Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.

ISAIAH 64:9KJV
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Isaiah 64:9 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 64:9 mean?

Isaiah 64:9 is a plea to God, asking Him not to stay extremely angry ("wroth very sore") or to keep remembering the people's sins forever, but instead to look at them with mercy, recognizing that they are all His people. The verse expresses a deep desire for forgiveness and restoration from God after a time of wrongdoing.

In this verse, the prophet Isaiah is speaking on behalf of the people of Israel, addressing God directly during a time of distress and exile. The people are aware of their iniquities but appeal to their special relationship with God as His chosen people, hoping this will move God to compassion rather than continued anger.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 64:9

  • "wroth" (קָצַף, qatsaph): This word means to be very angry or enraged. The plea is for God not to remain in a state of intense anger.
  • "sore" (מְאֹד, me'od): This word intensifies the anger, meaning "very" or "exceedingly." It shows the depth of God's anger that the people are experiencing.
  • "remember" (זָכַר, zakar): To "remember" in Hebrew often means to keep something in mind with the intent to act on it. Here, the request is for God not to keep their sins present in His mind forever.
  • "iniquity" (עָוֹן, avon): This word refers to guilt or wrongdoing, especially in a moral or spiritual sense.
  • "ever" (עַד, ad): This word means "forever" or "continually," stressing the fear that God's anger and memory of their sins might never end.
  • "see" (נָבַט, nabat): This verb means to look at or regard. The people are asking God to notice them and their situation.
  • "people" (עַם, am): This word refers to a group bound together, often used for the nation of Israel as God's covenant people.

Why Isaiah 64:9 matters

  • Isaiah 64:9 clarifies that the people are not denying their guilt but are appealing to God's mercy based on their relationship as His people, not on their own merit.
  • The verse highlights the tension between God's justice (remembering iniquity) and His mercy (not being angry forever), a theme that runs throughout Isaiah and the whole Bible.
  • This plea connects to the wider context of Isaiah 64, where the people are longing for God's presence and intervention after a period of suffering and exile, showing their hope that God will ultimately forgive and restore them.

Where else these words appear

“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.

“ever” Hebrew H5703 · used in 49 verses

  • Exodus 15:18 The LORD shall reign for ever and ever.
  • Psalms 48:14 For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.
  • Psalms 145:2 Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.

“see” Hebrew H5027 · used in 67 verses

  • Genesis 15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
  • Psalms 13:3 Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;
  • Isaiah 22:11 Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.