Isaiah 63:17
New International Version
Why, LORD, do you make us wander from your ways and harden our hearts so we do not revere you? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes that are your inheritance.

New Living Translation
LORD, why have you allowed us to turn from your path? Why have you given us stubborn hearts so we no longer fear you? Return and help us, for we are your servants, the tribes that are your special possession.

English Standard Version
O LORD, why do you make us wander from your ways and harden our heart, so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage.

Berean Standard Bible
Why, 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.

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
O LORD, why have You made us stray from Your ways, And hardened our heart from Your fear? Return for Your servants’ sake, The tribes of Your inheritance.

New American Standard Bible
Why, LORD, do You cause us to stray from Your ways And harden our heart from fearing You? Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.

NASB 1995
Why, O LORD, do You cause us to stray from Your ways And harden our heart from fearing You? Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.

NASB 1977
Why, O LORD, dost Thou cause us to stray from Thy ways, And harden our heart from fearing Thee? Return for the sake of Thy servants, the tribes of Thy heritage.

Legacy Standard Bible
Why, O Yahweh, do You cause us to stray from Your ways And stiffen our heart from fearing You? Return for the sake of Your slaves, the tribes of Your inheritance.

Amplified Bible
O LORD, why do You cause us to stray from Your ways And harden our heart from fearing You [with reverence and awe]? Return for Your servants’ sake, the tribes of Your heritage.

Christian Standard Bible
Why, LORD, do you make us stray from your ways? You harden our hearts so we do not fear you. Return, because of your servants, the tribes of your heritage.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Why, Yahweh, do You make us stray from Your ways? You harden our hearts so we do not fear You. Return, because of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.

American Standard Version
O 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.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Why have you made us wander, LORD JEHOVAH, from your road, and you hardened our heart from your awe? Return, because of your Servants, the tribes of your inheritance

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Why hast thou caused us to err, O Lord, from thy way? and has hardened our hearts, that we should not fear thee? Return for thy servants' sake, for the sake of the tribes of thine inheritance,

Contemporary English Version
Why did you make us turn away from you, our LORD? Why did you make us want to disobey you? Please change your mind! We are your servants, your very own people.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Why hast thou made us to err, O Lord, from thy ways: why hast thou hardened our heart, that we should not fear thee? return for the sake of thy servants, the tribes of thy inheritance.

English Revised Version
O LORD, 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.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
O LORD, why do you let us wander from your ways and become so stubborn that we are unable to fear you? Return for the sake of your servants. They are the tribes that belong to you.

Good News Translation
Why do you let us stray from your ways? Why do you make us so stubborn that we turn away from you? Come back, for the sake of those who serve you, for the sake of the people who have always been yours.

International Standard Version
Why, LORD, do you make us wander from your ways and harden our hearts, so that we do not fear you? Turn back for the sake of your servants, for the sake of the tribes that are your heritage.

JPS Tanakh 1917
O LORD, 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.

Literal Standard Version
Why cause us to wander, O YHWH, from Your ways? You harden our heart from Your fear, | Turn back for Your servants’ sake, | The tribes of Your inheritance.

Majority Standard Bible
Why, 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.

New American Bible
Why do you make us wander, LORD, from your ways, and harden our hearts so that we do not fear you? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage.

NET Bible
Why, LORD, do you make us stray from your ways, and make our minds stubborn so that we do not obey you? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your inheritance!

New Revised Standard Version
Why, O LORD, do you make us stray from your ways and harden our heart, so that we do not fear you? Turn back for the sake of your servants, for the sake of the tribes that are your heritage.

New Heart English Bible
O LORD, why do you make us to stray from your ways, and harden our heart from your fear? Return for your servants' sake, the tribes of your inheritance.

Webster's Bible Translation
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 thy inheritance.

World English Bible
O Yahweh, 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.

Young's Literal Translation
Why 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.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Prayer for Mercy
16Yet You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not acknowledge us. You, O LORD, are our Father; our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name. 17Why, 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. 18For a short while Your people possessed Your holy place, but our enemies have trampled Your sanctuary.…

Cross References
Exodus 4:21
The LORD instructed Moses, "When you go back to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders that I have put within your power. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.

Exodus 11:10
Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart so that he would not let the Israelites go out of his land.

Numbers 10:36
And when it came to rest, he would say: "Return, O LORD, to the countless thousands of Israel."

Psalm 74:2
Remember Your congregation, which You purchased long ago and redeemed as the tribe of Your inheritance--Mount Zion where You dwell.

Isaiah 29:13
Therefore the Lord said: "These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.

Isaiah 29:14
Therefore I will again confound these people with wonder upon wonder. The wisdom of the wise will vanish, and the intelligence of the intelligent will be hidden."

