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Selected Verse: Isaiah 64:1 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
Isa 64:1	Strong Concordance	Oh [03863] that thou wouldest rend [07167] the heavens [08064], that thou wouldest come down [03381], that the mountains [02022] might flow down [02151] at thy presence [06440],
	King James	Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
TRANSITION FROM COMPLAINT TO PRAYER. (Isa 64:1-12) rend . . . heavens--bursting forth to execute vengeance, suddenly descending on Thy people's foe (Psa 18:9; Psa 144:5; Hab 3:5-6). flow down-- (Jdg 5:5; Mic 1:4).

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

TRANSITION FROM COMPLAINT TO PRAYER. (Isa 64:1-12)

rend . . . heavens--bursting forth to execute vengeance, suddenly descending on Thy people's foe (Psa 18:9; Psa 144:5; Hab 3:5-6).

flow down-- (Jdg 5:5; Mic 1:4).

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens - That is, in view of the considerations urged in the previous chapter. In view of the fact that the temple is burned up Isa 64:11; that the city is desolate; that the land lies waste, and that thine own people are carried captive to a distant land. The phrase 'rend the heavens,' implies a sudden and sublime descent of Yahweh to execute vengeance on his foes, as if his heart was full of vengeance, and the firmament were violently rent asunder at his sudden appearance. It is language properly expressive of a purpose to execute wrath on his foes, rather than to confer blessings on his people. The latter is more appropriately expressed by the heavens being gently opened to make way for the descending blessings. The word rendered here 'rend' (קרע qâra‛), means properly to tear asunder, as, e. g., the garments in grief Gen 37:29; Sa2 13:31; or as a wild beast does the breast of anyone Hos 13:8. The Septuagint, however, render it by a milder word - ἀνοίξης anoixēs - 'If thou wouldst open the heavens,' etc. So the Syriac renders it by 'O that thou wouldst open,' using a word that is usually applied to the opening of a door. God is often represented as coming down from heaven in a sublime manner amidst tempests, fire, and storms, to take vengeance on his foes. Thus Psa 18:9 : He bowed the heavens also and came down; And darkness was under his feet. Compare Hab 3:5-6. It should be remembered that the main idea in the passage before us is that of Yahweh coming down to destroy his foes. His people entreat him to descend with the proofs of his indignation, so that every obstacle shall be destroyed before him, Thus he is described in Psa 144:5-6 : Bow thy heavens, O Lord, and come down; Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke; Cast forth lightning, and scatter them, Shoot out thine arrows, and destroy them. That the mountains might flow down at thy presence - The idea here is, that the presence of Yahweh would be like an intense burning heat, so that the mountains would melt and flow away. It is a most sublime description of his majesty, and is one that is several times employed in the Bible. Thus in relation to his appearance on Mount Sinai, in the song of Deborah Jdg 5:4-5 : The earth trembled and the heavens dropped, The clouds also dropped water. The mountains melted from before Yahweh, Even Sinai from before Yahweh, the God of Israel. So Psa 97:5 : The hills melted like wax at the presence of Yahweh, At the presence of Yahweh (the God) of the whole earth. So also in Mic 1:3-4 : Lo, Yahweh cometh forth out of his place, And will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth And the mountains shall be molten under him. And the valleys shall be cleft, As wax before the fire, And as the waters pour down a precipice.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]

Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens - That is, in view of the considerations urged in the previous chapter. In view of the fact that the temple is burned up Isa 64:11; that the city is desolate; that the land lies waste, and that thine own people are carried captive to a distant land. The phrase 'rend the heavens,' implies a sudden and sublime descent of Yahweh to execute vengeance on his foes, as if his heart was full of vengeance, and the firmament were violently rent asunder at his sudden appearance. It is language properly expressive of a purpose to execute wrath on his foes, rather than to confer blessings on his people. The latter is more appropriately expressed by the heavens being gently opened to make way for the descending blessings. The word rendered here 'rend' (קרע qâra‛), means properly to tear asunder, as, e. g., the garments in grief Gen 37:29; Sa2 13:31; or as a wild beast does the breast of anyone Hos 13:8. The Septuagint, however, render it by a milder word - ἀνοίξης anoixēs - 'If thou wouldst open the heavens,' etc. So the Syriac renders it by 'O that thou wouldst open,' using a word that is usually applied to the opening of a door. God is often represented as coming down from heaven in a sublime manner amidst tempests, fire, and storms, to take vengeance on his foes. Thus Psa 18:9 :

He bowed the heavens also and came down;

And darkness was under his feet.

