Isaiah 64:12 kjv
Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O LORD? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?
Isaiah 64:12 nkjv
Will You restrain Yourself because of these things, O LORD? Will You hold Your peace, and afflict us very severely?
Isaiah 64:12 niv
After all this, LORD, will you hold yourself back? Will you keep silent and punish us beyond measure?
Isaiah 64:12 esv
Will you restrain yourself at these things, O LORD? Will you keep silent, and afflict us so terribly?
Isaiah 64:12 nlt
After all this, LORD, must you still refuse to help us?
Will you continue to be silent and punish us?
Isaiah 64 12 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 64:5 | You met those who joyfully did righteousness, those who remembered You in Your ways. | Isa 59:1, 11-14 (Contrast) |
| Isa 64:6 | But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags. | Rom 3:23 (Universal sinfulness) |
| Isa 64:7 | There is no one who calls on Your name, no one stirs himself up to hold onto You. | Jer 4:1 (Covenant faithfulness lapse) |
| Isa 64:7 | For You have hidden Your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities. | Lev 26:17 (Divine withdrawal) |
| Isa 57:17 | Because of the iniquity of his covetousness I was angry and struck him. | Isa 48:18 (Consequences of sin) |
| Ps 30:7 | You had hidden Your face, and I was troubled. | Ps 30:7 (When God hides His face) |
| Lam 5:2 | Our inheritance has turned over to strangers, our houses to foreigners. | Lam 5:2 (Loss of heritage) |
| Eze 36:31 | Then you will remember your past ways that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities. | Eze 36:31 (Repentance and self-loathing) |
| Hos 5:15 | I will return and go to My place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face. | Hos 5:15 (God's strategic absence) |
| Hos 5:6 | They will not offer sacrifices of praise in the house of the Lord. | Hos 5:6 (Cessation of worship) |
| Isa 1:15 | And when you spread your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, when you multiply prayers, I will not hear. | Isa 1:15 (Unanswered prayer due to sin) |
| Isa 59:2 | But your iniquities have separated between you and your God. | Isa 59:2 (Separation by sin) |
| John 9:31 | Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. | John 9:31 (Hearing prayer) |
| Ps 79:8 | Oh, do not remember the iniquities of the former generations against us. | Ps 79:8 (Plea against ancestral sin) |
| Jer 14:7 | O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, do it for Your name's sake! | Jer 14:7 (Plea for God's name) |
| Jer 3:25 | We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covers us. | Jer 3:25 (Shame and confusion) |
| Acts 7:51 | You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit. | Acts 7:51 (Resisting the Spirit) |
| Rev 6:10 | And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" | Rev 6:10 (Plea for divine justice) |
| Ps 44:23 | Awake, O LORD! Why do You sleep? Arise, do not cast us off forever. | Ps 44:23 (Lament and plea to awake) |
| Hab 3:2 | O LORD, I have heard the report of You and was afraid; O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years! | Hab 3:2 (Prayer for revival) |
Isaiah 64 verses
Isaiah 64 12 Meaning
The people of God acknowledge their transgressions and the resulting judgment. They are seeking divine intervention, asking God why He seems distant and unwilling to save them from their afflictions, which they attribute to their own sins and the pervasive iniquity of the nation.
Isaiah 64 12 Context
Chapter 64 of Isaiah marks a powerful lament and plea for divine intervention from the post-exilic community, facing hardship and feeling abandoned by God. The prophet articulates the people's collective sense of guilt and the devastating consequences of their sins. This particular verse directly addresses God, questioning His seeming silence and inaction amidst their suffering, which they acknowledge stems from their own iniquity. The backdrop is the people's ongoing repentance and a desperate longing for God's manifested presence and salvific power to restore them, perhaps even hinting at the coming Messiah for ultimate redemption.
Isaiah 64 12 Word Analysis
- "And now": Implies a transition, moving from a declaration of their fallen state to a present appeal to God.
- "O Lord": Direct address to God, emphasizing sovereignty and authority. This vocative highlights dependence and respect.
- "God": Further invocation of God’s supreme nature.
- "why": Expresses a perplexity, questioning the reason for God's apparent absence or inaction.
- "dost thou": Archaic English for "do you," referring to God's present disposition.
- "keep thyself": To retain oneself, to hold back or restrain. Here, it implies God is intentionally not revealing Himself or intervening.
- "far off": Distant; suggesting a lack of close relationship or immediate help.
- "and hidest": Concealment; indicates God's perceived withdrawal from view or knowledge.
- "thy face": Represents God's presence, favor, and acceptance. Hiding it signifies displeasure or abandonment.
- "from us": Emphasizes the communal suffering and feeling of alienation from God.
- "and consume us": This is often translated from Hebrew terms that imply distressing or making waste of the people. It points to the severity of their suffering, which feels like a consuming process.
- "even": A conjunction used for emphasis, intensifying the following phrase.
- "our iniquities": Refers to the sins, transgressions, and lawlessness of the people, acknowledging them as the root cause.
- "hath taken us": Suggests that sin has captured, overpowered, and led them captive. This portrays sin as an active force.
Words Group Analysis
- "Why dost thou keep thyself far off, O Lord? why hidest thou thy face from us?": This dual question highlights the perceived distance and hiddenness of God. It’s a lament reflecting the pain of feeling abandoned and the earnest desire for God’s presence to be revealed and active once more. This expression resonates with numerous psalms of lament where the Psalmist questions God's silence during times of trouble (e.g., Ps 44:23, Ps 22:1-2).
- "and consume us, even our iniquities, hath taken us?": This part attributes their consumption (suffering and judgment) directly to their own sins, portraying iniquity as a captor. The people acknowledge that their collective wrongdoing has led to their present state of destruction or affliction. This links sin to devastating consequences, a common theme in prophetic literature where sin results in exile, loss, and divine wrath.
Isaiah 64 12 Bonus Section
The question "Why hidest thou thy face?" is a recurring theme in the Old Testament, representing the deepest distress when the visible favor and protection of God are withdrawn. This feeling of divine abandonment is often experienced during periods of national sin and judgment, such as the Babylonian exile. The response in Isaiah 63 (the preceding chapter) indicates God’s potential response, driven by His covenant love and power. This verse in chapter 64 serves as a preamble to the ultimate hope found in God’s restoring actions, which culminate in the New Testament through Jesus Christ, who is the very manifestation of God’s face among His people. The people's cry is a foreshadowing of humanity's desperate need for redemption, a need met in the incarnate Son of God.
Isaiah 64 12 Commentary
This verse encapsulates a deep cry of a penitent people who recognize their own culpability in their suffering. They understand that sin separates them from God and leads to dire consequences. Their lament is not merely an accusation against God but an expression of deep anguish at His perceived absence. They yearn for His tangible presence, favor, and intervention, knowing that only He can deliver them from the grip of their iniquities and their devastating effects. The underlying sentiment is a longing for God’s power to be manifested again, overturning their present calamity.