Isaiah 64:3 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 64:3 mean?

Isaiah 64:3 recalls a time when God acted in ways that startled his people and showed his power. The speaker addresses God directly, remembering deeds beyond what the people had expected.

The image of mountains flowing at God’s presence pictures even the most solid parts of the land giving way before him. In the prayer around this verse, the speaker remembers those past deeds while asking God to come down again.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 64:3

• “terrible things” — יָרֵא (yareʾ): The word carries the sense of fear or awe. Here, “terrible” describes deeds that inspire awe, rather than simply deeds that are bad.
• “looked not for” — קָוָה (qavah): The word often means to wait for or expect. The phrase presents God’s deeds as going beyond what the people anticipated.
• “flowed down” — נָזַל (nazal): The word can mean to flow or stream. It gives the picture of mountains behaving like liquid when God comes near.

Why Isaiah 64:3 matters

• The verse supports a request with a memory. After the plea for God to come down in verse 1, the speaker says, “thou camest down,” recalling that God had acted before.
• The speaker speaks for a people, not only for himself. “We looked not for” joins him to those whose expectations were overtaken by God’s deeds.