Compare Hab 3:5-6. It should be remembered that the main idea in the passage before us is that of Yahweh coming down to destroy his foes. His people entreat him to descend with the proofs of his indignation, so that every obstacle shall be destroyed before him, Thus he is described in Psa 144:5-6 :

Bow thy heavens, O Lord, and come down;

Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke;

Cast forth lightning, and scatter them,

Shoot out thine arrows, and destroy them.

That the mountains might flow down at thy presence - The idea here is, that the presence of Yahweh would be like an intense burning heat, so that the mountains would melt and flow away. It is a most sublime description of his majesty, and is one that is several times employed in the Bible. Thus in relation to his appearance on Mount Sinai, in the song of Deborah Jdg 5:4-5 :

The earth trembled and the heavens dropped,

The clouds also dropped water.

The mountains melted from before Yahweh,

Even Sinai from before Yahweh, the God of Israel.

So Psa 97:5 :

The hills melted like wax at the presence of Yahweh,

At the presence of Yahweh (the God) of the whole earth.

So also in Mic 1:3-4 :

Lo, Yahweh cometh forth out of his place,

And will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth

And the mountains shall be molten under him.

And the valleys shall be cleft,

As wax before the fire,

And as the waters pour down a precipice.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
The similes which follow cannot be attached to this nâzōllū, however we may explain it. Yet Isa 64:1 (2) does not form a new and independent sentence; but we must in thought repeat the word upon which the principal emphasis rests in Isa 63:19 (Isa 64:1). "(Wouldst come down) as fire kindles brushwood, fire causes water to boil; to make known Thy name to Thine adversaries, that the heathen may tremble before Thy face! When Thou doest terrible things which we hoped not for; wouldst come down, (and) mountains shake before Thy countenance!" The older expositors gave themselves a great deal of trouble in the attempt to trace hămâsı̄m to mâsas, to melt. But since Louis de Dieu and Albert Schultens have followed Saadia and Abulwlid in citing the Arabic hms, to crack, to mutter, to mumble, etc., and hšm, to break in pieces, confringere, from which comes hashim, broken, dry wood, it is generally admitted that hămâsim is from hemes (lit. crackling, rattling, Arab. hams), and signifies "dry twigs," arida sarmenta. The second simile might be rendered, "as water bubbles up in the fire;" and in that case mayim would be treated as a feminine (according to the rule in Ges. 146, 3), in support of which Job 14:19 may be adduced as an unquestionable example (although in other cases it is masculine), and אשׁ = בּאשׁ would be used in a local sense, like lehâbhâh, into flames, in Isa 5:24. But it is much more natural to take אשׁ, which is just as often a feminine as מים is a masculine, as the subject of תּבעה, and to give to the verb בּעה, which is originally intransitive, judging from the Arabic bgâ, to swell, the Chald. בּוּע, to spring up (compare אבעבּעות, blisters, pustules), the Syr. בּגא, to bubble up, etc., the transitive meaning to cause to boil or bubble up, rather than the intransitive to boil (comp. Isa 30:13, נבעה, swollen = bent forwards, as it were protumidus). Jehovah is to come down with the same irresistible force which fire exerts upon brushwood or water, when it sets the former in flames and makes the latter boil; in order that by such a display of might He may make His name known (viz., the name thus judicially revealing itself, hence "in fire," Isa 30:27; Isa 66:15) to His adversaries, and that nations (viz., those that are idolaters) may tremble before Him (מפּניך: cf., Psa 68:2-3). The infinitive clause denoting the purpose, like that indicating the comparison, passes into the finite (cf., Isa 10:2; Isa 13:9; Isa 14:25). Modern commentators for the most part now regard the optative lū' (O that) as extending to Isa 64:2 also; and, in fact, although this continued influence of lū' appears to overstep the bounds of the possible, we are forced to resort to this extremity. Isa 64:2 cannot contain a historical retrospect: the word "formerly" would be introduced if it did, and the order of the words would be a different one. Again, we cannot assume that נזלּוּ הרים מפּניך ירדתּ contains an expression of confidence, or that the prefects indicate certainty. Neither the context, the foregoing נוראות בּעשׂותך נו (why not עשׂה?), nor the parenthetical assertion נקוּה לא, permits of this. On the other hand, וגו בעשׂותך connects itself very appropriately with the purposes indicated in Isa 64:1 (2.): "may tremble when Thou doest terrible things, which we, i.e., such as we, do not look for," i.e., which surpass our expectations. And now nothing remains but to recognise the resumption of Isa 63:19 (Isa 64:1) in the clause "The mountains shake at Thy presence," in which case Isaiah 63:19b-64:2 (Isa 64:1-3) forms a grand period rounded off palindromically after Isaiah's peculiar style.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]

The similes which follow cannot be attached to this nâzōllū, however we may explain it. Yet Isa 64:1 (2) does not form a new and independent sentence; but we must in thought repeat the word upon which the principal emphasis rests in Isa 63:19 (Isa 64:1). "(Wouldst come down) as fire kindles brushwood, fire causes water to boil; to make known Thy name to Thine adversaries, that the heathen may tremble before Thy face! When Thou doest terrible things which we hoped not for; wouldst come down, (and) mountains shake before Thy countenance!" The older expositors gave themselves a great deal of trouble in the attempt to trace hămâsı̄m to mâsas, to melt. But since Louis de Dieu and Albert Schultens have followed Saadia and Abulwlid in citing the Arabic hms, to crack, to mutter, to mumble, etc., and hšm, to break in pieces, confringere, from which comes hashim, broken, dry wood, it is generally admitted that hămâsim is from hemes (lit. crackling, rattling, Arab. hams), and signifies "dry twigs," arida sarmenta. The second simile might be rendered, "as water bubbles up in the fire;" and in that case mayim would be treated as a feminine (according to the rule in Ges. 146, 3), in support of which Job 14:19 may be adduced as an unquestionable example (although in other cases it is masculine), and אשׁ = בּאשׁ would be used in a local sense, like lehâbhâh, into flames, in Isa 5:24. But it is much more natural to take אשׁ, which is just as often a feminine as מים is a masculine, as the subject of תּבעה, and to give to the verb בּעה, which is originally intransitive, judging from the Arabic bgâ, to swell, the Chald. בּוּע, to spring up (compare אבעבּעות, blisters, pustules), the Syr. בּגא, to bubble up, etc., the transitive meaning to cause to boil or bubble up, rather than the intransitive to boil (comp. Isa 30:13, נבעה, swollen = bent forwards, as it were protumidus). Jehovah is to come down with the same irresistible force which fire exerts upon brushwood or water, when it sets the former in flames and makes the latter boil; in order that by such a display of might He may make His name known (viz., the name thus judicially revealing itself, hence "in fire," Isa 30:27; Isa 66:15) to His adversaries, and that nations (viz., those that are idolaters) may tremble before Him (מפּניך: cf., Psa 68:2-3). The infinitive clause denoting the purpose, like that indicating the comparison, passes into the finite (cf., Isa 10:2; Isa 13:9; Isa 14:25). Modern commentators for the most part now regard the optative lū' (O that) as extending to Isa 64:2 also; and, in fact, although this continued influence of lū' appears to overstep the bounds of the possible, we are forced to resort to this extremity. Isa 64:2 cannot contain a historical retrospect: the word "formerly" would be introduced if it did, and the order of the words would be a different one. Again, we cannot assume that נזלּוּ הרים מפּניך ירדתּ contains an expression of confidence, or that the prefects indicate certainty. Neither the context, the foregoing נוראות בּעשׂותך נו (why not עשׂה?), nor the parenthetical assertion נקוּה לא, permits of this. On the other hand, וגו בעשׂותך connects itself very appropriately with the purposes indicated in Isa 64:1 (2.): "may tremble when Thou doest terrible things, which we, i.e., such as we, do not look for," i.e., which surpass our expectations. And now nothing remains but to recognise the resumption of Isa 63:19 (Isa 64:1) in the clause "The mountains shake at Thy presence," in which case Isaiah 63:19b-64:2 (Isa 64:1-3) forms a grand period rounded off palindromically after Isaiah's peculiar style.

Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65]
Rent - A metaphor taken from men, that when they would resolutely help one in distress, break and fling open doors and whatever may hinder. Flow down - That all impediments might be removed out of the way: possibly an allusion to God's coming down upon mount Sinai, in those terrible flames of fire.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
O that thou wouldest rend the heavens - This seems to allude to the wonderful manifestation of God upon Mount Sinai.

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⁴ And the mountains [02022] shall be molten [04549] under him, and the valleys [06010] shall be cleft [01234], as wax [01749] before [06440] the fire [0784], and as the waters [04325] that are poured [05064] down a steep place [04174].

⁵ The mountains [02022] melted [05140] from before [06440] the LORD [03068], even that Sinai [05514] from before [06440] the LORD [03068] God [0430] of Israel [03478].

