Isaiah 64:1

King James Version

Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,

Parallel Translations

Legacy Standard Bible
Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down,That the mountains might quake at Your presence—

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down, That the mountains might quake at Your presence—

Bible in Basic English
O let the heavens be broken open and come down, so that the mountains may be shaking before you,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
O that thou wouldest cleaue the heauens in sunder & come downe, that the mountaines might melt away at thy presence:

Darby Translation
Oh, that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down,—that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,

New King James Version
Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence--

Literal Translation
Oh that You would tear the heavens and come down, that mountains would quake before You.

Easy-to-Read Version
If you would tear open the skies and come down to earth, then everything would change. Mountains would melt before you.

World English Bible
Oh that you would tear the heavens, that you would come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence,

King James Version (1611)
Oh that thou wouldest rent the heauens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountaines might flowe downe at thy presence,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
O that thou woldest cleue the heauen in sonder, & come downe: that the mountaynes might melt awaye at thy presence,

THE MESSAGE
Oh, that you would rip open the heavens and descend, make the mountains shudder at your presence— As when a forest catches fire, as when fire makes a pot to boil— To shock your enemies into facing you, make the nations shake in their boots! You did terrible things we never expected, descended and made the mountains shudder at your presence. Since before time began no one has ever imagined, No ear heard, no eye seen, a God like you who works for those who wait for him. You meet those who happily do what is right, who keep a good memory of the way you work. But how angry you've been with us! We've sinned and kept at it so long! Is there any hope for us? Can we be saved? We're all sin-infected, sin-contaminated. Our best efforts are grease-stained rags. We dry up like autumn leaves— sin-dried, we're blown off by the wind. No one prays to you or makes the effort to reach out to you Because you've turned away from us, left us to stew in our sins.

Amplified Bible
Oh, that You would tear open the heavens and come down, That the mountains might quake at Your presence—

American Standard Version
Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might quake at thy presence,

Update Bible Version
Oh that you would rend the heavens, that you would come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence,

Webster's Bible Translation
Oh that thou wouldst rend the heavens, that thou wouldst come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,

New Century Version
Tear open the skies and come down to earth so that the mountains will tremble before you.

New English Translation
If only you would tear apart the sky and come down! The mountains would tremble before you!

Contemporary English Version
Rip the heavens apart! Come down, Lord ; make the mountains tremble.

Complete Jewish Bible
It would be like fire kindling the brush, and the fire then makes the water boil. Then your enemies would know your name, the nations would tremble before you!

Geneva Bible (1587)
Oh, that thou wouldest breake the heauens, and come downe, and that the mountaines might melt at thy presence!

George Lamsa Translation
OH that thou wouldst rend the heavens and that thou wouldst come down, that the mountains might flee at thy presence;

Hebrew Names Version
Oh that you would tear the heavens, that you would come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence,

JPS Old Testament (1917)
As when fire kindleth the brush-wood, and the fire causeth the waters to boil; to make Thy name known to Thine adversaries, that the nations might tremble at Thy presence,

New Living Translation
Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down! How the mountains would quake in your presence!

New Life Bible
If only You would tear open the heavens and come down! The mountains would shake before You,

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
If thou wouldest open the heaven, trembling will take hold upon the mountains from thee, and they shall melt,

English Revised Version
Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence;

Berean Standard Bible
If only You would rend the heavens and come down, so that mountains would quake at Your presence,

New Revised Standard
O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence—

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Would that thou hadst rent the heavens, hadst come down,

Douay-Rheims Bible
O that thou wouldst rend the heavens, and wouldst come down: the mountains would melt away at thy presence.

Lexham English Bible
Would that you would tear the heavens and come down; the mountains would quake before you,

English Standard Version
Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence—

New American Standard Bible
Oh, that You would tear open the heavens and come down, That the mountains would quake at Your presence—

Good News Translation
Why don't you tear the sky open and come down? The mountains would see you and shake with fear.

Christian Standard Bible®
If only You would tear the heavens open and come down, so that mountains would quake at Your presence—

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
I wolde that thou brakist heuenes, and camest doun, that hillis fletiden awei fro thi face,

Revised Standard Version
O that thou wouldst rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at thy presence--

Young's Literal Translation
Didst Thou not rend the heavens? Thou didst come down, From thy presence did mountains flow,

Contextual Overview

¹ Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence, ² As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence! ³ When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence. ⁴ For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. ⁵ Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Oh that: Psalms 18:7-15, Psalms 144:5, Psalms 144:6, Mark 1:10, *marg.

that thou wouldest come: Isaiah 63:15, Exodus 3:8, Exodus 19:11, Exodus 19:18, Exodus 19:19, Micah 1:3, Micah 1:4, Habakkuk 3:1-13

that the: Judges 5:4, Judges 5:5, Psalms 46:6, Psalms 68:8, Psalms 114:4-7, Amos 9:5, Amos 9:13, Nahum 1:5, Nahum 1:6, 2 Peter 3:10-12, Revelation 20:11

