The big picture
Isaiah 64 opens in verse 1 with “Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 6 with “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and…”, and closes in verse 12 with “Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O LORD ? wilt thou hold thy peace, and…” Repeated or prominent terms include fire, LORD, presence, hold, holy. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Isaiah · King James Version · 12Isaiah 64:1-6
1–6: Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down…
Isaiah 64:1–6 opens with “Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might…” and reaches “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Isaiah 64 develops its own movement around fire, LORD, presence, hold, holy, with particular weight carried by presence, fire, mountains.
Context that brings the passage to life
“Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy…” The line’s distinctive content terms include wouldest, flow, heavens. Its relationship to verses 2 shows what work it does in this passage.
“As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries…” The line’s distinctive content terms include fire, adversaries, boil. Its relationship to verses 1 and 3 shows what work it does in this passage.
Isaiah 64:1-6
King James Version1Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,
2As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!
3When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.
4For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.
5Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.
6But 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 64:7-12
7–12: There is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to…
Isaiah 64:7–12 opens with “And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for…” and reaches “Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O LORD ? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Isaiah 64 develops its own movement around fire, LORD, presence, hold, holy, with particular weight carried by LORD, hold, holy.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy…” The line’s distinctive content terms include calleth, consumed, face. Its relationship to verses 8 shows what work it does in this passage.
Isaiah 64:7-12
King James Version7And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.
8But now, O LORD , thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
9Be not wroth very sore, O LORD , neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.
10Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
11Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste.
12Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O LORD ? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Isaiah 64:1 begins with “Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,”
Where the chapter turns
Isaiah 64:6 forms a natural hinge: “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…”
The final note
Isaiah 64:12 leaves the reader with “Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O LORD ? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?”
A word trail through the chapter
The words fire, LORD, presence, hold, holy, iniquities help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
KJV words made clear
- behold
- look, or pay close attention
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
- hath
- has
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.