Isaiah 64
ืืฉืขืืื ืคืจืง ืกืดื
Section: ื ืืืืื ยท ื ืืืืื ืืืจืื ืื | Book: Isaiah | Chapter: 64 of 66 | Day: 211 of 742
Date: September 10, 2026
ืงืืืื ืขื ืื ืดื
Chapter 64 is the second half of one long prayer, and Rashi says so explicitly at its close: commenting on the final verse, he notes that โuntil here is the prophetโs prayer,โ whose beginning is back at 63:7, โThe kind acts of the Lord I will mention.โ Read that way, the chapter is the crescendo of a single movement that began by rehearsing Godโs ancient mercies and now, having worked its way through the memory of the Exodus and Sinai, arrives at the unbearable present. The chapter opens mid-plea, still governed by the cry of the preceding verse that God would tear open the heavens and come down, and it supplies the imagery for what such a descent would look like: fire kindling brushwood, fire making water boil (ืืื ืชืืขื ืืฉ), the nations trembling before His face. Rashi hears in this a memory of the plague of hail in Egypt, where fire burned inside the hail, and cites the verse God spoke there, โin order to tell of My name throughout the entire landโ (Exodus 9:16), so that the request is not for a new miracle but for a repetition of an old one. Radak, characteristically attentive to how a metaphor works, argues that the whole picture is a figure for the wars God has fought on Israelโs behalf, and points to Sinai itself, where the mountain burned and smoked, as the paradigm.
The second and third verses give the prayer its theological center of gravity. God did wonders โwe dared not hope forโ (ืื ื ืงืื); as Metzudat David reads it, Israel was simply not worthy of such wonders, and the descent onto Sinai to give the Torah was a further, unearned act of condescension for which the mountains melted in dread. Verse 3 then makes the boldest claim of the chapter: no ear has heard and no eye has seen any god but You who acts for those who wait for Him (ืืขืฉื ืืืืื ืื). Rashi records both the plain reading, in which no other nation has ever had such things done for it and no rival deity has ever acted for its devotees as God acts for His, and the well-known rabbinic reading preserved in Berakhot, cited also by Radak in the name of Shmuel, that the prophets prophesied only concerning the messianic era, while the World to Come is precisely what โno eye has seen.โ The verse thus becomes a hinge in Jewish thought between the recital of historical miracles and the assertion that the greatest reward is by definition unimaginable.
From verse 4 the prayer turns inward and the tone darkens. The nation laments that God has struck down those who gladly did righteousness. Rashi and Radak both read ืคืืขืช in the sense of striking or killing, so the complaint is that the generation of the righteous who would stand in the breach has been removed; Radak invokes the image of the tzaddikim who once invoked the thirteen attributes on Israelโs behalf, as Moshe did after the golden calf and after the spies, and observes that in exile these intercessors are gone. This is why the confession of verse 5 lands with such force: we have all become like an unclean thing, and all our righteous deeds like a soiled garment (ืืืืื ืขืืื ืื ืฆืืงืชืื ื). Metzudat David gives this its sharpest turn, explaining that even the good deeds we perform are rags because they are not done with a whole heart but out of self-display; Radak adds that they are done to be admired and out of rivalry with oneโs fellow. We wither like a leaf, and our sins carry us off like the wind. Verse 6 completes the diagnosis: no one calls on Your name, no one rouses himself to take hold of You, and Rashi glosses that self-rousing simply as a man overpowering his evil inclination. The hiddenness of Godโs face and the melting away of the people are described as cause and effect, and Radak insists on the moral logic of it, โit is not You who did this, but our iniquities.โ
Then comes the pivot on which the whole chapter turns. Verse 7 says โand nowโ (ืืขืชื): after the confession, not before it, Israel dares to claim relationship. You are our Father; we are the clay and You are our potter (ืื ืื ื ืืืืืจ ืืืชื ืืืฆืจื ื). Metzudat David draws the simplest inference, that it is the way of a father to have compassion on a son, and that a maker does not destroy the work of his own hands. Radak develops the image with more precision than the plain sense requires: a potter who is displeased with a vessel does not throw the clay away, he reworks it into another vessel, and Godโs eye is on Israel continuously as a craftsmanโs eye is on his clay. The plea of verse 8 follows directly, that God not be angry to excess nor remember iniquity forever, and it ends with a phrase whose whole weight is on a single word, โlook, please, we are all Your peopleโ (ืื ืืื ื ื ืขืื ืืื ื). Metzudat David hears in it the last argument left: look at us and see that we are all still Your people, that no heart among us has turned away.
