Isaiah 8:17
in Isaiah 8I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in Him.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And I will wait for Jehovah, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.
KJV
And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.
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This verse in Isaiah 8
Commentary
8 notes on this verseSecond, the awaiting of what is hidden, and I will wait: but I will look towards the Lord, I will wait for God (Mic 7:7).
This site's exposition
Bind up the testimony and seal
on Isaiah 8:16-18
The command to "seal the law among my disciples" means kept safe and certified for a later day. Isaiah's posture is patient trust, "I will wait for the LORD," set against Ahaz's refusal of a sign. Isaiah and his children, Shear-jashub and Maher-shalal-hash-baz, stand as "signs and symbols in Israel."
This site's exposition
I will wait for the LORD
Isaiah has sealed the law among his disciples in 8:16, and now he will wait for the LORD. Barnes takes the waiting as the prophet's trust after Israel refused his word, and Gill as waiting for Christ. Hebrews 2:13 quotes the words.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 16, 17.) Join the testimonies, establish the law among my disciples, and I will wait for the Lord, who hides his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. The voice of the Lord speaking to the Prophet: because, he said, the Lord has become a stumbling stone and a rock of offense to the two houses of Israel, and they did not want to receive Emmanuel sent to them. Join the testimonies of the old Testament, and give them to my disciples, who have received the Gospel, namely the Apostles or the apostolic men.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
And I will wait upon the Lord,.... Or "for the Lord" (x); for the coming of Christ, the Immanuel, who would be a sanctuary to some, and a stone of stumbling to others, and whose doctrine in the meanwhile would be bound up and sealed; faith in, and expectation of the Messiah's coming, are often signified by waiting for him, Isa 25:9, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob; to whom the promise of him was made, from whom he should descend, to whom he should be sent, and whom he would redeem.
8 ) for their singularity, and because they run not with them to the same excess of riot, 1 Pet. iv. The prophet was herein a type of Christ; for this is quoted ( Heb. ii. 13 ) to prove that believers are Christ's children: Behold, I and the children whom God has given me.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-citation-number+unbalanced-parens
Yet - Yet, notwithstanding this dreadful prophecy concerning the rejection of Israel. Wait - I will cast my care upon him, and expect the accomplishment of his promise, in sending the Messiah, and in conferring upon me and all believing Israelites all his mercies and blessings.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
And I will wait upon the Lord - This is the commencement of a new subject. The prophet had closed his former message; but had seen that in regard to the great mass of the nation, his exhortation had been in vain. He now says, that having delivered his message, he would patiently look to God alone. His hope was in him, though the nation looked elsewhere; and though calamities were coming, yet he would still trust in God only. That hideth his face - This is a figurative expression, denoting the withdrawing of his favor and protection.
The words behind it
8 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְחִכִּ֙יתִי֙ | vechikiti | and I will wait | H2442 → | 14 times |
| לַיהוָ֔ה | layahweh | for Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| הַמַּסְתִּ֥יר | hamastir | who is hiding | H5641 → | 80 times |
| פָּנָ֖יו | panav | face his | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| מִבֵּ֣ית | mibeit | from [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| יַעֲקֹ֑ב | yaako | Jacob | H3290 → | 350 times |
| וְקִוֵּ֖יתִֽי־ | vekiveiti- | and I will wait eagerly | H6960 → | 49 times |
| לֽוֹ׃ | lo | for him |
וְחִכִּ֙יתִי֙and I will wait
vechikitiH2442 →14 times
לַיהוָ֔הfor Yahweh
layahwehH3068 →6520 times
הַמַּסְתִּ֥ירwho is hiding
hamastirH5641 →80 times
פָּנָ֖יוface his
panavH6440 →2123 times
מִבֵּ֣יתfrom [the] house of
mibeitH1004 →2046 times
יַעֲקֹ֑בJacob
yaakoH3290 →350 times
וְקִוֵּ֖יתִֽי־and I will wait eagerly
vekiveiti-H6960 →49 times
לֽוֹ׃for him
lo
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Habakkuk 2:3For the vision awaits an appointed time; it testifies of the end and does not lie. Though it lingers, wait for it, since it will surely come and will not delay.
it leads to
- Psalms 27:14
Wait patiently for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the LORD!
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Hebrews 10:36–37
You need to persevere, so that after you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.
- Lamentations 3:25–26
The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.
- Ezekiel 12:25
because I, the LORD, will speak whatever word I speak, and it will be fulfilled without delay. For in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak a message and bring it to pass,…
- Psalms 102:13
You will rise up and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show her favor— the appointed time has come.
- Psalms 27:14
Through
Isaiah 25:9And in that day it will be said, “Surely this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He has saved us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited. Let us…
it leads to
- Genesis 49:18
I await Your salvation, O LORD.
- Micah 7:7
But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.
- Genesis 49:18
Through
Psalms 33:20Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.
it leads to
- Isaiah 40:31
But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.
- Isaiah 40:31
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies9
On this verse
About Isaiah
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Prophecies of Isaiah; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.