Isaiah 64:12

Wilt thou refrain thyself for these [things], O LORD? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?

Wilt thou refrain {H662} thyself for these things, O LORD {H3068}? wilt thou hold thy peace {H2814}, and afflict {H6031} us very sore {H3966}?

ADONAI, after all this, will you still hold back? Will you still stay silent and punish us past endurance?

After all this, O LORD, will You restrain Yourself? Will You keep silent and afflict us beyond measure?

Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O Jehovah? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?

Isaiah 64:12 KJV concludes a profound prayer of confession and petition, expressing the deep anguish and desperate hope of a people under divine judgment. The prophet, speaking for a repentant Israel, confronts God with a direct, poignant question:

Context of Isaiah 64:12

This verse is the culmination of a powerful prayer found in Isaiah 64:1-12. The people have confessed their sins, acknowledged their unworthiness, and lamented the desolate state of their land and the destruction of their holy temple (see Isaiah 64:11). They have appealed to God's character as their Father and Creator, likening themselves to clay in the hands of the divine Potter (Isaiah 64:8). Against this backdrop of national distress and heartfelt repentance, verse 12 voices a desperate plea for God to break His perceived silence and intervene in their severe affliction.

Key Themes and Messages

  • Lament and Supplication: The verse is a raw, honest cry from a people facing immense suffering. It highlights the biblical precedent for believers to bring their deepest pain and questions directly to God, even questioning His apparent inaction.
  • God's Apparent Silence: The phrase "wilt thou hold thy peace" reflects a common human experience of feeling that God is silent or distant during times of intense hardship. This perception of divine silence can be a profound source of distress, prompting desperate prayers for intervention (Psalm 22:2).
  • Severity of Affliction: "Afflict us very sore" underscores the extreme pain and desolation experienced by the people. It acknowledges that their suffering is not trivial but deeply impactful, a direct consequence of their sin and God's just discipline.
  • Plea for Divine Compassion: Underlying the questions is a desperate hope that God, who is known for His mercy and compassion (Exodus 34:6), will ultimately not "refrain" Himself from acting on their behalf. It's an appeal to His covenant faithfulness.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew word translated "refrain thyself" is hit'appeq (התאפק), meaning to hold oneself back, to restrain, or to contain one's emotions or actions. It implies that God has the power to act but is choosing to hold back. Similarly, "hold thy peace" comes from takharish (תחריש), which means to be silent or keep quiet. These terms together emphasize the people's perception of God's inaction and their longing for Him to break His silence and intervene actively to relieve their suffering.

Practical Application

Isaiah 64:12 offers several powerful lessons for believers today:

  • Honest Prayer: It validates the practice of bringing our raw, honest questions and laments before God, even when we feel He is silent or our suffering is overwhelming. God invites us to express our true feelings.
  • Trust in God's Character: Even in questioning, the prayer implicitly trusts in God's ultimate goodness and mercy. It reminds us that even when God seems distant, He remains sovereign and compassionate, and His discipline is not abandonment.
  • Hope in Intervention: The plea anticipates that God will not forever hold His peace but will eventually act to bring relief and restoration to His people, just as He promised a future of hope (Jeremiah 29:11). It encourages perseverance in prayer even in the face of prolonged difficulty.
Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Isaiah 42:14

    I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, [and] refrained myself: [now] will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once.

  • Psalms 74:10

    O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?

  • Psalms 74:11

    Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand? pluck [it] out of thy bosom.

  • Zechariah 1:12

    Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?

  • Psalms 74:18

    ¶ Remember this, [that] the enemy hath reproached, O LORD, and [that] the foolish people have blasphemed thy name.

  • Psalms 74:19

    O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude [of the wicked]: forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever.

  • Psalms 83:1

    ¶ A Song [or] Psalm of Asaph. Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.

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