What does Isaiah 63:17 mean?
"¶ 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." - Isaiah 63:17
Isaiah 63:17 in the King James Version of the Bible reads: "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."
This verse comes from the book of Isaiah, which is a prophetic book in the Old Testament. The prophet Isaiah lived in the 8th century BC and spoke to the people of Judah during a time of great political upheaval and spiritual decline. The book of Isaiah contains a mixture of prophecies of judgment and salvation, and this verse is no exception.
The context of Isaiah 63:17 is a prayer of repentance and lamentation. The speaker, presumably Isaiah or the people of Judah, is expressing their deep anguish and confusion over their current state. They are lamenting the fact that they have strayed from God's ways and their hearts have been hardened, preventing them from revering and obeying God as they should.
The verse starts with a plea to the Lord, asking why he has allowed them to go astray and allowed their hearts to be hardened. This is a common theme in the book of Isaiah, as the prophet repeatedly calls the people to repentance and obedience to God's laws. The people are facing the consequences of their actions and are looking to God for forgiveness and restoration.
The second part of the verse is a request for God to return to them for the sake of his servants and the tribes of his inheritance. This demonstrates the humility and dependence of the speaker on God. They are acknowledging their own inability to turn back to God on their own and are putting their hope in God's mercy and faithfulness to his chosen people.
The themes present in Isaiah 63:17 are repentance, lamentation, and the sovereignty of God. The verse captures the tension between human responsibility and God's sovereignty. The people are acknowledging their own sin and failure, but they are also appealing to God to intervene and restore them. This tension is a recurring theme throughout the book of Isaiah and the Bible as a whole.
The symbolism in this verse lies in the relationship between God and his people. The people of Judah are often referred to as God's servants and the tribes of his inheritance. This highlights the special relationship between God and the nation of Israel, as well as the obligations and privileges that come with being chosen by God. The mention of the tribes of his inheritance also recalls the history of the Israelites as a people who were set apart by God for his purposes.
In conclusion, Isaiah 63:17 is a prayer of repentance and humility, reflecting the deep remorse and longing for restoration felt by the people of Judah. The verse highlights the tension between human responsibility and God's sovereignty, as well as the special relationship between God and his chosen people. It serves as a powerful reminder of the need for repentance, humility, and dependence on God in the face of sin and spiritual apathy.
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Isaiah 63:17 - "¶ 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."
"¶ 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." - Isaiah 63:17
Isaiah 63:13 - "That led them through the deep, as an horse in the wilderness, that they should not stumble?"
Isaiah 63:4 - "For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come."
Isaiah 63:8 - "For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour."
Isaiah 63:2 - "Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat?"
Isaiah 63:19 - "We are thine: thou never barest rule over them; they were not called by thy name."
Isaiah 63:10 - "¶ But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them."
Isaiah 63:18 - "The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary."
Isaiah 63:12 - "That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name?"
Isaiah 63:6 - "And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth."
"For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come." - Isaiah 63:4
"That led them through the deep, as an horse in the wilderness, that they should not stumble?" - Isaiah 63:13
Isaiah 63:14 - "As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD caused him to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name."
Isaiah 63:1 - "Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save."
"Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save." - Isaiah 63:1
"In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old." - Isaiah 63:9
Isaiah 63:5 - "And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me."
Isaiah 63:2 Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like one who treads in the winepress?
"For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour." - Isaiah 63:8
Isaiah 63:9 - "In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old."
Isaiah 63:16 - "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."
Isaiah 63:15 - "¶ Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me? are they restrained?"
"Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat?" - Isaiah 63:2
Isaiah 63:10 But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; So He turned Himself against them as an enemy, And He fought against them.
Isaiah 63:11 - "Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him?"
"We are thine: thou never barest rule over them; they were not called by thy name." - Isaiah 63:19
Isaiah 63:3 - "I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment."
"¶ But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them." - Isaiah 63:10
Isaiah 63:7 - "¶ I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses."