And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.

ISAIAH 8:17KJV
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Isaiah 8:17 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 8:17 mean?

Isaiah 8:17 describes someone choosing to wait for the LORD, even though God seems distant and hidden from the people of Israel. The speaker expresses a decision to keep hoping and looking for God, despite feeling that God has turned away from the nation.

Isaiah himself is speaking, addressing a time when many in Israel (the house of Jacob) feel abandoned by God because of their unfaithfulness. The verse comes in the middle of warnings about coming judgment, but Isaiah personally commits to trust and seek God, even when God’s presence is not obvious. This shows a personal faith that holds on, even in dark or uncertain times.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 8:17

  • "wait" (חִכֵּה, ḥikkeh): This word often means to wait with expectation or hope, not just to pass time. Isaiah’s waiting is active and hopeful, not passive resignation.
  • "hideth" (מַסְתִּיר, mastir): This word means to conceal or hide. The sense is that God is deliberately not revealing Himself to Israel, which makes Isaiah’s choice to keep seeking God more striking.
  • "look" (קָוָה, qavah): This word can also mean to hope or to eagerly look for something. Isaiah is not just waiting but is actively hoping for God to act.

Why Isaiah 8:17 matters

  • Isaiah 8:17 clarifies that faith can mean trusting God even when He seems absent or silent, not just when His presence is obvious.
  • The verse highlights a personal response of faith in the midst of national crisis and judgment, showing that individual trust in God remains possible even when the community as a whole is struggling.
  • This verse connects to the larger theme in Isaiah of a faithful remnant—those who keep trusting God even when most do not.

Where else these words appear

“wait” Hebrew H2442 · used in 13 verses

  • 2 Kings 7:9 Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's household.
  • Psalms 33:20 Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.
  • Daniel 12:12 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.

“look” Hebrew H6960 · used in 45 verses

  • Genesis 1:9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
  • Psalms 40:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
  • Isaiah 49:23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

“hideth” Hebrew H5641 · used in 80 verses

  • Genesis 4:14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
  • Psalms 10:11 He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.
  • Proverbs 27:12 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.