Isaiah 30:28
His breath is like a rushing torrent that rises to the neck. He comes to sift the nations in a sieve of destruction; He bridles the jaws of the peoples to lead them astray.


Treasury of Scripture

O LORD, why have you made us to err from your ways, and hardened our heart from your fear? Return for your servants' sake, the tribes of your inheritance.

why

Psalm 119:10,36
With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments…

Psalm 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.

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 inquire of him concerning me; I the LORD will answer him by myself: …

and hardened

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.

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.

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.

return

Numbers 10:36
And when it rested, he said, Return, O LORD, unto the many thousands of Israel.

Psalm 74:1,2
Maschil of Asaph. O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture? …

Psalm 80:14
Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine;

Jump to Previous
Cause Causest Err Fear Fearing Hard Harden Hardened Heart Hearts Heritage Inheritance Making Revere Sake Servants Stray Tribes Wander Wandering Ways
Jump to Next
Cause Causest Err Fear Fearing Hard Harden Hardened Heart Hearts Heritage Inheritance Making Revere Sake Servants Stray Tribes Wander Wandering Ways
Isaiah 63
1. Christ shows who he is
2. What his victory over his enemies
7. And what his mercy toward his church
10. In his just wrath he remembers his free mercy
15. The church, in her prayer
17. And complaint, professes her faith














(17) Why hast thou made us to err . . .--The prophet identifies himself with his people, and speaks as in their name. Have their sins led God to abandon them, and to harden their hearts as He hardened Pharaoh's? (Comp. Romans 9:17-22.) Are they given over as to a reprobate mind? Against that thought he finds refuge, where only men can find it, in prayer, and in pleading God's promise and the "election of grace," to which He at least remains faithful, though men are faithless. Conscious that they have no power without Him to return to Him, they can ask Him to return to them.

Verse 17. - Why hast thou made us to err from thy ways? Confession is here mingled with a kind of reproach. They have erred and strayed from God's ways, they ' allow; but why has he permitted it? Why has he, the shepherd of his flock (Isaiah 40:11; Isaiah 49:10), not restrained his wandering sheep, and kept them in his "ways "or "paths" ? The reproach borders on irreverence, but is kept within the limits of piety by the affection and trust that underlie it. They are like wayward children reproaching a tender mother, not quite believing in the justice of their reproaches, but with a very confident faith in her love and in her power to aid. They entertain no doubt but that God will "return" to them, and acknowledge them as his sheep, and resume their guidance and direction. And hardened our heart (comp. Exodus 4:21; Exodus 7:3; Exodus 9:12; Exodus 10:1), "When men have scornfully and obstinately rejected the grace of God, God withdraws it from them judicially, gives them up to their wanderings, and makes their hearts incapable of faith" (Delitzsch). If the process has not gone very far, God may relent, and "return," and soften the proud heart, and renew in it "his fear." This is what Israel now entreats him to do. For thy servants'sake. There was always "a remnant" in the worst times, which had not" bowed the knee to Baal." This was God's true "inheritance," which he might be expected to protect and aid.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Why,
לָ֣מָּה (lām·māh)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

O LORD,
יְהוָה֙ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

do You make us stray
תַתְעֵ֤נוּ (ṯaṯ·‘ê·nū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular | first person common plural
Strong's 8582: To vacillate, reel, stray

from Your ways
מִדְּרָכֶ֔יךָ (mid·də·rā·ḵe·ḵā)
Preposition-m | Noun - common plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 1870: A road, a course of life, mode of action

[and] harden
תַּקְשִׁ֥יחַ (taq·šî·aḥ)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 7188: To make hard, treat roughly

our hearts
לִבֵּ֖נוּ (lib·bê·nū)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common plural
Strong's 3820: The heart, the feelings, the will, the intellect, centre

from fearing You?
מִיִּרְאָתֶ֑ךָ (mî·yir·’ā·ṯe·ḵā)
Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 3374: Fear, reverence

Return,
שׁ֚וּב (ūḇ)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again

for the sake
לְמַ֣עַן (lə·ma·‘an)
Preposition
Strong's 4616: Purpose -- intent

of Your servants,
עֲבָדֶ֔יךָ (‘ă·ḇā·ḏe·ḵā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5650: Slave, servant

the tribes
שִׁבְטֵ֖י (šiḇ·ṭê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 7626: Rod, staff, club, scepter, tribe

of Your heritage.
נַחֲלָתֶֽךָ׃ (na·ḥă·lā·ṯe·ḵā)
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5159: Something inherited, occupancy, an heirloom, an estate, patrimony, portion


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 63:17 O Yahweh why do you make us (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 63:16
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