" which translates to "God from the midst." The common misconception may arise from mistranslations or interpretations focusing on a spiritual absence. The emphasis is not on an individual patriarch being gone, but on God being seemingly absent from the midst of His people. - "Jacob is gone": Similarly, the Hebrew is "וְיַעֲקֹ֖ב,
veyakkov" meaning "and Jacob." Again, this refers not to the patriarch himself, but to the people of Israel, often referred to by the collective name "Jacob." The sense is that the presence and active working of God in their history and among them seems to have ceased or withdrawn. - "your" (Hebrew: אַתָּ֛ה,
attah): Again emphasizes God, underscoring their appeal directly to Him for intervention and acknowledgment of His ultimate agency.
Group Analysis:The phrase "you are our Father" establishes the covenantal and relational basis of their appeal. The subsequent phrases, "Abram is dead" (more accurately understood as "God is [no longer] in our midst" or referring to a historical past where God's presence was powerfully manifest, and "Jacob is gone" referring to the collective people whose relationship with God feels broken) serve as a stark contrast to their current plight, highlighting a perceived withdrawal of God's active favor and protection. The people lament this perceived abandonment by their Father, recognizing their own role in this spiritual distance, yet pleading for God's re-engagement based on His covenantal love and inherent nature as Father.
Isaiah 63 18 Bonus Section
The sentiment expressed in this verse resonates with the New Testament understanding of God's people as the spiritual Israel, children of God through faith in Christ. The Apostle Paul explores the complexities of God's faithfulness and human unfaithfulness in Romans 11, noting that though Israel as a nation stumbled, God's covenant faithfulness remains. Jesus Himself taught about persistent prayer in Luke 18:1-8, where the unjust judge eventually grants justice to the persistent widow, illustrating that if even an unrighteous judge responds to persistent pleading, how much more will the heavenly Father respond to His beloved children. The longing for God's active presence in His people's lives is a recurring theme throughout Scripture, culminating in the promise of God dwelling with His people eternally in the New Jerusalem.
Isaiah 63 18 Commentary
The verse is a poignant expression of communal lament and a profound theological statement about God's relationship with His people. The people, facing hardship, acknowledge God's past actions and their broken covenant relationship due to their sins. They recognize their own fickleness and tendency to stray, which has led to God's perceived silence or absence. Despite this, they cling to the memory of God's fatherly love and seek His return, underscoring that ultimate salvation and direction rest entirely in His hands. Their confession is an act of faith, believing that even in their suffering, the God who adopted them as His sons can and will intervene.