Advent Season · First Sunday of Advent · Year B
Isaiah 64:1-9
Praise and Prayer
November 29, 2026
Overview & Insights
“Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down.” (Isaiah 64:1)
As the chiasm in chapters 56–66 treads its return path, the vision of the battling warrior (63:1–6) paired with the one in 59:15b–20. This prayer, then, pairs with the prayer in 59:9–15a. As the new vision was bloodier, the new prayer is much longer and more urgent. It has the features of a lament on the part of the community such as those that appear in the Psalms and in Lamentations, but like some of them (and like chapter 62) it unfolds as more of a stream of consciousness and closes with a question. It does suggest an alternating between confrontation (63:7–14, 17–19; 64:5–7) and plea (63:15–16; 64:1–4, 8–12), but elements of confession, questioning, prayer, appeal, and accusation interweave and repeat without forming a consistent pattern.
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Commentary
Isaiah 64:1-9 Working Preacher
A Luther Seminary commentary reading this communal lament as faithful, active waiting for God to tear open the heavens and come down.
Isaiah 64:1-9 Center for Excellence in Preaching
A Reformed commentary that turns the prophet's cry for God's presence into a model for Advent longing.
Isaiah 64 Enduring Word · David Guzik
A verse-by-verse evangelical treatment of the prayer that God would rend the heavens, and the confession that we are the clay and God the potter.
Classic commentaries on Isaiah 64 BibleHub
A classic aggregator stacking Barnes, Gill, Ellicott, and other historic commentators verse by verse.
Background & Word Study
Isaiah Enter the Bible
A scholarly book introduction covering Isaiah's composition, historical settings, and theology to frame the post-exilic lament of chapter 64.
Isaiah 64 in Hebrew, with Jewish commentary Sefaria
The Hebrew text with English translation and linked Jewish commentary for word-level study.
The Church Fathers
Sermons & Reflections
Questions preachers ask
What is the cry of Isaiah 64?
It is Advent's deepest prayer: that God would tear open the sky and come. The people confess their sin and appeal to the potter, “we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”
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