The chapter closes with three verses that could serve as a text for Tishah BโAv, and in fact the language of the final verse entered Jewish liturgy as the cry over the ruins. Your holy cities have become a wilderness; Zion a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. Radakโs comment here has a historical edge, insisting that even if the nations rebuilt something on the site, so long as Israel is not upon her she is desolate, and he writes with the awareness of the conquests of his own age. Verse 10 names what was lost most precisely: our holy and glorious House, where our fathers praised You, has been burned with fire, and all that we treasured has become a ruin. Radak notes that this refers to both destructions, the first and the second, and that the place of the Temple has never been rebuilt. And then the chapter simply stops with a question, unanswered, hanging in the air: โwill You restrain Yourself at these things, O Lord, will You keep silent and afflict us so terribly?โ (ืืขื ืืื ืชืชืืคืง ืโ). Metzudat David reads ืชืชืืคืง as steeling the heart so that mercy does not stir, and asks whether God will really keep silent toward the nations who did all this. The prophet ends without a resolution, and that unresolved question is exactly what chapter 65 will answer, in Godโs own voice and not at all in the terms the petitioner expected.
ืคืจืง ืกืดื ยท Chapter 64
ืคืกืืง ืืณ ยท Verse 1
Hebrew:
ืึผึดืงึฐืึนึงืึท ืึตึฃืฉื ืึฒืึธืกึดึืื ืึทึืึดื ืชึผึดืึฐืขึถืึพืึตึืฉื ืึฐืืึนืึดึฅืืขึท ืฉืึดืึฐืึธึ ืึฐืฆึธืจึถึืืึธ ืึดืคึผึธื ึถึืืึธ ืึผืึนืึดึฅื ืึดืจึฐืึผึธึฝืืึผื
English:
As when fire kindles brushwood, And fire makes water boilโ To make Your name known to Your adversaries So that nations will tremble at Your Presence,
ืคืกืืง ืืณ ยท Verse 2
Hebrew:
ืึผึทืขึฒืฉืืึนืชึฐืึธึฅ ื ืึนืจึธืึืึนืช ืึนึฃื ื ึฐืงึทืึผึถึื ืึธืจึทึืึฐืชึผึธ ืึดืคึผึธื ึถึืืึธ ืึธืจึดึฅืื ื ึธืึนึฝืึผืึผืย {ืก} ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
English:
When You did wonders we dared not hope for, You came down And mountains quaked before You.
โถCommentaries (1)
ืคืกืืง ืืณ ยท Verse 3
Hebrew:
ืึผืึตืขืึนืึธึฅื ืึนืึพืฉืึธืึฐืขึืึผ ืึนึฃื ืึถืึฑืึดึืื ืึผ ืขึทึฃืึดื ืึนึฝืึพืจึธืึธึืชึธื ืึฑืึนืึดืืึ ืืึผืึธึฃืชึฐืึธึ ืึทืขึฒืฉืึถึื ืึดืึฐืึทืึผึตืึพืึฝืึนื
English:
Such things had never been heard or noted. No eye has seen [them], O God, but You, Who act for those who trust in You.
โถCommentaries (1)
ืคืกืืง ืืณ ยท Verse 4
Hebrew:
ืคึผึธืึทึคืขึฐืชึผึธ ืึถืชึพืฉืึธืฉืึ ืึฐืขึนึฃืฉืึตื ืฆึถึืึถืง ืึผึดืึฐืจึธืึถึืืึธ ืึดืึฐืึผึฐืจึืึผืึธ ืึตืึพืึทืชึผึธึคื ืงึธืฆึทึืคึฐืชึผึธึ ืึทึฝื ึผึถืึฑืึธึื ืึผึธืึถึฅื ืขืึนืึธึื ืึฐื ึดืึผึธืฉืึตึฝืขึทื
English:
Yet You have struck those who would gladly do justice, And remember You in Your ways. It is because You are angry that we have sinned; We have been steeped in them from of old, And can we be saved?
