Introduction to Isaiah 64

Structure and Formatting

This chapter, together with the second part of the previous chapter, is a psalm of supplication in which the prophet prays on behalf of the whole community for forgiveness and restoration. Psalms 79 and 80 are examples of this kind of psalm. They too are prayers for God to restore the nation after its destruction by the Babylonians. Psalm 89 is an even closer parallel. It begins quite similarly, and it too includes a lengthy historical section. The sections of this prayer represent several of the basic elements of a psalm of supplication. (If you have already translated the book of psalms, it may be helpful to see what you did in Psalms 79, 80, and 89 before translating this part of the book of Isaiah.) 1. Recollection: “I will make one remember the covenant faithfulnesses of Yahweh” (63:7–14) 2. Complaint: “Look down from heaven and see” (63:15–19) 3. Petition: “If only you would rend the heavens, you would come down!” (64:1–5) 4. Confession: “All of us have become like one who is unclean” (64:6–7) 5. Renewed Petition: “And now, Yahweh, you are our Father” (64:8–12)While prophets typically spoke to the people in God’s name, here the prophet is speaking to God on behalf of the people. He has just said that he will not cease praying for Jerusalem until God acts (62:6–7). So it is likely that the prophet composed this psalm and that it represents the kind of prayer he offered for the nation as it struggled to rebuild its cities and temple.