Charles Ellicott Commentary Isaiah 8:17

"And I will wait for Jehovah, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him." — Isaiah 8:17 (ASV)

And I will wait upon the Lord, who hides his face ... —The words come in somewhat abruptly, but not to the extent that justifies the assumption of some critics that a verse has been lost. The prophet enforces precept by example. He has learned to conquer the feverish desire to know the future, which led men to trust in soothsayers and diviners, and from which even his own disciples were not altogether exempt.

He is content to “wait,” even though Jehovah “hides His face,” though predictions seem to fail (see Note on Isaiah 8:1), and all seems dark and hopeless. There is, perhaps, a contrast between the fact that Jehovah hides His face from the house of Jacob, that all is dark for the nation’s life as such, and yet the prophet, in his own individuality, can “look for Him” with the eye of faith.