English Standard Version
Isaiah 64:5
5You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?
Isaiah 64:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Thou 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.
- New International Version (NIV)You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways. But when we continued to sin against them, you were angry. How then can we be saved?
- New King James Version (NKJV)You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, Who remembers You in Your ways. You are indeed angry, for we have sinned— In these ways we continue; And we need to be saved.
- New Living Translation (NLT)You welcome those who gladly do good, who follow godly ways. But you have been very angry with us, for we are not godly. We are constant sinners; how can people like us be saved?
Context of Isaiah 64:5
3When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. 4From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him. You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved? 6We 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. 7There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities.
Read all of Isaiah 64Isaiah 64:5 word by word
פָּגַ֤עְתָּ אֶת־שָׂשׂ֙ וְעֹ֣שֵׂה צֶ֔דֶק בִּדְרָכֶ֖יךָ יִזְכְּר֑וּךָ הֵן־אַתָּ֤ה קָצַ֙פְתָּ֙ וַֽנֶּחֱטָ֔א בָּהֶ֥ם עוֹלָ֖ם וְנִוָּשֵֽׁעַ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Thou meetestפָּגַעpâga‛ · to fall onH6293
- him that rejoicethשׂוּשׂώûώ ώîyώ · to rejoiceH7797
- and workethעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- righteousnessצֶ֫דֶקtsedeq · righteousnessH6664
- rememberזָכַרzâkar · to rememberH2142
- thee in thy waysדֶּ֫רֶךְderek · way: conductH1870
- behold, thou art wrothקָצַףqâtsaph · be angryH7107
- for we have sinnedחָטָאchâţâ' · to sinH2398
- in those is continuanceעוֹלָם‛ôlâm ‛ôlâm · forever: antiquityH5769
- and we shall be savedיָשַׁעyâsha‛ · to saveH3467
Cross-references for Isaiah 64:5
- Exodus 20:24An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you.
- Exodus 25:22There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.
- Exodus 29:42It shall be a regular burnt offering throughout your generations at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the Lord, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there.
- Exodus 30:6And you shall put it in front of the veil that is above the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is above the testimony, where I will meet with you.
- Hebrews 4:16Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
- Psalms 25:10All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
- Psalms 37:4Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
- Psalms 112:1Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments!
- Acts 10:2a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God.
- Philippians 3:13Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,
- Isaiah 26:8In the path of your judgments, O Lord, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul.
- Isaiah 56:1Thus says the Lord: "Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my righteousness be revealed.
- Isaiah 63:10But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them.
- Psalms 90:7For we are brought to an end by your anger; by your wrath we are dismayed.
- Psalms 103:17But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children,
- Jeremiah 31:18I have heard Ephraim grieving, 'You have disciplined me, and I was disciplined, like an untrained calf; bring me back that I may be restored, for you are the Lord my God.
Commentaries on Isaiah 64:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness "Thou meetest with joy those who work righteousness" - The Syriac reads בעשי שש אתה פוגע poga attah shesh baashi, as above. In those is continuance, and we shall be saved "Because of our deeds, for we have been rebellious" - ונושע עולם בהם bahem olam venivvashea . I am fully persuaded that these words as they stand in the present Hebrew text are utterly unintelligible; there is no doubt of the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5Thou meetest him - Perhaps there are few verses in the Bible that have given more perplexity to interpreters than this; and after all that has been done, the general impression seems to be, that it is wholly inexplicable, or without meaning - as it certainly is in our translation. Noyes says of his own translation of the last member of the verse, I am not satisfied with this or any other translation of the line which I have seen.‘ Lowth says, I am fully…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5-6we remain in our sins … like something unclean: See also Isaiah 59:1–15. The only hope for salvation and transformation is through Jesus Christ (see Romans 7:25–8:11).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. meetest--that is, Thou makest peace, or enterest into covenant with him (see on Is 47:3). rejoiceth and worketh--that is, who with joyful willingness worketh [Gesenius] (Ac 10:35; Joh 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--(Is 26:8). sinned--literally, "tripped," carrying on the figure in "ways." in those is…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 64:5
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 64
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries