Isaiah 63:18
New International Version
For a little while your people possessed your holy place, but now our enemies have trampled down your sanctuary.

New Living Translation
How briefly your holy people possessed your holy place, and now our enemies have destroyed it.

English Standard Version
Your holy people held possession for a little while; our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary.

Berean Standard Bible
For a short while Your people possessed Your holy place, but our enemies have trampled Your sanctuary.

King James Bible
The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary.

New King James Version
Your holy people have possessed it but a little while; Our adversaries have trodden down Your sanctuary.

New American Standard Bible
Your holy people possessed Your sanctuary for a little while, Our adversaries have trampled it down.

NASB 1995
Your holy people possessed Your sanctuary for a little while, Our adversaries have trodden it down.

NASB 1977
Thy holy people possessed Thy sanctuary for a little while, Our adversaries have trodden it down.

Legacy Standard Bible
Your holy people possessed Your sanctuary for a little while; Our adversaries have trodden it down.

Amplified Bible
Your holy people possessed Your sanctuary for [only] a little while; Our adversaries have trampled it down.

Christian Standard Bible
Your holy people had a possession for a little while, but our enemies have trampled down your sanctuary.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Your holy people had a possession for a little while, but our enemies have trampled down Your sanctuary.

American Standard Version
Thy holy people possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary.

Contemporary English Version
For a little while, your temple belonged to us; and now our enemies have torn it down.

English Revised Version
Thy holy people possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Your holy people possessed the land for a little while. Our enemies have trampled on your holy place.

Good News Translation
We, your holy people, were driven out by our enemies for a little while; they trampled down your sanctuary.

International Standard Version
Your holy people took possession for a little while, but now our enemies have trampled down your sanctuary.

Majority Standard Bible
For a short while Your people possessed Your holy place, but our enemies have trampled Your sanctuary.

NET Bible
For a short time your special nation possessed a land, but then our adversaries knocked down your holy sanctuary.

New Heart English Bible
Your holy people possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down your sanctuary.

Webster's Bible Translation
The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary.

World English Bible
Your holy people possessed it but a little while. Our adversaries have trodden down your sanctuary.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
For a little while Your holy people possessed, "" Our adversaries have trodden down Your sanctuary.

Young's Literal Translation
For a little while did Thy holy people possess, Our adversaries have trodden down Thy sanctuary.

Smith's Literal Translation
For a little While the people of thy holy place possessed it: our adversaries trod down thy holy place.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
They have possessed thy holy people as nothing: our enemies have trodden down thy sanctuary.

Catholic Public Domain Version
They have possessed your holy people as if it were nothing. Our enemies have trampled your sanctuary.

New American Bible
Why have the wicked invaded your holy place, why have our enemies trampled your sanctuary?

New Revised Standard Version
Your holy people took possession for a little while; but now our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
The people of thy holiness have possessed the land but a little while; our oppressors have trodden down thy sanctuary.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
A little one shall inherit the people of your holiness. Oppressors have trodden upon your holy place
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Thy holy people they have well nigh driven out, Our adversaries have trodden down Thy sanctuary.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
that we may inherit a small part of thy holy mountain.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Prayer for Mercy
17Why, O LORD, do You make us stray from Your ways and harden our hearts from fearing You? Return, for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage. 18For a short while Your people possessed Your holy place, but our enemies have trampled Your sanctuary. 19We have become like those You never ruled, like those not called by Your name.…

Cross References
Psalm 79:1
A Psalm of Asaph. The nations, O God, have invaded Your inheritance; they have defiled Your holy temple and reduced Jerusalem to rubble.

Psalm 74:2-3
Remember Your congregation, which You purchased long ago and redeemed as the tribe of Your inheritance—Mount Zion, where You dwell. / Turn Your steps to the everlasting ruins, to everything in the sanctuary the enemy has destroyed.

Lamentations 5:2
Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our houses to foreigners.

Jeremiah 12:7-9
I have forsaken My house; I have abandoned My inheritance. I have given the beloved of My soul into the hands of her enemies. / My inheritance has become to Me like a lion in the forest. She has roared against Me; therefore I hate her. / Is not My inheritance to Me like a speckled bird of prey with other birds of prey circling against her? Go, gather all the beasts of the field; bring them to devour her.

Ezekiel 36:2
This is what the Lord GOD says: Because the enemy has said of you, ‘Aha! The ancient heights have become our possession,’

Micah 2:2
They covet fields and seize them; they take away houses. They deprive a man of his home, a fellow man of his inheritance.

Deuteronomy 32:9
But the LORD’s portion is His people, Jacob His allotted inheritance.

2 Kings 21:14
So I will forsake the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hands of their enemies. And they will become plunder and spoil to all their enemies,

Nehemiah 9:36
So here we are today as slaves in the land You gave our fathers to enjoy its fruit and goodness—here we are as slaves!

Joel 3:2
I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning My people, My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations as they divided up My land.

Acts 7:45
And our fathers who received it brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations God drove out before them. It remained until the time of David,

Hebrews 11:9
By faith he dwelt in the promised land as a stranger in a foreign country. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.

Romans 8:17
And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him.

Ephesians 1:11
In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will,

1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.


Treasury of Scripture

The people of your holiness have possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down your sanctuary.

people

Isaiah 62:12
And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.

