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

ISAIAH 64:12KJV
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Isaiah 64:12 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 64:12 mean?

Isaiah 64:12 is a plea to God, asking if He will remain silent and continue to let His people suffer so greatly. The speaker is questioning whether God will hold back from helping, even after all the hardship and distress they have experienced.

The verse comes from a prayer where the prophet Isaiah speaks on behalf of the people of Israel, who are feeling abandoned and overwhelmed by their troubles. Isaiah is addressing the LORD directly, expressing deep sorrow and confusion about why God seems to be withholding mercy and allowing severe suffering.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 64:12

  • "refrain" (יַתְעַצֵּר, yit‘atser): This word means to hold back or restrain oneself. Here, it emphasizes the idea of God choosing not to act or intervene, which adds to the sense of desperation in the prayer.
  • "LORD" (יְהוָה, YHWH): This is the personal name of God in the Hebrew Bible, highlighting that the plea is directed to the covenant God of Israel, not just a distant deity.
  • "peace" (תַּחֲרִישׁ, taḥarish): This word means to be silent or to keep still. The question is whether God will continue to remain silent in the face of their suffering, which intensifies the emotional weight of the verse.
  • "afflict" (תְּעַנֵּנוּ, te‘annenu): This verb means to humble, oppress, or cause suffering. The people are recognizing that their hardship is severe and are asking if God will continue to allow it.
  • "sore" (מְאֹד, me’od): This word means "very" or "exceedingly," stressing the intensity of the suffering being described.

Why Isaiah 64:12 matters

  • Isaiah 64:12 shows the raw honesty of biblical prayer, where God's people can express confusion and pain directly to Him without holding back.
  • The verse highlights the feeling of abandonment that can come during times of suffering, making it clear that such feelings are not new or unusual in the life of faith.
  • This question to God connects with the larger theme in Isaiah 63–64, where the people remember God’s past mercy and wonder why He seems distant now, inviting readers to wrestle with the tension between faith and hardship.

Where else these words appear

“refrain” Hebrew H662 · used in 7 verses

  • Genesis 43:31 And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread.
  • 1 Samuel 13:12 Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering.
  • 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.

“peace” Hebrew H2814 · used in 16 verses

  • Judges 18:9 And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land.
  • Nehemiah 8:11 So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved.
  • 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.

“afflict” Hebrew H6031 · used in 80 verses

  • Genesis 15:13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
  • Judges 16:5 And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.
  • Psalms 105:18 Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: