Isaiah 64 6

Isaiah 64:6 kjv

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Isaiah 64:6 nkjv

But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.

Isaiah 64:6 niv

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

Isaiah 64:6 esv

We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

Isaiah 64:6 nlt

We are all infected and impure with sin.
When we display our righteous deeds,
they are nothing but filthy rags.
Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall,
and our sins sweep us away like the wind.

Isaiah 64 verses

Isaiah 64 6 meaning

Isaiah 64:6 is a poignant confession by the people of God, acknowledging their deep-seated sinfulness and the utter inadequacy of their own efforts before a holy God. It declares that the entire community, without exception, is stained by sin and rendered ritually and morally unclean. Furthermore, even their acts of supposed righteousness are likened to the most defiled and repulsive rags, implying they are not merely insufficient but actively offensive in God's sight. The verse concludes by stating that sin itself leads to spiritual decay and carries people away like a wind, demonstrating the pervasive and destructive power of iniquity.

Isaiah 64 6 Context

Isaiah chapter 64 is a fervent corporate prayer of confession and lament. It follows chapters 60-62 which speak of God's glorious future for Zion, and chapter 63 which includes a national lament remembering God's past mercies but contrasting them with their current suffering due to their sins. In chapter 64, the prophet, speaking on behalf of the exiled or post-exilic community, implores God to intervene dramatically, tearing open the heavens and coming down to manifest His power, just as He did in the past. This plea is rooted in a deep self-awareness of the people's collective sinfulness and their distance from God. Verse 6 specifically encapsulates the community's profound understanding of their utter unworthiness before God, admitting that their actions and character are universally polluted, justifying God's apparent withdrawal. Historically, this lament likely reflects the deep distress of a people living under the consequences of their apostasy, either in exile or returned to a devastated homeland, yearning for God's presence but recognizing their own culpability.

Isaiah 64 6 Word analysis

• וַנְּהִ֤י כֻלָּ֙נוּ֙ כְּטָמֵ֔א (Va-nehi khullanu k’tame'): "But we all have become like one who is unclean"
  • וַנְּהִ֤י (Va-nehi): "And we became/have become." This is the Waw-consecutive form of `hayah`, emphasizing a state entered into. It indicates a stark reality or conclusion to their self-examination.
  • כֻלָּ֙נוּ֙ (khullanu): "all of us." The suffix emphasizes universality. It is an unreserved, collective admission of guilt, highlighting no one is exempt.
  • כְּטָמֵ֔א (k’tame’): "like one who is unclean/defiled." `Tame'` (طهّ) refers to a state of ritual impurity according to the Mosaic Law (e.g., from touching a dead body, disease). Such a person was temporarily separated from the community and unable to participate in worship. Here, it signifies a moral and spiritual defilement that deeply alienates from God. It's not just "dirty" but "impure" in a sacred sense.
• וְכָל־צִדְקֹתֵ֙ינוּ֙ כְּבֶ֣גֶד עִדִּ֔ים (V’khol-tsidqotenu k’veged ‘iddim): "and all our righteousnesses are like a filthy rag"
  • וְכָל־צִדְקֹתֵ֙ינוּ֙ (V’khol-tsidqotenu): "and all our righteousnesses." The plural `tsidqotenu` (צדקות) indicates individual acts of supposed righteousness, good deeds, or self-justifying practices. It is not divine righteousness but human attempts at meeting God's standard or displaying piety.
  • כְּבֶ֣גֶד עִדִּ֔ים (k’veged ‘iddim): "like a filthy rag." `Beged` (בֶּגֶד) is a garment or cloth. `Iddim` (עִדִּים) is a term often associated with menstrual cloths or highly defiling rags used for unclean purposes. In ancient Israel, such cloths were extremely impure, creating an intensely graphic and shocking image. This phrase does not mean their righteousness is weak, but that it is repulsive and contaminating in God’s holy presence, utterly unfit for acceptance. It is a polemic against any notion of human ability to earn favor.
• וַנָּבֶ֤ל כֶּֽעָלֶה֙ כֻּלָּ֔נוּ (Va-nnavel k’aleh khullanu): "We all fade like a leaf"
  • וַנָּבֶ֤ל (Va-nnavel): "And we fade/wither." Describes the process of decay and decline.
  • כֶּֽעָלֶה֙ (k’aleh): "like a leaf." A common biblical metaphor for transience, mortality, and weakness. Lacking connection to its life source (the tree/God), it quickly withers and perishes.
  • כֻּלָּ֔נוּ (khullanu): "all of us." Reiterates the universality of this decay due to sin.
• וַעֲוֹנֹתֵ֖ינוּ כָּר֙וּחַ֙ תִּשָּׂאֵֽנוּ (Va-‘avonotenu ka-ruach tissa’enu): "and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away"
  • וַעֲוֹנֹתֵ֖ינוּ (Va-‘avonotenu): "and our iniquities/guilts." `Avon` (עָווֹן) refers to twistedness, perversity, sin as rebellion, often incurring guilt and punishment. This is the root cause of their decay.
  • כָּר֙וּחַ֙ (ka-ruach): "like the wind." Represents something powerful, uncontrollable, fleeting, and carrying away without resistance.
  • תִּשָּׂאֵֽנוּ (tissa’enu): "take us away/carry us off." This implies being swept away against one's will, driven by the powerful force of sin and its consequences, leading to separation, judgment, or spiritual emptiness.

• "all of us... like one who is unclean, and all our righteousnesses are like a filthy rag": This powerful combination paints a bleak picture of humanity's standing before God. Not only is their natural state polluted, but even their most commendable efforts are viewed as utterly repulsive. It signifies a profound spiritual disconnect and an inability to bridge the gap with God through human merit.
• "We all fade like a leaf... and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away": This second part links human fragility and mortality directly to the corrosive and active power of sin. Sin is not passive; it is an active force that brings decay and carries people away from God, leading to judgment and spiritual desolation, much like dry leaves are scattered by the wind.

Isaiah 64 6 Bonus section

The concept of tame' (unclean) and beged 'iddim (filthy rag) also serve as significant boundaries or limitations within biblical thought. Being tame' prevented participation in community worship, entering the temple, or even sometimes remaining within the camp. This illustrates the fundamental barrier sin creates, preventing access to God's presence. The "filthy rag" metaphor highlights a deep-seated truth: any goodness originating from human efforts, when contrasted with God's perfect standard, not only falls short but often reveals the underlying sin of pride, self-sufficiency, or a desire for merit. Such "righteousness" becomes a barrier, rather than a bridge, to true relationship with God because it rejects the need for divine grace. This profound statement from Isaiah, then, does not merely describe human sin, but actively undermines any form of Pelagianism or self-salvation ideology. It sets the stage for the New Testament's proclamation of justification by faith in Christ's imputed righteousness (Rom 4:6, 2 Cor 5:21), where true righteousness comes as a gift from God, not from human effort.

Isaiah 64 6 Commentary

Isaiah 64:6 is a cornerstone declaration of humanity's inherent sinfulness and inability to approach a holy God through self-effort. The description of all people as "unclean" directly invokes the ritual purity laws, symbolizing a comprehensive moral and spiritual defilement that disqualifies humanity from fellowship with God. Even more striking is the characterization of human "righteousnesses" as a "filthy rag"—a powerful metaphor that underscores not just the inadequacy, but the active repugnance of self-righteousness to God. The term for "filthy rag" strongly connotes a menstruous cloth, which in Israelite culture was profoundly unclean and taboo, making any offering associated with it an abomination. This highlights the vast gulf between God's perfect holiness and any human attempt at moral purity; what humans deem good, God may see as detestable if it's tainted by pride or self-interest. The subsequent image of fading leaves carried away by the wind powerfully illustrates the inevitable decay, transient nature, and ultimate destruction that sin brings, sweeping humanity towards judgment and away from the source of life. This verse serves as a crucial theological foundation, demonstrating the absolute necessity of God's redemptive action and imputed righteousness, as human beings cannot save themselves or even adequately present themselves before Him. It drives home the biblical principle that salvation must come solely through divine grace, for by human works, none can be justified.

Example: Imagine trying to pay a king a debt, not with gold, but with handfuls of dirt and refuse, expecting him to accept it as valuable payment. That illustrates the utter futility of our self-righteousness before the King of the universe.