---
title: "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -  Isaiah 64"
description: "CHAPTER 64   :-. TRANSITION FROM
COMPLAINT TO PRAYER. 1. rend . . . heavens—bursting
forth to execute vengeance, suddenly descending on Thy people"
image: "/images/missing.jpg"
url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/isaiah/64"
---

CHAPTER 64

. TRANSITION FROM
COMPLAINT TO PRAYER.

**1. rend . . . heavens**—bursting
forth to execute vengeance, suddenly descending on Thy people's foe
([Psalms 18:9](../../../kjv/psalms/18/9); [Psalms 144:5](../../../kjv/psalms/144/5);
[Habakkuk 3:5](../../../kjv/habakkuk/3/5); [Habakkuk 3:6](../../../kjv/habakkuk/3/6)).
**flow down**— ([Judges 5:5](../../../kjv/judges/5/5);
[Micah 1:4](../../../kjv/micah/1/4)).

**2.** Oh, that Thy wrath would
consume Thy foes *as the fire.* Rather, "as the fire
burneth *the dry brushwood*" [GESENIUS].

**3. When**—Supply from , "As when."
**terrible things**— ().
**we looked not for**—far
exceeding the expectation of any of our nation; unparalleled before
([Exodus 34:10](../../../kjv/exodus/34/10); [Psalms 68:8](../../../kjv/psalms/68/8)).
**camest down**—on Mount
Sinai.
**mountains flowed**—Repeated
from [Isaiah 64:1](../../../kjv/isaiah/64/1); they pray God to
do the *very same things* for Israel now as in former ages.
GESENIUS, instead of
"flowed" here, and "flow" in [Isaiah 64:1](../../../kjv/isaiah/64/1), translates from a different *Hebrew* root, "quake
. . . quaked"; but "fire" *melts* and *causes
to flow,* rather than to *quake* ([Isaiah 64:1](../../../kjv/isaiah/64/1)).

**4. perceived by the ear**—Paul
([1 Corinthians 2:9](../../../kjv/1-corinthians/2/9)) has for this, "nor
have entered into the heart of man"; the virtual sense,
sanctioned by his inspired authority; men might hear with the outward
ear, but they could only by the Spirit "perceive" with the
"heart" the spiritual significancy of God's acts, both
those in relation to Israel, primarily referred to here, and those
relating to the Gospel secondarily, which Paul refers to.
**O God . . . what he . . .
prepared**—rather, "nor hath eye seen *a god* beside
thee *who doeth such things.*" They refer to God's *past*
marvellous acts in behalf of Israel as a plea for His now interposing
for His people; but the Spirit, as Paul by inspiration shows,
contemplated *further* God's revelation in the Gospel, which
abounds in marvellous paradoxes never before heard of by carnal ear,
not to be understood by mere human sagacity, and when foretold by the
prophets not fully perceived or credited; and even after the
manifestation of Christ not to be understood save through the inward
teaching of the Holy Ghost. These are partly past and present, and
partly future; therefore Paul substitutes "prepared" for
"doeth," though his context shows he includes all three.
For "waiteth" he has "love Him"; godly *waiting*
on Him must flow from love, and not mere fear.

