New English Translation
Isaiah 63:16
16For you are our father, though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not recognize us. You, Lord, are our father; you have been called our protector from ancient times.
Isaiah 63:16 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O Lord, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting.
- New International Version (NIV)But you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us or Israel acknowledge us; you, Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name.
- English Standard Version (ESV)For you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us; you, O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Doubtless You are our Father, Though Abraham was ignorant of us, And Israel does not acknowledge us. You, O Lord, are our Father; Our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name.
Context of Isaiah 63:16
14Like an animal that goes down into a valley to graze, so the Spirit of the Lord granted them rest. In this way you guided your people, gaining for yourself an honored reputation. 15Look down from heaven and take notice, from your holy, majestic palace! Where are your zeal and power? Do not hold back your tender compassion! For you are our father, though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not recognize us. You, Lord, are our father; you have been called our protector from ancient times. 17Why, Lord, do you make us stray from your ways, and make our minds stubborn so that we do not obey you? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your inheritance! 18For a short time your special nation possessed a land, but then our adversaries knocked down your holy sanctuary.
Read all of Isaiah 63Isaiah 63:16 word by word
כִּֽי־אַתָּ֣ה אָבִ֔ינוּ כִּ֤י אַבְרָהָם֙ לֹ֣א יְדָעָ֔נוּ וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֹ֣א יַכִּירָ֑נוּ אַתָּ֤ה יְהוָה֙ אָבִ֔ינוּ גֹּאֲלֵ֥נוּ מֵֽעוֹלָ֖ם שְׁמֶֽךָ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Doubtlessכִּיkîy · forH3588
- our fatherאָב'âb · fatherH1
- though Abrahamאַבְרָהָם'abrâhâm · AbrahamH85
- be ignorantיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
- be ignorantלֹאlô' lô' lôh · notH3808
- of us, and Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- acknowledgeנָכַרnâkar · to recognizeH5234
- us not: thou, O Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- our redeemerגָּאַלgâ'al · to redeem: redeemH1350
- thy nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
- from everlastingעוֹלָם‛ôlâm ‛ôlâm · forever: antiquityH5769
Cross-references for Isaiah 63:16
- Isaiah 64:8Yet, Lord, you are our father. We are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the product of your labor.
- Exodus 4:22You must say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Israel is my son, my firstborn,
- Deuteronomy 32:6Is this how you repay the Lord, you foolish, unwise people? Is he not your father, your creator? He has made you and established you.
- 1 Chronicles 29:10David praised the Lord before the entire assembly: “O Lord God of our father Israel, you deserve praise forevermore!
- Jeremiah 3:19“I thought to myself, ‘Oh what a joy it would be for me to treat you like a son! What a joy it would be for me to give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful piece of property there is in all the world!’ I thought you would call me, ‘Father’ and would never cease being loyal to me.
- Jeremiah 31:9They will come back shedding tears of contrition. I will bring them back praying prayers of repentance. I will lead them besides streams of water, along smooth paths where they will never stumble. I will do this because I am Israel’s father; Ephraim is my firstborn son.’”
- Malachi 1:6“A son naturally honors his father and a slave respects his master. If I am your father, where is my honor? If I am your master, where is my respect? The Lord who rules over all asks you this, you priests who make light of my name! But you reply, ‘How have we made light of your name?’
- Malachi 2:10Do we not all have one father? Did not one God create us? Why do we betray one another, in this way making light of the covenant of our ancestors?
- Matthew 6:9So pray this way: Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored,
- Job 14:21If his sons are honored, he does not know it; if they are brought low, he does not see it.
- Ecclesiastes 9:5For the living know that they will die, but the dead do not know anything; they have no further reward – and even the memory of them disappears.
- Isaiah 63:12the one who made his majestic power available to Moses, who divided the water before them, gaining for himself a lasting reputation,
- Isaiah 41:14Don’t be afraid, despised insignificant Jacob, men of Israel. I am helping you,” says the Lord, your protector, the Holy One of Israel.
- Isaiah 43:14This is what the Lord says, your protector, the Holy One of Israel: “For your sake I send to Babylon and make them all fugitives, turning the Babylonians’ joyful shouts into mourning songs.
- Isaiah 44:6This is what the Lord, Israel’s king, says, their protector, the Lord who commands armies: “I am the first and I am the last, there is no God but me.
- Isaiah 54:5For your husband is the one who made you – the Lord who commands armies is his name. He is your protector, the Holy One of Israel. He is called “God of the entire earth.”
Commentaries on Isaiah 63:16
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16Our Redeemer; thy name is from everlasting "O deliver us for the sake of thy name" - The present text reads, as our translation has rendered it, "Our Redeemer, thy name is from everlasting." But instead of מעולם meolam, from everlasting, an ancient MS. has למען lemaan, for the sake of, which gives a much better sense. To show the impropriety of the present reading, it is sufficient to observe, that the Septuagint and Syriac translators thought it…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16Doubtless - Hebrew, כי kı̂y - For;‘ verily; surely. It implies the utmost confidence that he still retained the feelings of a tender father. Thou art our father - Notwithstanding appearances to the contrary, and though we should be disowned by all others, we will still believe that thou dost sustain the relation of a father. Though they saw no human aid, yet their confidence was unwavering that he had still tender compassion toward them. Though Abraham be…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. 16our Father: God is described as a Father to his people. His care and faithfulness to his children are stronger and more secure than their family or national ancestry. Their true identity does not depend only on being descendants of Abraham. It depends on belonging to God as his children (see Isaiah 9:6; 64:8; Deuteronomy 32:6; Psalm 68:5; Malachi 2:10; Matthew 6:9–15; Romans 8:15–17).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. thou ... father--of Israel, by right not merely of creation, but also of electing adoption (Is 64:8; De 32:6; 1Ch 29:10). though Abraham ... Israel--It had been the besetting temptation of the Jews to rest on the mere privilege of their descent from faithful Abraham and Jacob (Mt 3:9; Joh 8:39; 4:12); now at last they renounce this, to trust in God alone as their Father, notwithstanding all appearances to the contrary. Even though Abraham, our earthly…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 63:16
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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