Bible Strands
Isaiah 8:17
I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in Him.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Isaiah speaks in the Syro-Ephraimite crisis, between commanding the sealing of a testimony (8:16) and identifying himself and his children as signs from the LORD of Hosts (8:18). He addresses the house of Jacob with a personal declaration of posture.
The words — Two distinct Hebrew roots for waiting appear in sequence: חִכּיתִי (ḥikkītî, "I will wait") and קִוּיתִי (qûwītî, "I will wait eagerly"), suggesting a movement from endurance to active hope. The verb מסתיר (māssēr, "hiding") names what makes the wait difficult: Yahweh has turned His face away.
The thread — Habakkuk 2:3 pairs waiting with a vision that "will certainly come," Lamentations 3:25 calls the LORD "good to those who wait for Him," and Hebrews 10:36 requires perseverance to receive what is promised. All three tie waiting to a definite end.
Why it lands — The verse asks the reader to trust a God who is actively concealing Himself, without the comfort of present evidence. It demands holding position until the hidden one chooses to reveal.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.
Cross-references
- Hebrews 10:36 You need to persevere, so that after you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.
- Habakkuk 2:3 For 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.
- Lamentations 3:25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.
- Isaiah 25:9 And 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 rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”
- Psalms 33:20 Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.
- Isaiah 54:8 In a surge of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD your Redeemer.
- Deuteronomy 31:17 On that day My anger will burn against them, and I will abandon them and hide My face from them, so that they will be consumed, and many troubles and afflictions will befall them. On that day they will say, ‘Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is no longer with us?’
- Hebrews 9:28 so also Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him.
- Psalms 27:14 Wait patiently for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the LORD!
- Isaiah 50:10 Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of His Servant? Who among you walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD; let him lean on his God.