Abraham hath not know us, etc… That is, Abraham will not now acknowledge us for his children, by reason of our degeneracy; but thou, O Lord, art our true father and our redeemer, and no other can be called our parent in comparison with thee.
63:17. Why hast thou made us to err, O Lord, from thy ways: why hast thou hardened our heart, that we should not fear thee? return for the sake of thy servants, the tribes of thy inheritance.
Made us to err, etc. Hardened our heart, etc… The meaning is, that God in punishment of their great and manifold crimes, and their long abuse of his mercy and grace, had withdrawn his graces from them, and so given them up to error and hardness of heart.
63:18. They have possessed thy holy people as nothing: our enemies have trodden down thy sanctuary.
63:19. We are become as in the beginning, when thou didst not rule over us, and when we were not called by thy name.
Isaias Chapter 64
The prophet prays for the release of his people; and for the remission of their sins.
64:1. O that thou wouldst rend the heavens, and wouldst come down: the mountains would melt away at thy presence.
64:2. They would melt as at the burning of fire, the waters would burn with fire, that thy name might be made known to thy enemies: that the nations might tremble at thy presence.
64:3. When thou shalt do wonderful things, we shall not bear them: thou didst come down, and at thy presence the mountains melted away.