Isaiah 64:3
New International Version
For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.

New Living Translation
When you came down long ago, you did awesome deeds beyond our highest expectations. And oh, how the mountains quaked!

English Standard Version
When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.

Berean Standard Bible
When You did awesome works that we did not expect, You came down, and the mountains trembled at Your presence.

King James Bible
When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.

New King James Version
When You did awesome things for which we did not look, You came down, The mountains shook at Your presence.

New American Standard Bible
When You did awesome things which we did not expect, You came down, the mountains quaked at Your presence.

NASB 1995
When You did awesome things which we did not expect, You came down, the mountains quaked at Your presence.

NASB 1977
When Thou didst awesome things which we did not expect, Thou didst come down, the mountains quaked at Thy presence.

Legacy Standard Bible
When You did awesome things for which we did not hope, You came down; the mountains quaked at Your presence.

Amplified Bible
When You did awesome and amazing things which we did not expect, You came down [at Sinai]; the mountains quaked at Your presence.

Christian Standard Bible
When you did awesome works that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains quaked at your presence.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
When You did awesome works that we did not expect, You came down, and the mountains quaked at Your presence.

American Standard Version
When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains quaked at thy presence.

Contemporary English Version
Your fearsome deeds have completely amazed us; even the mountains shake when you come down.

English Revised Version
When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When you did awe-inspiring things that we didn't expect, you came down and the mountains quaked in your presence.

Good News Translation
There was a time when you came and did terrifying things that we did not expect; the mountains saw you and shook with fear.

International Standard Version
When you did awesome deeds that we expected, you came down, and the mountains shuddered before you.

Majority Standard Bible
When You did awesome works that we did not expect, You came down, and the mountains trembled at Your presence.

NET Bible
When you performed awesome deeds that took us by surprise, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.

New Heart English Bible
When you did awesome things which we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.

Webster's Bible Translation
When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.

World English Bible
When you did awesome things which we didn’t look for, you came down, and the mountains quaked at your presence.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
In Your doing fearful things [that] we do not expect, "" You came down, "" Mountains flowed from Your presence.

Young's Literal Translation
In Thy doing fearful things -- we expect not, Thou didst come down, From Thy presence did mountains flow.

Smith's Literal Translation
In thy doing wonderful things we shall not expect, thou camest down, the mountains flowed from before thee.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
When thou shalt do wonderful things, we shall not bear them: thou didst come down, and at thy presence the mountains melted away.

Catholic Public Domain Version
When you will perform miracles, we will not be able to withstand them. You descended, and the mountains flowed away before your presence.

New American Bible
While you worked awesome deeds we could not hope for,

New Revised Standard Version
When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
When thou didst wondrous things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains fled at thy presence.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
When you did wonders that we did not expect, you came down and the mountains quaked before you
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
When Thou didst tremendous things Which we looked not for-- Oh that Thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might quake at Thy presence!--

Brenton Septuagint Translation
whenever thou shalt work gloriously; trembling from thee shall take hold upon the mountains.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Prayer for God's Power
2as fire kindles the brushwood and causes the water to boil, to make Your name known to Your enemies, so that the nations will tremble at Your presence! 3When You did awesome works that we did not expect, You came down, and the mountains trembled at Your presence. 4From ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides You, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.…

Cross References
Exodus 34:10
And the LORD said, “Behold, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I will perform wonders that have never been done in any nation in all the world. All the people among whom you live will see the LORD’s work, for it is an awesome thing that I am doing with you.

Deuteronomy 4:34
Or has any god tried to take as his own a nation out of another nation—by trials, signs, wonders, and war, by a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and by great terrors—as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt, before your eyes?

Psalm 77:14
You are the God who works wonders; You display Your strength among the peoples.

Psalm 145:6
They will proclaim the power of Your awesome deeds, and I will declare Your greatness.

Micah 7:15
As in the days when you came out of Egypt, I will show My wonders.

Habakkuk 3:2
O LORD, I have heard the report of You; I stand in awe, O LORD, of Your deeds. Revive them in these years; make them known in these years. In Your wrath, remember mercy!

1 Corinthians 2:9
Rather, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Acts 2:19-20
I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. / The sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the coming of the great and glorious Day of the Lord.

Matthew 11:21
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

John 14:12
Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

Romans 15:19
by the power of signs and wonders, and by the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.

Mark 2:12
And immediately the man got up, picked up his mat, and walked out in front of them all. As a result, they were all astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Luke 10:13
Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

Acts 4:30
as You stretch out Your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.”

Psalm 105:27
They performed His miraculous signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham.


Treasury of Scripture

When you did terrible things which we looked not for, you came down, the mountains flowed down at your presence.

thou didst

Exodus 34:10
And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the LORD: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee.

Deuteronomy 4:34
Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?

Deuteronomy 10:21
He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen.

the mountains

Isaiah 64:1
Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,

Habakkuk 3:3,6
God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise…

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Awesome Camest Ear Expect Eye Fearful Flow Flowed Mountains News Presence Quake Quaked Terrible Trembled Tremendous Waiting Working Wouldest
Isaiah 64
1. The church prays for the illustration of God's power
4. Celebrating God's mercy, it makes confession of their natural corruptions
9. It complains of their afflictions














When You did awesome works
The phrase "awesome works" in Hebrew is often associated with acts that inspire awe and reverence, typically attributed to divine intervention. The Hebrew root word for "awesome" is "yare," which conveys a sense of fear and reverence. Historically, this reflects the mighty acts of God, such as the parting of the Red Sea or the plagues in Egypt, which were beyond human capability and understanding. These works are a testament to God's power and sovereignty, reminding believers of His ability to intervene in human history in miraculous ways.

that we did not expect
This phrase highlights the element of surprise and the unexpected nature of God's interventions. The Hebrew word "qavah" can mean to wait or to expect, indicating that God's actions often surpass human anticipation. This serves as a reminder of God's omniscience and His plans that are higher than human plans (Isaiah 55:8-9). It encourages believers to trust in God's timing and wisdom, even when His ways are not immediately apparent.

You came down
The imagery of God "coming down" is significant in biblical theology, symbolizing God's direct involvement in the world. This phrase echoes the theophany at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:18-20), where God descended to give the Law to Moses. It signifies God's willingness to engage with His creation and His people, bridging the gap between the divine and the human. This descent is a precursor to the ultimate coming down of God in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, emphasizing God's desire for relationship and redemption.

and the mountains trembled
Mountains in biblical literature often symbolize stability and permanence. The trembling of mountains signifies the overwhelming power and majesty of God, who can shake even the most stable elements of creation. The Hebrew word "ra'ash" means to quake or shake, illustrating the physical manifestation of God's presence. This serves as a metaphor for the transformative power of God, who can alter the very foundations of the earth and, by extension, the lives of His people.

at Your presence
The presence of God, or "panim" in Hebrew, is a central theme in Scripture, representing God's face or countenance. It is a source of blessing, guidance, and protection for His people. The trembling of the mountains at God's presence underscores the holiness and majesty of God, before whom all creation bows. For believers, this presence is both comforting and awe-inspiring, a reminder of God's nearness and His ultimate authority over all things. It calls for a response of worship, reverence, and submission to His will.

(3) When thou didst terrible things . . .--The latter clause, "thou camest down . . ." is supposed by some critics to be an accidental repetition from Isaiah 64:1. By others it is taken as an intentional repetition, emphasising the previous assertion, after the manner of Hebrew poetry. The latter view seems to have most in its favour.

Verse 3 - When thou didst terrible things (comp. Deuteronomy 10:21; 2 Samuel 7:23; Psalm 49:4; Psalm 106:22). The phrase, as Mr. Cheyne remarks, is a "standing" one for the wonders of the Exodus. Which we looked not for; i.e. which transcended our utmost expectations. Thou earnest down (see Exodus 19:11, 20).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
When You did
בַּעֲשׂוֹתְךָ֥ (ba·‘ă·śō·wṯ·ḵā)
Preposition-b | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

awesome works
נוֹרָא֖וֹת (nō·w·rā·’ō·wṯ)
Verb - Nifal - Participle - feminine plural
Strong's 3372: To fear, to revere, caus, to frighten

that we did not
לֹ֣א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

expect,
נְקַוֶּ֑ה (nə·qaw·weh)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - first person common plural
Strong's 6960: To bind together, collect, to expect

You came down,
יָרַ֕דְתָּ (yā·raḏ·tā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3381: To come or go down, descend

and the mountains
הָרִ֥ים (hā·rîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2022: Mountain, hill, hill country

trembled
נָזֹֽלּוּ׃ (nā·zōl·lū)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 2151: To shake, to quake, to be loose morally, worthless, prodigal

at Your presence.
מִפָּנֶ֖יךָ (mip·pā·ne·ḵā)
Preposition-m | Noun - common plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 6440: The face


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 64:3 When you did terrible things which we (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 64:2
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