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Isaiah 64:8

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Isaiah 64:8 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “But now, O Jehovah, thou art our Father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

But now, O Jehovah, thou art our Father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
Isaiah 64:8 — American Standard Version

Context — Isaiah 64

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
5Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou wast wroth, and we sinned: in them [have we been] of long time; and shall we be saved?
6For we are all become as one that is unclean, and all our righteousnesses are as a polluted garment: and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
7And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee; for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us by means of our iniquities.
8But now, O Jehovah, thou art our Father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
9Be not wroth very sore, O Jehovah, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, look, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.
10Thy holy cities are become a wilderness, Zion is become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
11Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned with fire; and all our pleasant places are laid waste.
← Isaiah 64:7Isaiah 64:9 →
← Full Chapter 64 Isaiah Overview

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“But now, O Lord, thou art our father, &c.] Notwithstanding all that we have done against thee, and thou hast done to us, the relation of a father continues; thou art our Father by creation and adoption; as he was in a particular manner to the Jews, to whom belonged the adoption; and therefore this relation is pleaded, that mercy might be shown them; and so the Targum, “and thou, Lord, thy mercies towards us “are” many (or let them be many) as a father towards “his” children.” We are the clay, and thou our potter: respecting their original formation out of the dust of the earth; and so expressing humility in themselves, and yet ascribing greatness to God, who had curiously formed them, as the…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“father-- (Isa 63:16). clay . . . potter-- (Isa 29:16; Isa 45:9). Unable to mould themselves aright, they beg the sovereign will of God to mould them unto salvation, even as He made them at the first, and is their "Father."”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“But now, O Lord, thou art our Father - (See the notes at Isaiah 63:16). We are the clay - The idea seems to be, that their condition then had been produced by him as clay is moulded by the potter, and that they were to be returned and restored entirely by him - as they had no more power to do it than the clay had to shape itself. The sense is, that they were wholly in his hand and at his disposal (see the notes at Isaiah 29:16; Isaiah 45:9). And thou our potter - Thou hast power to mould us as the potter does the clay. And we all are the work of thy hand - That is, as the vessel made by the potter is his work. We have been formed by thee, and we are dependent on thee to make us what thou…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Our father - Notwithstanding all this thou art our father both by creation, and by adoption, therefore pity us thy children. Isaiah 64:9”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“64:8 clay . . . potter: See also 29:16; 45:9; Rom 9:20-21.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“thou art: Isa 63:16; Exo 4:22; Deu 32:6; Gal 3:26, Gal 3:29 are the clay: Isa 29:16, Isa 45:9; Jer 18:2-6; Rom 9:20-24 all are: Isa 43:7, Isa 44:21, Isa 44:24; Job 10:8, Job 10:9; Psa 100:3, Psa 119:73, Psa 138:8; Eph 2:10 Isaiah 64:9”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification