“But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.”
My Notes
What Does Isaiah 29:23 Mean?
"But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel." Jacob's descendants — identified as 'the work of God's hands' — will, when they see what God has done among them, sanctify God's name and fear the God of Israel. The seeing produces the sanctifying. The observation produces the worship. When God's work becomes visible, the response is holiness.
The phrase "his children, the work of mine hands" (yeladav ma'aseh yadai — his children, the doing of My hands) redefines Israel: they aren't just Abraham's descendants biologically. They're God's HANDIWORK. The children are what God's hands have made. The identity isn't genetic — it's creative. God made these people with His own hands. They are His craft.
The triple response — "sanctify my name... sanctify the Holy One of Jacob... fear the God of Israel" — builds from name to person to reverence: first they set God's name apart (sanctify the name). Then they set God Himself apart (sanctify the Holy One). Then they respond with awe (fear). The sanctifying deepens and the response expands.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What work of God's hands is visible in your community — and does it produce worship?
- 2.What does being called 'the work of God's hands' change about your identity?
- 3.How does the progression from sanctifying the name to fearing God describe deepening worship?
- 4.What evidence of God's work 'in your midst' have you overlooked?
Devotional
When he sees his children — the work of God's hands — they will sanctify God's name and fear the God of Israel. The seeing produces the sanctifying. When Jacob sees what God has made of his descendants, the response is worship. The evidence provokes the reverence.
The 'children, the work of mine hands' redefines identity: Jacob's children aren't just biological descendants. They're God's HANDIWORK — the product of divine craftsmanship. God calls them 'the work of My hands.' The children are what God has made. Your identity isn't just who your parents are. It's what God's hands have crafted you to be.
The triple response — sanctify the name, sanctify the Holy One, fear God — builds in depth: the first sanctifying is about the NAME (reputation, identity). The second is about the PERSON (the Holy One of Jacob). The third is about the RELATIONSHIP (fearing the God of Israel). The worship progresses from recognizing God's name to reverencing God's person to responding to God's presence. Each layer goes deeper.
The 'in the midst of him' means God's work is visible AMONG them: the evidence of God's handiwork isn't hidden in heaven or reserved for the afterlife. It's 'in the midst' — visible, present, observable in the daily life of the community. The children can see what God has done because God did it in their midst. The work is public. The sanctifying is the response to public evidence.
What work of God's hands is visible in your midst — and does it produce sanctifying and fearing?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
But when he seeth his children, the work of my hands, in the midst of him,.... That is, it will be a pleasure to the…
But when he seeth his children - The sense is, ‘he shall not be ashamed of his sons, for he shall see them henceforward…
Those that thought to hide their counsels from the Lord were said to turn things upside down (Isa 29:16), and they…
when he seeth his children, the work R.V. marg. "when his children see the work" [lit. "when he (his children) shall see…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture