Isaiah 64:3 kjv
When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.
Isaiah 64:3 nkjv
When You did awesome things for which we did not look, You came down, The mountains shook at Your presence.
Isaiah 64:3 niv
For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.
Isaiah 64:3 esv
When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.
Isaiah 64:3 nlt
When you came down long ago,
you did awesome deeds beyond our highest expectations.
And oh, how the mountains quaked!
Isaiah 64 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah 64:1 | Oh, that You would tear through the heavens and come down! | Direct antecedent to this verse |
| Psalm 18:7-9 | The earth shook and quaked, the foundations of the mountains trembled. | Echoes the theme of divine arrival |
| Psalm 97:4-5 | His lightning flashes, the earth sees and trembles. | Descriptive of God's presence |
| Nahum 1:5 | The mountains quake because of Him, and the hills melt. | Similar imagery of shaking |
| Habakkuk 3:3,6 | God came from Teman... His radiance was like the sunrise. | God's powerful manifestation |
| Revelation 6:14 | The sky was split apart like a scroll being rolled up. | New Testament fulfillment |
| Revelation 16:20 | Every island fled, no mountains could be found. | Judgment event imagery |
| Acts 2:2-3 | A mighty rushing wind... appeared tongues resembling fire. | Manifestation of the Spirit |
| Hebrews 12:26 | At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised. | Connects earthly and heavenly |
| Romans 11:36 | For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. | Ultimate sovereignty of God |
| 1 Corinthians 8:6 | ...yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom all things. | God as the source of all |
| John 1:1-3 | In the beginning was the Word... All things were made through Him. | Christ as the creator |
| Colossians 1:16 | For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth. | Christ's creative power |
| 1 Corinthians 15:24 | Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father. | Eschatological culmination |
| Revelation 21:1 | Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. | New creation after judgment |
| 1 Kings 19:11-12 | ...a great and powerful wind... after the wind a fire... but the Lord was not in the wind. | Nuance in divine manifestation |
| Exodus 19:16-18 | ...thunders and lightning, and a thick cloud on the mountain... Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke. | God's Sinai theophany |
| Psalm 68:8 | The earth trembled and shuddered; the foundations of the heavens also quaked before God's anger. | Divine power and wrath |
| Amos 9:5 | The Lord, the Lord Almighty, touches the earth and it trembles. | God's sovereignty over creation |
| Zechariah 14:4-5 | On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives... | Messianic prophecy |
Isaiah 64 verses
Isaiah 64 3 Meaning
When the Almighty God appears, His presence is so overwhelming that even mountains quake and dissolve. His coming signifies absolute power and judgment, making all human defenses utterly futile. It speaks to His sovereignty and the unshakeable reality of His glorious arrival.
Isaiah 64 3 Context
This verse comes from Isaiah's prophecy, written during a time of significant national distress for Israel, likely in the Assyrian or Babylonian periods. The people are experiencing hardship and feeling distant from God. Isaiah is speaking on behalf of the people, expressing their deep longing for God's direct intervention and salvation. They recall historical instances of God's powerful presence, like at Mount Sinai, where the natural world responded to Him. This chapter is a plea for God to manifest His power in their current dire situation, highlighting their complete dependence on Him.
Isaiah 64 3 Word Analysis
'ēp̄ (as): "As" or "like." Introduces a simile.
šāmayim (heavens): Refers to the sky, the upper atmosphere, and often the dwelling place of God. It emphasizes the vastness and the ultimate source of power.
gālāṯ (tore/rend): A strong verb indicating a forceful division or separation. Implies an aggressive breaking through.
tēraš (You would tear): The second-person masculine singular imperfect form, denoting a continuous or repeated action, expressing the people's desire for God's persistent action.
ûərāḏəṯā (and come down): Another imperfect form, showing descent. God's initiative from His exalted position.
mimmēnnəḵā (from You/Your presence): Indicates the source or origin of the action. God's personal involvement.
hārîm (mountains): Represents stability and immovability in the ancient world. Their shaking signifies immense power that disrupts even the most solid things.
nāgəʿā (trembled/shook): Root verb 'gûa', indicating intense shaking and vibrating, reflecting extreme commotion.
yəriḏḏū (melt): From the root rod, meaning to flow down or melt away, picturing the destruction or dissolution of solid matter under extreme heat or power.
God's tearing through the heavens: This powerful metaphor signifies a complete breakthrough from divine hiddenness to visible, powerful manifestation. It's not a gentle revelation but an overwhelming intervention.
Mountains trembling and melting: This imagery expresses the utter inadequacy of earthly power and stability in the face of God's direct action. What humans deem strong and enduring is rendered weak and unstable by divine presence. It's a visible, cosmic demonstration of His might.
Isaiah 64 3 Bonus Section
The language used echoes descriptions of God's appearance at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16-18). However, here it’s amplified to a cosmic scale. The concept of God making His presence known by disrupting the natural order is a recurring theme, emphasizing His transcendence. Scholars often interpret this as a prophetic yearning for the Messianic era, when God would indeed "tear open the heavens" through the coming of His Son. It is a bold petition, demonstrating immense faith in God’s ultimate power to intervene, even to the point of reshaping creation itself for His people's deliverance.
Isaiah 64 3 Commentary
This verse paints a vivid picture of the awaited intervention of God. The desire expressed is for God to shatter the heavens, to powerfully and unmistakably reveal Himself and His power. The imagery of trembling and melting mountains underscores the magnitude of this desired manifestation. It’s not a passive wish but an urgent cry for God's supreme authority to be visibly demonstrated, to the point where even the most formidable earthly structures—symbolized by mountains—would quake and dissolve before His glorious and perhaps, fearsome presence. This signifies a complete turning of the tide, a moment when divine intervention overrides all natural and human resistance.