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 22:10 - bowed 1 Kings 8:33 - pray Nehemiah 4:14 - great Nehemiah 9:13 - camest Job 14:18 - the mountain Psalms 14:2 - The Lord Psalms 83:14 - As the fire Psalms 84:2 - heart Psalms 97:5 - hills Psalms 104:32 - he toucheth Psalms 114:7 - Tremble Psalms 148:9 - Mountains Song of Solomon 4:16 - Awake Isaiah 10:17 - for a flame Isaiah 25:5 - shalt bring Isaiah 64:3 - the mountains Lamentations 3:50 - General Habakkuk 3:2 - O Lord Habakkuk 3:6 - the everlasting Habakkuk 3:10 - mountains Zechariah 4:7 - O great Zechariah 14:4 - cleave Zechariah 14:5 - the Lord Acts 7:34 - and am 2 Peter 3:12 - melt

Gill's Notes on the Bible

O that thou wouldst rend the heavens, that thou wouldst come down,.... Before, the church prayed that the Lord would look down from heaven and behold, Isaiah 63:15, now that he would open the heavens, and descend from thence; not by change of place, for he fills heaven and earth with his presence; but by some visible display of his power, in destroying her enemies, and delivering her from them. Some take this to be a prayer for the first coming of Christ from heaven to earth, by his incarnation, in order to redeem and save his people; and others that it is for his second coming to judgment, to take vengeance on his adversaries, when his wrath will burn like fire; but rather it is for his spiritual coming, to avenge his church and people on antichrist, and the antichristian states. She had seen him, as a triumphant conqueror, stained with the blood of his enemies; and now she prays for the accomplishment of what she had seen in vision and prophecy:

that the mountains might flow down at thy presence; kings and princes of the earth, and kingdoms and states governed by them, compared to mountains for their seeming firmness and stability; yet these will melt like wax, and flow like water, tremble and disappear at the presence of the King of kings, when he comes forth in his great wrath against them; as it is explained in the next verse,

that the nations may tremble at thy presence; see Revelation 16:20. Here ends the sixty third chapter in the Targum.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens - That is, in view of the considerations urged in the previous chapter. In view of the fact that the temple is burned up Isaiah 64:11; that the city is desolate; that the land lies waste, and that thine own people are carried captive to a distant land. The phrase ‘rend the heavens,’ implies a sudden and sublime descent of Yahweh to execute vengeance on his foes, as if his heart was full of vengeance, and the firmament were violently rent asunder at his sudden appearance. It is language properly expressive of a purpose to execute wrath on his foes, rather than to confer blessings on his people. The latter is more appropriately expressed by the heavens being gently opened to make way for the descending blessings. The word rendered here ‘rend’ (קרע qâra‛), means properly to tear asunder, as, e. g., the garments in grief Gen 37:29; 2 Samuel 13:31; or as a wild beast does the breast of anyone Hosea 13:8. The Septuagint, however, render it by a milder word - ἀνοίξης anoixēs - ‘If thou wouldst open the heavens,’ etc. So the Syriac renders it by ‘O that thou wouldst open,’ using a word that is usually applied to the opening of a door. God is often represented as coming down from heaven in a sublime manner amidst tempests, fire, and storms, to take vengeance on his foes. Thus Psalms 18:9 :

He bowed the heavens also and came down;

And darkness was under his feet.

Compare Habakkuk 3:5-6. It should be remembered that the main idea in the passage before us is that of Yahweh coming down to destroy his foes. His people entreat him to descend with the proofs of his indignation, so that every obstacle shall be destroyed before him, Thus he is described in Psalms 144:5-6 :

Bow thy heavens, O Lord, and come down;

Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke;

Cast forth lightning, and scatter them,

Shoot out thine arrows, and destroy them.

That the mountains might flow down at thy presence - The idea here is, that the presence of Yahweh would be like an intense burning heat, so that the mountains would melt and flow away. It is a most sublime description of his majesty, and is one that is several times employed in the Bible. Thus in relation to his appearance on Mount Sinai, in the song of Deborah Judges 5:4-5 :

The earth trembled and the heavens dropped,

The clouds also dropped water.

The mountains melted from before Yahweh,

Even Sinai from before Yahweh, the God of Israel.

So Psalms 97:5 :

The hills melted like wax at the presence of Yahweh,

At the presence of Yahweh (the God) of the whole earth.

So also in Micah 1:3-4 :

Lo, Yahweh cometh forth out of his place,

And will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth

And the mountains shall be molten under him.

And the valleys shall be cleft,

As wax before the fire,

And as the waters pour down a precipice.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER LXIV

The whole of this chapter, which is very pathetic and tender,

may be considered as a formulary of prayer and humiliation

intended for the Jews in order to their conversion, 1-12.

NOTES ON CHAP. LXIV

Verse Isaiah 64:1. O that thou wouldest rend the heavens - This seems to allude to the wonderful manifestation of God upon Mount Sinai.