Exodus 19:4-6
Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself…

Deuteronomy 7:6
For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.

our

Isaiah 64:11,12
Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste…

Psalm 74:3-7
Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations; even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary…

Lamentations 1:10
The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things: for she hath seen that the heathen entered into her sanctuary, whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thy congregation.

Jump to Previous
Adversaries Crushed Driven Enemies Evil Feet Haters Holiness Holy Little Nigh Possess Possessed Sanctuary Trampled Trodden
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Adversaries Crushed Driven Enemies Evil Feet Haters Holiness Holy Little Nigh Possess Possessed Sanctuary Trampled Trodden
Isaiah 63
1. Christ shows who he is
2. What his victory over his enemies
7. And what his mercy toward his church
10. In his just wrath he remembers his free mercy
15. The church, in her prayer
17. And complaint, professes her faith














For a short while Your people possessed Your holy place
This phrase reflects the temporary nature of Israel's possession of the Promised Land and the temple in Jerusalem. Historically, the Israelites entered the land under Joshua's leadership, and the temple was later established by Solomon. However, due to disobedience and idolatry, their hold on the land and the temple was often disrupted. This temporary possession can be seen as a consequence of the covenantal relationship between God and Israel, where blessings were contingent upon obedience (Deuteronomy 28). The "holy place" refers to the temple, a central symbol of God's presence among His people. The brevity of their possession underscores the recurring theme of exile and return throughout Israel's history.

but our enemies have trampled Your sanctuary
This part of the verse highlights the desecration and destruction of the temple by foreign powers, a significant event in Israel's history. The Babylonians, under King Nebuchadnezzar, destroyed Solomon's Temple in 586 BC, an event that marked a profound spiritual and national crisis for the Jewish people. The trampling of the sanctuary symbolizes not only physical destruction but also spiritual defilement. This imagery is echoed in other prophetic writings, such as Lamentations and Ezekiel, where the destruction of the temple is lamented. Theologically, this serves as a reminder of the consequences of turning away from God and the vulnerability of sacred spaces when God's protection is withdrawn. The trampling also foreshadows future desecrations, including those mentioned in Daniel's prophecies and the New Testament, where Jesus speaks of the destruction of the temple (Matthew 24:2).

Persons / Places / Events
1. God's People (Israelites)
The chosen people of God, who were given the Promised Land and the temple as a place of worship.

2. Holy Place/Sanctuary
Refers to the temple in Jerusalem, a sacred place where God's presence dwelled among His people.

3. Enemies
The foreign nations and powers that invaded and desecrated the temple, often seen as instruments of God's judgment due to Israel's disobedience.

4. Isaiah
The prophet who conveyed God's messages to the people of Judah, warning them of impending judgment and offering hope for future restoration.

5. Babylonian Exile
The historical event where the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the temple, and took many Israelites into captivity.
Teaching Points
The Consequences of Disobedience
The desecration of the temple serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of turning away from God. It calls believers to examine their own lives for areas of disobedience and to seek repentance.

The Sovereignty of God in Judgment
Even in the face of destruction, God's sovereignty is evident. He uses nations and events to fulfill His purposes, reminding us that He is in control even when circumstances seem dire.

Hope for Restoration
Despite the immediate context of judgment, there is an underlying hope for restoration. Believers are encouraged to trust in God's promises for renewal and redemption, both personally and corporately.

The Importance of Worship and Reverence
The trampling of the sanctuary highlights the importance of maintaining reverence for places and practices of worship. It challenges us to honor God in our worship and to protect the sanctity of our spiritual lives.

Perseverance in Faith
In times of trial and opposition, believers are called to persevere in faith, trusting that God will ultimately vindicate His people and restore what has been lost.(18) The people of thy holiness . . .--Better, For a little while have they possessed thy sanctuary, or, with a various reading, thy holy mountain. The plea is addressed to Jehovah, on the ground of His promise that the inheritance was to be an everlasting one. Compared with that promise, the period of possession, from Joshua and David to the fall of the monarchy, was but as a "little while." (Comp. Psalm 90:4.) The seeming failure of the promise was aggravated by the fact that the enemies of Israel had trodden down the sanctuary.

Verse 18. - The people of thy holiness; or, thy holy people (comp. Isaiah 62:9; Isaiah 63:15: 64:11). Some critics read har, "mountain," instead of ' am, "people," and translate, "But for a little while have they" (i.e. thy servants) "had possession of thy holy mountain." The general meaning is the same in either case. "Israel, God's people, has held Palestine but for a little while" - a few centuries - and now the heathen have been allowed to make themselves masters of it, (comp. Ezra 10:8).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
For a short while
לַמִּצְעָ֕ר (lam·miṣ·‘ār)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4705: Petty, a short

Your people
עַם־ (‘am-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

possessed
יָרְשׁ֖וּ (yā·rə·šū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 3423: To occupy, to seize, to rob, to inherit, to expel, to impoverish, to ruin

Your holy place,
קָדְשֶׁ֑ךָ (qāḏ·še·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 6944: A sacred place, thing, sanctity

but our enemies
צָרֵ֕ינוּ (ṣā·rê·nū)
Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common plural
Strong's 6862: Narrow, a tight place, a pebble, an opponent

have trampled
בּוֹסְס֖וּ (bō·ws·sū)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 947: To tread down, trample

Your sanctuary.
מִקְדָּשֶֽׁךָ׃ (miq·dā·še·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 4720: A consecrated thing, place, a palace, sanctuary, asylum


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 63:18 Your holy people possessed it (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 63:17
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