⁵ Before [06440] him went [03212] the pestilence [01698], and burning coals [07565] went forth [03318] at his feet [07272].
⁶ He stood [05975], and measured [04128] the earth [0776]: he beheld [07200], and drove asunder [05425] the nations [01471]; and the everlasting [05703] mountains [02042] were scattered [06327], the perpetual [05769] hills [01389] did bow [07817]: his ways [01979] are everlasting [05769].

⁵ Bow [05186] thy heavens [08064], O LORD [03068], and come down [03381]: touch [05060] the mountains [02022], and they shall smoke [06225].

⁹ He bowed [05186] the heavens [08064] also, and came down [03381]: and darkness [06205] was under his feet [07272].

¹ Oh [03863] that thou wouldest rend [07167] the heavens [08064], that thou wouldest come down [03381], that the mountains [02022] might flow down [02151] at thy presence [06440],
² As when the melting [02003] fire [0784] burneth [06919], the fire [0784] causeth the waters [04325] to boil [01158], to make thy name [08034] known [03045] to thine adversaries [06862], that the nations [01471] may tremble [07264] at thy presence [06440]!
³ When thou didst [06213] terrible things [03372] which we looked [06960] not for, thou camest down [03381], the mountains [02022] flowed down [02151] at thy presence [06440].
⁴ For since the beginning of the world [05769] men have not heard [08085], nor perceived by the ear [0238], neither hath the eye [05869] seen [07200], O God [0430], beside [02108] thee, what he hath prepared [06213] for him that waiteth [02442] for him.
⁵ Thou meetest [06293] him that rejoiceth [07797] and worketh [06213] righteousness [06664], those that remember [02142] thee in thy ways [01870]: behold, thou art wroth [07107]; for we have sinned [02398]: in those is continuance [05769], and we shall be saved [03467].
⁶ But we are all as an unclean [02931] thing, and all our righteousnesses [06666] are as filthy [05708] rags [0899]; and we all do fade [05034] [01101] as a leaf [05929]; and our iniquities [05771], like the wind [07307], have taken us away [05375].
⁷ And there is none that calleth [07121] upon thy name [08034], that stirreth up [05782] himself to take hold [02388] of thee: for thou hast hid [05641] thy face [06440] from us, and hast consumed [04127] us, because [03027] of our iniquities [05771].
⁸ But now, O LORD [03068], thou art our father [01]; we are the clay [02563], and thou our potter [03335]; and we all are the work [04639] of thy hand [03027].
⁹ Be not wroth [07107] very sore [03966], O LORD [03068], neither remember [02142] iniquity [05771] for ever [05703]: behold, see [05027], we beseech thee, we are all thy people [05971].
¹⁰ Thy holy [06944] cities [05892] are a wilderness [04057], Zion [06726] is a wilderness [04057], Jerusalem [03389] a desolation [08077].
¹¹ Our holy [06944] and our beautiful [08597] house [01004], where our fathers [01] praised [01984] thee, is burned up [08316] with fire [0784]: and all our pleasant things [04261] are laid waste [02723].
¹² Wilt thou refrain [0662] thyself for these things, O LORD [03068]? wilt thou hold thy peace [02814], and afflict [06031] us very sore [03966]?

³ For, behold, the LORD [03068] cometh forth [03318] out of his place [04725], and will come down [03381], and tread [01869] upon the high places [01116] of the earth [0776].
⁴ And the mountains [02022] shall be molten [04549] under him, and the valleys [06010] shall be cleft [01234], as wax [01749] before [06440] the fire [0784], and as the waters [04325] that are poured [05064] down a steep place [04174].

⁵ The hills [02022] melted [04549] like wax [01749] at the presence [06440] of the LORD [03068], at the presence [06440] of the Lord [0113] of the whole earth [0776].

⁴ LORD [03068], when thou wentest out [03318] of Seir [08165], when thou marchedst out [06805] of the field [07704] of Edom [0123], the earth [0776] trembled [07493], and the heavens [08064] dropped [05197], the clouds [05645] also dropped [05197] water [04325].
⁵ The mountains [02022] melted [05140] from before [06440] the LORD [03068], even that Sinai [05514] from before [06440] the LORD [03068] God [0430] of Israel [03478].

⁵ Bow [05186] thy heavens [08064], O LORD [03068], and come down [03381]: touch [05060] the mountains [02022], and they shall smoke [06225].
⁶ Cast forth [01299] lightning [01300], and scatter [06327] them: shoot out [07971] thine arrows [02671], and destroy [02000] them.

⁹ He bowed [05186] the heavens [08064] also, and came down [03381]: and darkness [06205] was under his feet [07272].

