Isaiah 64:9 Meaning and Explanation
“Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Do not be intensely angry, O Lord; do not remember our iniquity forever. See us, we beg, for we are all Your people.
The Context of Isaiah 64:9
The prayer combines honest petition with reassurance based on covenant relationship.
What Does Isaiah 64:9 Mean?
The prayer appeals now with both humility and confidence. Do not be wroth very sore. Not a demand, but a plea grounded in the nature of God. The prayer is not asking God to ignore sin or pretend it did not happen; it is asking Him not to let His anger have the final word. Remember, instead, that we are Your people. This claim is not based on Israel's worthiness; it is based on the bond itself. We are Yours. You have claimed us. That covenant claim is the ground of the appeal.
In the New Testament, this same logic appears transformed. We come before God as those for whom Christ died. We are not just God's people in the abstract; we are the redeemed, purchased at a price. The intensity of God's anger at sin is matched only by the intensity of His love, poured out on the cross. When we pray this prayer now, we pray in the light of the resurrection, where the anger is satisfied and the people are fully restored.
Isaiah 64:9 in the Original Language
Am (Hebrew), 'people, nation' - carries the sense of those bound together by common calling and covenant.
Where Isaiah 64:9 Echoes in Scripture
Psalm 79:8-9 (remember mercy, not sin); Romans 5:9 (saved from wrath through Christ); 1 Peter 2:9 (a chosen people, a royal priesthood)
How to Apply Isaiah 64:9 Today
We can ask God to moderate His judgment because we come as those already claimed by Him. Our identity as His people, bought with a price, is our standing in prayer.