Isaiah 63 · Verse 17

Isaiah 63:17

O Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.
Isaiah 63:17, King James Version

Isaiah 63:17 in other translations

BSBWhy, O LORD, do You make us stray from Your ways and harden our hearts from fearing You? Return, for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.
WEBO LORD, why do you make us wander from your ways, and harden our heart from your fear? Return for your servants’ sake, the tribes of your inheritance.
ASVO Jehovah, why dost thou make us to err from thy ways, and hardenest our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.
YLTWhy causest Thou us to wander, O Jehovah, from Thy ways? Thou hardenest our heart from Thy fear, Turn back for Thy servants' sake, The tribes of Thine inheritance.
DARBYWhy, O Jehovah, hast thou made us to err from thy ways, hast hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.
BBEO Lord, why do you send us wandering from your ways, making our hearts hard, so that we have no fear of you? Come back, because of your servants, the tribes of your heritage.
WebsterO LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thy inheritance.

What does Isaiah 63:17 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
17. made us to err--that is, "suffer" us to err and to be hardened in our heart. They do not mean to deny their own blameworthiness, but confess that through their own fault God gave them over to a reprobate mind (Is 6:9, 10; Psa 119:10; Ro 1:28). Return--(Nu 10:36; Psa 90:13).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 17 Why hast thou made us to err - A mere Hebraism, for why hast thou permitted us to err. So, Lead us not into temptation; do not suffer us to fall into that to which we are tempted.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 63:15-19

They beseech him to look down on the abject condition of their once-favoured nation. Would it not be glorious to his name to remove the veil from their hearts, to return to the tribes of his inheritance? The Babylonish captivity, and the after-deliverance of the Jews, were shadows of the events here foretold. The Lord looks down upon us in tenderness and mercy. Spiritual judgments are more to be dreaded than any…

Read the full comment on Isaiah 63:15-19 →

Isaiah 63:17 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

לָ֣מָּהLa.mah<to> why?H4100
תַתְעֵ֤נוּtat.'E.nudo you make wander usH8582
יְהוָה֙Yah.wehO YahwehH3068
מִדְּרָכֶ֔יךָmi.de.ra.Khei.khafrom ways yourH1870
תַּקְשִׁ֥יחַtak.Shi.achdo you harden?H7188
לִבֵּ֖נוּli.Be.nuheart ourH3820
מִיִּרְאָתֶ֑ךָmi.yir.'a.Te.khafrom fear of youH3374
שׁ֚וּבShuvreturnH7725
לְמַ֣עַןle.Ma.'anfor [the] sake ofH4616
עֲבָדֶ֔יךָ'a.va.Dei.khaservants yourH5650
שִׁבְטֵ֖יshiv.Tei[the] tribes ofH7626
נַחֲלָתֶֽךָ\׃na.cha.la.Te.khainheritance yourH5159

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Isaiah 63:17

  • Isaiah 6:10

    Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

  • Joshua 11:20

    For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the Lord commanded Moses.

  • Ezekiel 14:7-9

    For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I the Lord will answer him by myself: And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the Lord have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

  • Deuteronomy 2:30

    But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him: for the Lord thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day.

  • Isaiah 29:13

    Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

  • Psalms 90:13

    Return, O Lord, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants.

  • John 12:40

    He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

  • Numbers 10:36

    And when it rested, he said, Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel.

  • Romans 9:18-20

    Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?

  • Zechariah 1:12

    Then the angel of the Lord answered and said, O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?

  • 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12

    And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

  • Psalms 141:4

    Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
why.
Ps 119:10,36; 141:4; Eze 14:7-9; 2Th 2:11,12
and hardened.
6:10; De 2:30; Jos 11:20; Joh 12:40; Ro 9:18-20
Return.
Nu 10:36; Ps 74:1,2; 80:14; 90:13; Zec 1:12

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Isaiah 63:16

    Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O Lord, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting.

  • Isaiah 63:17

    O Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.

  • Isaiah 63:18

    The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary.

Read all of Isaiah 63

Isaiah 63:17 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
¿Por qué, oh Jehová, nos has hecho errar de tus caminos, y endureciste nuestro corazón á tu temor? Vuélvete por amor de tus siervos, por las tribus de tu heredad.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Pourquoi nous as-tu fait errer, ô Éternel, loin de tes voies, et as-tu endurci notre cœur pour ne pas te craindre? Retourne-toi, à cause de tes serviteurs, des tribus de ton héritage.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Warum, Jehova, läßt du uns von deinen Wegen abirren, verhärtest unser Herz, daß wir dich nicht fürchten? Kehre zurück um deiner Knechte willen, der Stämme deines Erbteils!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Quare errare nos fecisti, Domine, de viis tuis; indurasti cor nostrum ne timeremus te? Convertere propter servos tuos, tribus hæreditatis tuæ.