Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.

ISAIAH 64:5KJV
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Isaiah 64:5 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 64:5 mean?

Isaiah 64:5 says that God meets with those who rejoice in doing what is right and remember Him by following His ways, but acknowledges that God is angry because the people have sinned; yet, in continuing in God’s ways, there is hope for salvation. The verse highlights both God’s readiness to respond to the faithful and the reality of human sin, while holding out the possibility of being saved through ongoing faithfulness.

In context, Isaiah is speaking on behalf of the people of Israel, praying to God during a time when they feel distant from Him because of their sins. The verse recognizes that God favors those who live righteously, but also honestly confesses the nation’s wrongdoing and appeals to God’s mercy. This is part of a larger prayer where Isaiah is asking God to remember His relationship with Israel and to restore them.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 64:5

  • "Meetest" (פָּגַע, paga‘): This word often means to encounter or come to meet, sometimes with the sense of intervening. Here, it suggests God actively drawing near to those who are joyful in doing right, not just passively waiting.
  • "Righteousness" (צֶדֶק, tsedeq): This word means doing what is just or right according to God’s standard. The verse connects God’s favor with those who practice this kind of living.
  • "Continuance" (עוֹלָם, ‘olam): This word usually means something lasting or enduring, often translated as "forever" or "perpetual." In this verse, it points to the idea that in God’s ways, there is lasting hope or ongoing salvation, not just a one-time event.

Why Isaiah 64:5 matters

  • Isaiah 64:5 clarifies that God responds to those who genuinely seek Him by living rightly and remembering His ways, not just those who claim to belong to Him.
  • The verse balances the reality of God’s anger over sin with the hope that comes from turning back to God and continuing in His ways, showing both honesty about failure and confidence in God’s mercy.
  • This verse helps set the tone for the surrounding passage, which is a heartfelt prayer for God’s presence and forgiveness, reminding readers that relationship with God involves both honest confession and a commitment to live according to His ways.

Where else these words appear

“rejoiceth” Hebrew H7797 · used in 24 verses

  • Deuteronomy 28:63 And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.
  • Psalms 68:3 But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.
  • Isaiah 65:19 And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.

“wroth” Hebrew H7107 · used in 32 verses

  • Genesis 40:2 And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers.
  • Deuteronomy 9:19 For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also.
  • Isaiah 8:21 And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward.

“meetest” Hebrew H6293 · used in 43 verses

  • Genesis 23:8 And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and intreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,
  • Joshua 19:27 And turneth toward the sunrising to Bethdagon, and reacheth to Zebulun, and to the valley of Jiphthahel toward the north side of Bethemek, and Neiel, and goeth out to Cabul on the left hand,
  • 1 Kings 2:32 And the LORD shall return his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing thereof, to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah.

“righteousness” Hebrew H6664 · used in 109 verses

  • Leviticus 19:15 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.
  • Psalms 52:3 Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.
  • Ecclesiastes 5:8 If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.