Isaiah 64

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 64:7

And there is none that calleth upon thy name ,.... Upon the Lord himself, who is gracious and merciful, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, and all sufficient, a God hearing and answering prayer, and the Father of his people; all which should engage to call upon him: or, "there is none that prays in thy name", as the Targum; none that prays to God in the name of his Son, the only Mediator between God and men; he is the way of access to the Father; his name is to be used and made mention... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 64:8

But now, O Lord, thou art our father ,.... Notwithstanding all that we have done against thee, and thou hast done to us, the relation of a father continues; thou art our Father by creation and adoption; as he was in a particular manner to the Jews, to whom belonged the adoption; and therefore this relation is pleaded, that mercy might be shown them; and so the Targum, "and thou, Lord, thy mercies towards us "are" many (or let them be many) as a father towards "his" children.' We are the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 64:9

Be not wroth very sore, O Lord ,.... They knew not how to deprecate the displeasure of God entirely; having sinned so greatly against him, they were sensible they deserved his wrath; but entreat it might not be hot and very vehement, and carried to the highest pitch, which would be intolerable: neither remember iniquity for ever ; to afflict and punish for it, but forgive it, for not to remember sin is to forgive it; and not inflict the deserved punishment of it, but take off and remove... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 64:10

Thy holy cities are a wilderness ,.... Meaning either Zion, the city of David, and Jerusalem; the one called the upper, the other the lower city; now uninhabited, and a mere wilderness: or else the other cities of Judea, in which were formerly synagogues for religious service, and in which dwelt many godly families where the worship of God was kept up; but now a desert, at least quite devoid of true religion and godliness. Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation ; which are either... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 64:11

Our holy and our beautiful house ,.... Meaning the temple, the house of God, as Aben Ezra: called "holy", because dedicated to holy uses; where the holy sacrifices were offered up, the holy service of God performed; and where the holy God granted his presence, and where were the symbols of it: and "beautiful", in its building, as the first temple was that was built by Solomon; but here the second temple is meant, built by Zerubbabel, which being repaired and beautified by Herod, was a very... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 64:12

Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O Lord ?.... From delivering us out of our troubles and miseries, and taking vengeance on our enemies, and showing thy zeal for thine own glory; or, as Kimchi paraphrases it, "how canst thou contain thyself for these things, and not have mercy?' how canst thou bear to see Judea, and all its cities, a wilderness; Jerusalem, and the temple of it, in ruins? wilt thou hold thy peace? or, "be silent"; and not plead thine own cause, and the cause... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 64

The whole of this chapter, which is very pathetic and tender, may be considered as a formulary of prayer and humiliation intended for the Jews in order to their conversion, Isaiah 64:1-12 . read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 64:1

O that thou wouldest rend the heavens - This seems to allude to the wonderful manifestation of God upon Mount Sinai. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 64:2

As when the melting fire burneth "As the fire kindleth the dry fuel" - המסים hamasim . "It means dry stubble, and the root is המס hamas , "says Rabbi Jonah, apud Sal ben Belec in loc . Which is approved by Schultens, Orig. Hebrews p. 30. "The fire kindling the stubble does not seem like enough to the melting of the mountains to be brought as a simile to it. What if thus? - 'That the mountains might flow down at thy presence! As the fire of things smelted burneth, As the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 64:4

For since the beginning of the world men have not heard "For never have men heard" - St. Paul is generally supposed to have quoted this passage of Isaiah, 1 Corinthians 2:9 ; and Clemens Romanus in his first epistle has made the same quotation, very nearly in the same words with the apostle. But the citation is so very different both from the Hebrew text and the version of the Septuagint, that it seems very difficult, if not impossible, to reconcile them by any literal emendation, without... read more

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