God’s Word Translation
Isaiah 63:17
17O Lord, why do you let us wander from your ways and become so stubborn that we are unable to fear you? Return for the sake of your servants. They are the tribes that belong to you.
Isaiah 63:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)O Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.
- New International Version (NIV)Why, Lord, do you make us wander from your ways and harden our hearts so we do not revere you? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes that are your inheritance.
- English Standard Version (ESV)O Lord, why do you make us wander from your ways and harden our heart, so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage.
- New King James Version (NKJV)O Lord, why have You made us stray from Your ways, And hardened our heart from Your fear? Return for Your servants’ sake, The tribes of Your inheritance.
Context of Isaiah 63:17
15Look down and see from heaven, from your holy and beautiful dwelling. Where is your determination and might? Where is the longing of your heart and your compassion? Don’t hold back. 16You are our Father. Even though Abraham doesn’t know us and Israel doesn’t pay attention to us, O Lord, you are our Father. Your name is our Defender From Everlasting. O Lord, why do you let us wander from your ways and become so stubborn that we are unable to fear you? Return for the sake of your servants. They are the tribes that belong to you. 18Your holy people possessed the land for a little while. Our enemies have trampled on your holy place. 19We have become like those whom you never ruled, like those who are not called by your name.
Read all of Isaiah 63Isaiah 63:17 word by word
לָ֣מָּה תַתְעֵ֤נוּ יְהוָה֙ מִדְּרָכֶ֔יךָ תַּקְשִׁ֥יחַ לִבֵּ֖נוּ מִיִּרְאָתֶ֑ךָ שׁ֚וּב לְמַ֣עַן עֲבָדֶ֔יךָ שִׁבְטֵ֖י נַחֲלָתֶֽךָ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- O Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- why hast thou made us to errתָּעָהtâ‛âh · to go astrayH8582
- from thy waysדֶּ֫רֶךְderek · way: conductH1870
- hardenedקָשַׁחqâshach · to hardenH7188
- our heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
- from thy fearיִרְאָהyir'âh · fearH3374
- Returnשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
- for thy servants’עֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
- sake, the tribesשֵׁ֫בֶטshêbeţ · tribeH7626
- of thine inheritanceנַחֲלָהnachălâh · inheritanceH5159
Cross-references for Isaiah 63:17
- Psalms 119:10I wholeheartedly searched for you. Do not let me wander away from your commandments.
- Psalms 141:4Do not let me be persuaded to do anything evil or to become involved with wickedness, with people who are troublemakers. Do not let me taste their delicacies.
- Ezekiel 14:7Suppose an Israelite or a foreigner who lives in Israel deserts me by devoting himself to idols and by allowing himself to fall into sin. If he goes to a prophet to ask for my help, I, the Lord, will give him an answer.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:11That’s why God will send them a powerful delusion so that they will believe a lie.
- Isaiah 6:10Make these people close-minded. Plug their ears. Shut their eyes. Otherwise, they may see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their minds, and return and be healed.”
- Deuteronomy 2:30But King Sihon of Heshbon wouldn’t allow us to pass through. The Lord your God made him stubborn and overconfident in order to hand him over to you, as he has now done.
- Joshua 11:20The Lord made their enemies stubborn enough to continue fighting against Israel so that he could claim them all for destruction without mercy, as he had commanded Moses.
- John 12:40“God blinded them and made them close-minded so that their eyes don’t see and their minds don’t understand. And they never turn to me for healing!”
- Romans 9:18Therefore, if God wants to be kind to anyone, he will be. If he wants to make someone stubborn, he will.
- Numbers 10:36And whenever it stopped, he would say, “Return, O Lord, to the countless thousands of Israel!”
- Psalms 74:1Why, O God, have you rejected us forever? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep in your care?
- Psalms 80:14O God, commander of armies, come back! Look from heaven and see! Come to help this vine.
- Psalms 90:13Return, Lord! How long … ? Change your plans about ⌞us,⌟ your servants.
- Zechariah 1:12Then the Messenger of the Lord said, “Lord of Armies, how much longer until you show compassion to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah? You’ve been angry with them for 70 years.”
Commentaries on Isaiah 63:17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17Why hast thou made us to err - A mere Hebraism, for why hast thou permitted us to err. So, Lead us not into temptation; do not suffer us to fall into that to which we are tempted.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17O Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways? - Lowth and Noyes render this, Why dost thou suffer us to wander from thy way?‘ Calvin remarks on the passage, The prophet uses a common form of speaking, for it is usual in the Scriptures to say that God gives the wicked over to a reprobate mind, and hardens their hearts. But when the pious thus speak, they do not intend to make God the author of error or sin, as if they were innocent - nolunt Deum…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-19Verses 15-19 They beseech him to look down on the abject condition of their once-favoured nation. Would it not be glorious to his name to remove the veil from their hearts, to return to the tribes of his inheritance? The Babylonish captivity, and the after-deliverance of the Jews, were shadows of the events here foretold. The Lord looks down upon us in tenderness and mercy. Spiritual judgments are more to be dreaded than any other calamities; and we…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17The prophet understands that God has the power to keep his people faithful and asks why God has allowed them to stray from His path. Return, for the sake of Your servants: God also has the power to bring his people back to him (Ezekiel 36:25–27) and to defeat all their enemies.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. made us to err--that is, "suffer" us to err and to be hardened in our heart. They do not mean to deny their own blameworthiness, but confess that through their own fault God gave them over to a reprobate mind (Is 6:9, 10; Psa 119:10; Ro 1:28). Return--(Nu 10:36; Psa 90:13).Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 63:17
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 63
- 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
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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