Look down from heaven and seeThis phrase is a plea for God to observe the plight of His people from His divine vantage point. The concept of God looking down from heaven is a recurring theme in Scripture, emphasizing His sovereignty and omniscience (
Psalm 33:13-14). Heaven is depicted as God's dwelling place, a realm of holiness and glory, distinct from the earthly realm. This plea reflects a deep yearning for divine intervention, reminiscent of the cries of the Israelites in Egypt (
Exodus 2:23-25).
from Your holy and glorious habitation
God's habitation is described as holy and glorious, underscoring His purity and majesty. The temple in Jerusalem was considered a reflection of this heavenly dwelling, a place where God's presence was manifest among His people (1 Kings 8:27-30). The holiness of God's habitation sets Him apart from the profane and emphasizes His role as the ultimate judge and redeemer. This phrase also anticipates the New Testament revelation of Jesus Christ, who embodies God's glory and holiness (John 1:14).
Where are Your zeal and might?
The prophet questions the apparent absence of God's passionate commitment and power, which were historically demonstrated in acts of deliverance and judgment (Exodus 15:11-13). Zeal and might are attributes often associated with God's intervention on behalf of Israel, as seen in the Exodus and the conquest of Canaan. This inquiry reflects a period of perceived divine silence or inaction, prompting the faithful to seek reassurance of God's continued involvement in their lives.
Your yearning and compassion for me are restrained
This phrase expresses a sense of divine withholding, where God's deep love and mercy seem limited or delayed. The Hebrew terms for yearning and compassion convey a profound emotional connection, akin to a parent's love for a child (Isaiah 49:15). The restraint of these attributes suggests a period of testing or judgment, possibly due to Israel's sin and rebellion. However, it also points to the hope of restoration, as God's compassion ultimately triumphs over judgment (Lamentations 3:22-23). This tension between divine justice and mercy is fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ, who embodies God's compassion and offers redemption to humanity (Matthew 9:36).
Persons / Places / Events
1.
IsaiahThe prophet who authored the book, delivering messages from God to the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
2.
HeavenThe dwelling place of God, depicted as holy and glorious, from which God is asked to look down.
3.
GodThe central figure being addressed, whose attributes of zeal, might, tenderness, and compassion are being sought.
4.
Judah and JerusalemThe primary audience of Isaiah's prophecy, experiencing a period of distress and seeking God's intervention.
Teaching Points
God's Dwelling and SovereigntyRecognize that God is sovereign and dwells in a holy and glorious place, yet He is attentive to the cries of His people.
Attributes of GodReflect on God's attributes of zeal, might, tenderness, and compassion. These are not just abstract qualities but are actively involved in His relationship with His people.
The Human Condition and Divine ResponseUnderstand that feelings of divine distance or withheld compassion are part of the human experience, but they should lead us to earnest prayer and seeking God.
Prayer as a Response to DistressUse Isaiah's example to approach God in prayer, asking Him to reveal His power and compassion in our lives and circumstances.
Hope in God's Unchanging NatureTrust in the consistency of God's character, knowing that His compassion and mercy are new every morning, even when they seem distant.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Isaiah 63:15?
2.How does Isaiah 63:15 inspire us to seek God's compassion in prayer?
3.What does "Look down from heaven" reveal about God's relationship with humanity?
4.How can we apply God's "zeal and might" in our daily lives?
5.Connect Isaiah 63:15 with another scripture emphasizing God's compassion and mercy.
6.How does understanding God's "tenderness and compassion" affect our interactions with others?
7.Why does Isaiah 63:15 question God's compassion and zeal for His people?
8.How does Isaiah 63:15 reflect God's relationship with Israel?
9.What historical context influences the plea in Isaiah 63:15?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Isaiah 63?
11.In Isaiah 63:15–16, the prophet questions God’s absence—does this contradict the belief in God’s omnipresence throughout the Bible?
12.Why does the universe contain so much wasted space if God created it for humans?
13.Is God our Father?
14.Where is the location of Heaven?What Does Isaiah 63:15 Mean
Look down from heaven and seeIsaiah opens this plea as if standing on tiptoe, asking God to bend low and notice His people’s distress. The invitation is not born of doubt but of confidence that the Lord truly sees (Genesis 16:13;Psalm 33:13-14).
- Scripture never portrays God as aloof; He “looks down from heaven on all mankind” (Psalm 53:2).
- By voicing what feels obvious—“see us!”—the prophet gives voice to every heart that wonders whether its pain has reached the courts of heaven (Exodus 3:7).
- The call reminds us that petition begins with gaze: we look up, certain He will look down (Psalm 123:1-2).
from Your holy and glorious habitationThe throne room is not a far-off myth; it is the blazing reality from which God rules (Isaiah 6:1;Revelation 4:2-3).
- “The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD is on His throne in heaven” (Psalm 11:4).
- Holiness underscores His separateness; glory magnifies His majesty. Yet Scripture holds both truths together with His nearness (Isaiah 57:15).
- Knowing the One who indwells eternity also stoops to dwell with the contrite steadies the soul when earth feels unanchored.
Where are Your zeal and might?Having recalled God’s vantage point, Isaiah now recalls His track record of decisive action. “Zeal” speaks of passionate commitment (Isaiah 9:7), and “might” of unmatched power (Exodus 15:6).