⁸ I will meet [06298] them as a bear [01677] that is bereaved [07909] of her whelps, and will rend [07167] the caul [05458] of their heart [03820], and there will I devour [0398] them like a lion [03833]: the wild [07704] beast [02416] shall tear [01234] them.

³¹ Then the king [04428] arose [06965], and tare [07167] his garments [0899], and lay [07901] on the earth [0776]; and all his servants [05650] stood [05324] by with their clothes [0899] rent [07167].

²⁹ And Reuben [07205] returned [07725] unto the pit [0953]; and, behold, Joseph [03130] was not in the pit [0953]; and he rent [07167] his clothes [0899].

¹¹ Our holy [06944] and our beautiful [08597] house [01004], where our fathers [01] praised [01984] thee, is burned up [08316] with fire [0784]: and all our pleasant things [04261] are laid waste [02723].

¹ Oh [03863] that thou wouldest rend [07167] the heavens [08064], that thou wouldest come down [03381], that the mountains [02022] might flow down [02151] at thy presence [06440],

¹⁹ We are thine: thou never [05769] barest rule [04910] over them; they were not called [07121] by thy name [08034].

¹ Oh [03863] that thou wouldest rend [07167] the heavens [08064], that thou wouldest come down [03381], that the mountains [02022] might flow down [02151] at thy presence [06440],

² As when the melting [02003] fire [0784] burneth [06919], the fire [0784] causeth the waters [04325] to boil [01158], to make thy name [08034] known [03045] to thine adversaries [06862], that the nations [01471] may tremble [07264] at thy presence [06440]!

²⁵ That I will break [07665] the Assyrian [0804] in my land [0776], and upon my mountains [02022] tread him under foot [0947]: then shall his yoke [05923] depart [05493] from off them, and his burden [05448] depart [05493] from off their shoulders [07926].

⁹ Behold, the day [03117] of the LORD [03068] cometh [0935], cruel [0394] both with wrath [05678] and fierce [02740] anger [0639], to lay [07760] the land [0776] desolate [08047]: and he shall destroy [08045] the sinners [02400] thereof out of it.

² To turn aside [05186] the needy [01800] from judgment [01779], and to take away [01497] the right [04941] from the poor [06041] of my people [05971], that widows [0490] may be their prey [07998], and that they may rob [0962] the fatherless [03490]!

² As smoke [06227] is driven away [05086], so drive them away [05086]: as wax [01749] melteth [04549] before [06440] the fire [0784], so let the wicked [07563] perish [06] at the presence [06440] of God [0430].
³ But let the righteous [06662] be glad [08055]; let them rejoice [05970] before [06440] God [0430]: yea, let them exceedingly [08057] rejoice [07797].

¹⁵ For, behold, the LORD [03068] will come [0935] with fire [0784], and with his chariots [04818] like a whirlwind [05492], to render [07725] his anger [0639] with fury [02534], and his rebuke [01606] with flames [03851] of fire [0784].

²⁷ Behold, the name [08034] of the LORD [03068] cometh [0935] from far [04801], burning [01197] with his anger [0639], and the burden [04858] thereof is heavy [03514]: his lips [08193] are full [04390] of indignation [02195], and his tongue [03956] as a devouring [0398] fire [0784]:

¹³ Therefore this iniquity [05771] shall be to you as a breach [06556] ready to fall [05307], swelling out [01158] in a high [07682] wall [02346], whose breaking [07667] cometh [0935] suddenly [06597] at an instant [06621].

²⁴ Therefore as the fire [0784] devoureth [0398] the stubble [07179], and the flame [03956] [03852] consumeth [07503] the chaff [02842], so their root [08328] shall be as rottenness [04716], and their blossom [06525] shall go up [05927] as dust [080]: because they have cast away [03988] the law [08451] of the LORD [03068] of hosts [06635], and despised [05006] the word [0565] of the Holy One [06918] of Israel [03478].

¹⁹ The waters [04325] wear [07833] the stones [068]: thou washest away [07857] the things which grow [05599] out of the dust [06083] of the earth [0776]; and thou destroyest [06] the hope [08615] of man [0582].

¹ Oh [03863] that thou wouldest rend [07167] the heavens [08064], that thou wouldest come down [03381], that the mountains [02022] might flow down [02151] at thy presence [06440],

¹⁹ We are thine: thou never [05769] barest rule [04910] over them; they were not called [07121] by thy name [08034].

¹ Oh [03863] that thou wouldest rend [07167] the heavens [08064], that thou wouldest come down [03381], that the mountains [02022] might flow down [02151] at thy presence [06440],