**5. meetest**—that is, Thou
makest peace, or enterest into covenant with him (see on ).
**rejoiceth and worketh**—that
is, who *with joyful willingness* worketh [GESENIUS]
([Acts 10:35](../../../kjv/acts/10/35); [John 7:17](../../../kjv/john/7/17)).
**those**—Thou meetest
"those," in apposition to "him" who represents a
class whose characteristics "those that," c., more fully
describes.
**remember thee in thy ways**—
([Isaiah 26:8](../../../kjv/isaiah/26/8)).
**sinned**—literally,
"tripped," carrying on the figure in "ways."
**in those is continuance**—a
plea to deprecate the *continuance* of God's *wrath* it is
not in Thy wrath that there is continuance ([Isaiah 54:7](../../../kjv/isaiah/54/7);
[Isaiah 54:8](../../../kjv/isaiah/54/8); [Psalms 30:5](../../../kjv/psalms/30/5);
[Psalms 103:9](../../../kjv/psalms/103/9)), but *in* Thy
ways ("those"), namely, of covenant mercy to Thy people
([Micah 7:18-20](../../../kjv/micah/7/18-20); [Malachi 3:6](../../../kjv/malachi/3/6));
on the strength of the everlasting continuance of His covenant they
infer by faith, "we shall be saved." God "remembered"
for them His covenant ([Malachi 3:6](../../../kjv/malachi/3/6)), though *they* often "remembered not" Him
([Psalms 78:42](../../../kjv/psalms/78/42)). CASTELLIO
translates, "we have sinned for long in them ('thy ways'), and
could we then be saved?" But they hardly would use such a plea
when their very object was to be saved.

**6. unclean thing**—legally
unclean, as a leper. True of Israel, everywhere now cut off by
unbelief and by God's judgments from the congregation of the saints.
**righteousness**—plural,
"uncleanness" extended to *every particular act* of
theirs, even to their prayers and praises. True of the best doings of
the unregenerate ([Philippians 3:6-8](../../../kjv/philippians/3/6-8);
[Titus 1:15](../../../kjv/titus/1/15); [Hebrews 11:6](../../../kjv/hebrews/11/6)).
**filthy rags**—literally,
a "menstruous rag" ([Leviticus 15:33](../../../kjv/leviticus/15/33);
[Leviticus 20:18](../../../kjv/leviticus/20/18); [Lamentations 1:17](../../../kjv/lamentations/1/17)).
**fade . . . leaf**—
([Psalms 90:5](../../../kjv/psalms/90/5); [Psalms 90:6](../../../kjv/psalms/90/6)).

**7. stirreth**—*rouseth*
himself from spiritual drowsiness.
**take hold**— ().

**8. father**— ().
**clay . . . potter**—
([Isaiah 29:16](../../../kjv/isaiah/29/16); [Isaiah 45:9](../../../kjv/isaiah/45/9)).
Unable to mould themselves aright, they beg the sovereign will of God
to mould them unto salvation, even as He *made* them at the
first, and is their "Father."

**9.** ([Psalms 74:1](../../../kjv/psalms/74/1);
[Psalms 74:2](../../../kjv/psalms/74/2)).
**we are . . . thy people**—
([Jeremiah 14:9](../../../kjv/jeremiah/14/9); [Jeremiah 14:21](../../../kjv/jeremiah/14/21)).

**10. holy cities**—No city but
Jerusalem is called "the holy city" ([Isaiah 48:2](../../../kjv/isaiah/48/2);
[Isaiah 52:1](../../../kjv/isaiah/52/1)); the *plural,*
therefore, refers to *the upper and the lower parts* of the same
city Jerusalem [VITRINGA];
or all Judea was holy to God, so its *cities* were deemed "holy"
[MAURER]. But the
parallelism favors VITRINGA.
*Zion* and *Jerusalem* (the one city) answering to "holy
cities."

**11. house**—the temple.
**beautiful**—includes the
idea of *glorious* ([Mark 13:1](../../../kjv/mark/13/1);
[Acts 3:2](../../../kjv/acts/3/2)).
**burned**— ([Psalms 74:7](../../../kjv/psalms/74/7);
[Lamentations 2:7](../../../kjv/lamentations/2/7); [2 Chronicles 36:19](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/36/19)).
Its destruction under Nebuchadnezzar prefigured that under Titus.
**pleasant things**—*Hebrew,*
"objects of desire"; our homes, our city, and all its dear
associations.

**12. for these things**—Wilt
Thou, *notwithstanding* these calamities of Thy people, still
refuse Thy aid ([Isaiah 42:14](../../../kjv/isaiah/42/14))?

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