But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

ISAIAH 64:6KJV
Know the Bible

Isaiah 64:6 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 64:6 mean?

Isaiah 64:6 describes how, in God’s eyes, even the best things people do are like something unclean or dirty, and that everyone is swept away by their wrongdoing just as leaves are carried off by the wind. The verse uses vivid images to show that human efforts and goodness are not enough to make people right before God.

The prophet Isaiah is speaking on behalf of the people of Israel, confessing their spiritual condition to God during a time of trouble and exile. Isaiah uses strong language to admit that not only their sins, but even their “righteousnesses” (good deeds) are tainted and powerless to save them. The verse is a humble acknowledgment of human weakness and the deep need for God’s mercy.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 64:6

  • "unclean" (טָמֵא, tame’): This word refers to something ritually or morally impure, often used in the Old Testament for things that are not acceptable in worship or daily life. Isaiah uses it to describe the people themselves, not just their actions.
  • "righteousnesses" (צְדָקוֹת, tsedaqot): This is the plural form, meaning all the good deeds or acts of justice. Isaiah is saying that even the collective good works of the people are not truly clean before God.
  • "filthy" (עֵד, ‘ed): This word can mean something soiled or stained, and in this context, it emphasizes the extreme impurity of the “rags” being described.
  • "rags" (בֶּגֶד, beged): This word means garments or cloths, but paired with “filthy,” it paints a picture of something completely unfit for use, highlighting the depth of the problem.
  • "fade" (נָבֵל, navel): This verb describes something withering or decaying, like a leaf losing its life and strength. It shows how people’s lives and efforts are fragile and short-lived.
  • "iniquities" (עָוֹן, avon): This word refers to guilt or wrongdoing, especially the kind that carries consequences. Isaiah says these are what truly carry people away, not just outside forces.

Why Isaiah 64:6 matters

  • Isaiah 64:6 corrects the idea that good deeds alone can make someone acceptable to God, stressing that even the best human efforts fall short of true purity.
  • The verse highlights the seriousness of sin and the way it affects every part of life, not just isolated actions but even what people consider their strengths.
  • This confession sets the stage for the surrounding prayers in Isaiah, where the people plead for God’s forgiveness and help, recognizing their total dependence on His mercy rather than their own achievements.

Where else these words appear

“leaf” Hebrew H5929 · used in 13 verses

  • Genesis 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
  • Job 13:25 Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?
  • Isaiah 34:4 And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.

“fade” Hebrew H5034 · used in 21 verses

  • Exodus 18:18 Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.
  • Psalms 37:2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
  • Isaiah 40:7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.

“fade” Hebrew H1101 · used in 42 verses

  • Genesis 11:7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.
  • Numbers 7:13 And his offering was one silver charger, the weight thereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them were full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
  • Numbers 15:6 Or for a ram, thou shalt prepare for a meat offering two tenth deals of flour mingled with the third part of an hin of oil.

“unclean” Hebrew H2931 · used in 78 verses

  • Leviticus 5:2 Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty.
  • Leviticus 14:40 Then the priest shall command that they take away the stones in which the plague is, and they shall cast them into an unclean place without the city:
  • Deuteronomy 14:7 Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean unto you.