From 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.
Parallel translations
- WEB For from of old men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen a God besides you, who works for him who waits for him.
- KJV For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.
- NKJV For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him.
- NASB For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear, Nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who acts in behalf of one who waits for Him.
- NLT For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
No one has ever heard of a God like Yahweh, who acts for those who wait for Him. It matters because it celebrates the incomparable God who works on behalf of His people.
Overview
This verse declares God's uniqueness: He alone acts for those who patiently trust Him. Paul quotes it in 1 Corinthians 2:9 to describe the surpassing things God has prepared for those who love Him, revealed by His Spirit in the gospel. The verse calls God's people to hopeful, expectant waiting on the God who saves.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 26
- 1 Cor 2:9–10Rather, 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.”
- Ps 31:19How great is Your goodness which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have bestowed before the sons of men on those who take refuge in You!
- Jas 5:7Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the soil—how patient he is for the fall and spring rains.
- Isa 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 rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”
- Eph 3:17–21so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Then you, being rooted and grounded in love,
- Ps 130:5I wait for the LORD; my soul does wait, and in His word I put my hope.
- Col 1:26–27the mystery that was hidden for ages and generations but is now revealed to His saints.
- Gen 49:18I await Your salvation, O LORD.
- Lam 3:25–26The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.
- Isa 30:18Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore He rises to show you compassion, for the LORD is a just God. Blessed are all who wait for Him.
- John 14:3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am.
- 1 Jn 3:1–2Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.
- 1 Tim 3:16By common confession, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was proclaimed among the nations, was believed in throughout the world, was taken up in glory.
- Eph 3:5–10which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.
- Matt 25:34Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
- Heb 11:16Instead, they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
- Rom 8:19The creation waits in eager expectation for the revelation of the sons of God.
- 1 Cor 1:7Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly await the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Luke 2:25Now there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
- Ps 62:1For the choirmaster. According to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. In God alone my soul finds rest; my salvation comes from Him.
- Rom 8:23–25Not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
- 1 Jn 4:10And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
- 1 Th 1:10and to await His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath.
- Rev 22:1–5Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
- Rev 21:1–4Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
- Rev 21:22–24But I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
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Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 64:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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