โถCommentaries (1)
ืคืกืืง ืืณ ยท Verse 5
Hebrew:
ืึทื ึผึฐืึดึคื ืึทืึผึธืึตืึ ืึผึปืึผึธึื ืึผ ืึผืึฐืึถึฅืึถื ืขึดืึผึดึืื ืึผืืึพืฆึดืึฐืงึนืชึตึืื ืึผ ืึทื ึผึธึคืึถื ืึผึถึฝืขึธืึถืึ ืึผึปืึผึธึื ืึผ ืึทืขึฒืึบื ึตึื ืึผ ืึผึธืจึฅืึผืึท ืึดืฉืึผึธืึปึฝื ืึผื
English:
We have all become like an impure thing, And all our virtues like a filthy rag. We are all withering like leaves, And our iniquities, like a wind, carry us off.
โถCommentaries (1)
ืคืกืืง ืืณ ยท Verse 6
Hebrew:
ืึฐืึตืืึพืงืึนืจึตึฃื ืึฐืฉืึดืึฐืึธึ ืึดืชึฐืขืึนืจึตึืจ ืึฐืึทืึฒืึดึฃืืง ืึผึธึืึฐ ืึผึดึฝืึพืึดืกึฐืชึผึทึคืจึฐืชึผึธ ืคึธื ึถึืืึธึ ืึดืึผึถึื ึผืึผ ืึทืชึผึฐืืึผืึตึื ืึผ ืึผึฐืึทืึพืขึฒืึบื ึตึฝื ืึผื
English:
Yet no one invokes Your name, Rouses themselves to cling to You. For You have hidden Your face from us, And made us melt because of our iniquities.
โถCommentaries (1)
ืคืกืืง ืืณ ยท Verse 7
Hebrew:
ืึฐืขึทืชึผึธึฅื ืึฐืึนืึธึื ืึธืึดึฃืื ืึผ ืึธึืชึผึธื ืึฒื ึทึคืึฐื ืึผ ืึทืึนึืึถืจึ ืึฐืึทืชึผึธึฃื ืึนืฆึฐืจึตึื ืึผ ืึผืึทืขึฒืฉืึตึฅื ืึธืึฐืึธึ ืึผึปืึผึธึฝื ืึผื
English:
But now, O ETERNAL One, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You are the Potter, We are all the work of Your hands.
ืคืกืืง ืืณ ยท Verse 8
Hebrew:
ืึทืึพืชึผึดืงึฐืฆึนึคืฃ ืึฐืึนืึธืึ ืขึทืึพืึฐืึนึื ืึฐืึทืึพืึธืขึทึื ืชึผึดืึฐืึผึนึฃืจ ืขึธืึบึื ืึตึฅื ืึทืึผึถืึพื ึธึื ืขึทืึผึฐืึธึฅ ืึปืึผึธึฝื ืึผื
English:
Be not implacably angry, O ETERNAL One, Do not remember iniquity forever. Oh, look down to Your people, to us all!
ืคืกืืง ืืณ ยท Verse 9
Hebrew:
ืขึธืจึตึฅื ืงืืึฐืฉืึฐืึธึ ืึธืึฃืึผ ืึดืึฐืึผึธึืจ ืฆึดืึผืึนืึ ืึดืึฐืึผึธึฃืจ ืึธืึธึืชึธื ืึฐืจืึผืฉืึธืึทึอึดื ืฉืึฐืึธืึธึฝืื
English:
Your holy cities have become a desert: Zion has become a desert, Jerusalem a desolation.
ืคืกืืง ืืณ ยท Verse 10
Hebrew:
ืึผึตึงืืช ืงืืึฐืฉืึตึฃื ืึผ ืึฐืชึดืคึฐืึทืจึฐืชึผึตึื ืึผ ืึฒืฉืึถึคืจ ืึดึฝืึฐืึืึผืึธึ ืึฒืึนืชึตึืื ืึผ ืึธืึธึื ืึดืฉืึฐืจึตึฃืคึทืช ืึตึืฉื ืึฐืืืึพืึทืึฒืึทืึผึตึืื ืึผ ืึธืึธึฅื ืึฐืืืจึฐืึผึธึฝืื
English:
Our holy temple, our pride, Where our ancestors praised You, Has been consumed by fire: And all that was dear to us is ruined.
ืคืกืืง ืืดื ยท Verse 11
Hebrew:
ืึทืขึทืึพืึตึฅืึผึถื ืชึดืชึฐืึทืคึผึทึืง ืึฐืึนืึธึื ืชึผึถืึฑืฉืึถึฅื ืึผืชึฐืขึทื ึผึตึื ืึผ ืขึทืึพืึฐืึนึฝืืย {ืค}
English:
At such things will You restrain Yourself, O ETERNAL One, Will You stand idly by and let us suffer so heavily?
โถCommentaries (1)