- In earlier days the LORD’s zeal defeated Midian (Judges 7), toppled Jericho (Joshua 6), and shattered Assyria (Isaiah 37:32).
- To ask “Where are they?” is to confess faith in what God has done and urge Him to act again (Habakkuk 3:2).
- The prophet refuses to settle for a distant deity; he longs for the God who “stirs Himself like a warrior” (Isaiah 42:13).
Your yearning and compassion for me are restrainedThe final clause feels raw: mercy seems withheld. Yet even this lament rests on covenant certainty that God is compassionate (Exodus 34:6).
- Scripture records similar cries—“Has His loving devotion ceased forever?” (Psalm 77:8-9); “Why do You remain distant?” (Psalm 10:1).
- Seasons may arise when discipline or delay masks mercy (Lamentations 3:31-33). Still, the withheld compassions are only “for a brief moment” before overwhelming kindness returns (Isaiah 54:7-8).
- By naming the tension, faith stretches: it wrestles honestly while refusing to surrender expectancy.
summaryIsaiah 63:15 models a prayer that unites reverence with bold appeal. It looks upward to the holy throne, remembers past displays of zeal and power, admits present bewilderment, and clings to the certainty of God’s compassion even when it feels restrained. Such prayer anchors believers in the unchanging character of God, encouraging us to keep calling on Him until heaven’s zeal, might, and mercy break in once more.
(15)
Look down from heaven . . .--The form of the prayer reminds us of
2Chronicles 6:21. Perhaps there is a latent remonstrance, as though Jehovah, like an Eastern king, had withdrawn to the recesses of His palace, and had ceased to manifest His care and pity for His people, as He had done of old.
The sounding of thy bowels.--See Note onIsaiah 16:11. The words jar upon modern ears, but were to the Hebrew what "the sighs of thy heart" would be to us.
Verses 15-19. - A PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE FROM SIN AND SUFFERING. From thanksgiving and confession, the people betake themselves to prayer, and beseech God to look down from heaven once more, to have compassion on them, to acknowledge them, and to save them alike from themselves (ver. 17) and from their adversaries (vers. 18, 19). "It is difficult to overrate the spiritual beauty of the prayer contained in this passage. We may admit that the most prominent motive urged by the speaker has a nationalistic air; but behind this, and strengthening it, is a sense of the infiniteness of the Divine mercy, and of the
strong vitality of the union between Jehovah and his people" (Cheyne).
Verse 15. -
Look down from heaven (comp.
Deuteronomy 26:15;
Psalm 80:14;
2 Kings 8:30). "The Lord's seat" was "in heaven." While the temple lay in ruins, the Jews would naturally address their prayers to God in his heavenly abode.
From the habitation of thy holiness. Mr. Cheyne translates, from the
height of thy holiness," taking the meaning of the rare word
z'bul from the Assyrian. "Height" certainly suits well most of the other places where the word
z'bul occurs (
1 Kings 8:13;
2 Chronicles 6:2;
Psalm 49:14;
Habakkuk 3:11).
Where is thy zeal?i.e. What has become of it? Has it ceased altogether, or is it only in abeyance for a time? Will not God "stir it up" once more (
Isaiah 42:13)? And thy strength; rather,
and thy great acts (comp.
Psalm 106:2;
Psalm 145:4;
Psalm 150:2).
The sounding of thy bowels;
i.e. their thrilling or vibration - an indication of sympathy (see
Isaiah 16:11). Jeremiah has a similar expression (
Jeremiah 31:20).
Are they restrained? rather,
they are restrained. They no longer show themselves. There was no room for questioning the fact.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
Look downהַבֵּ֤ט(hab·bêṭ)Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 5027:To scan, look intently at, to regardfrom heavenמִשָּׁמַ֙יִם֙(miš·šā·ma·yim)Preposition-m | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8064:Heaven, skyand see,וּרְאֵ֔ה(ū·rə·’êh)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 7200:To seefrom Your holyקָדְשְׁךָ֖(qāḏ·šə·ḵā)Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 6944:A sacred place, thing, sanctityand gloriousוְתִפְאַרְתֶּ֑ךָ(wə·ṯip̄·’ar·te·ḵā)Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 8597:Beauty, gloryhabitation.מִזְּבֻ֥ל(miz·zə·ḇul)Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2073:Elevation, height, lofty abodeWhereאַיֵּ֤ה(’ay·yêh)Interrogative
Strong's 346:Where?are Your zealקִנְאָֽתְךָ֙(qin·’ā·ṯə·ḵā)Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 7068:Ardor, zeal, jealousyand might?וּגְב֣וּרֹתֶ֔ךָ(ū·ḡə·ḇū·rō·ṯe·ḵā)Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 1369:Force, valor, victoryYour yearningהֲמ֥וֹן(hă·mō·wn)Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1995:A noise, tumult, crowd, disquietude, wealthand compassionוְֽרַחֲמֶ֖יךָ(wə·ra·ḥă·me·ḵā)Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 7356:Compassion, the womb, a maidenfor meאֵלַ֥י(’ê·lay)Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's 413:Near, with, among, toare restrained.הִתְאַפָּֽקוּ׃(hiṯ·’ap·pā·qū)Verb - Hitpael - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 662:To contain, abstain
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OT Prophets: Isaiah 63:15 Look down from heaven and see from (Isa Isi Is) 
