Yahweh continues to condemn Israel’s empty religious life. He mentions two religious activities and his negative reaction to each one. The final line, your hands are full of blood, summarizes the problem that causes Yahweh to react in this way. There is a double reference to hands (although the Hebrew words are not the same), each used in a figurative way but with very different implications. The word blood links this verse with verse 11, although here it takes on a more sinister meaning.
When you spread forth your hands: When may be rendered “Whenever,” as in verse 12. The Hebrew word for hand refers to the hollow of the hand or the hand that is held in the form of a cup. To show the hollow of the hand means to ask God to fulfill a need. The Israelites prayed while standing with their arms stretched out to God. Good News Translation has made this explicit with “When you lift your hands in prayer.” This may be necessary in languages where the reader may not understand that the stretching out of hands means “prayer.” A simpler way to render this line is “Whenever you pray.” However, translators should try to keep the reference to hands because of what comes at the end of the verse.
I will hide my eyes from you: Here Yahweh says he will cover his eyes so he does not see what the people of Israel are doing. The Revised Standard Version rendering could possibly mean that God will not let the people see his eyes, but that is not the sense. It simply means “I will not look at you” (Good News Translation), meaning “I will take no notice of your prayer requests.” Bible en français courant says “I cover up my eyes in order not to see,” and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “I’ll look away.” Another possibility is “I keep my eyes closed.”
Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: Once again the LORD mentions the prayers of his people, but this time without figurative language. No matter how long and how often the people pray when they are in the Temple to offer sacrifices, he will not pay attention.
Your hands are full of blood is the reason why Yahweh will not listen to their prayer. This concluding statement is important because of the way Yahweh accuses the people directly. In that sense it is the climax to verses 10-15. It also leads in to the final two verses that are a call to a change of life. Hands refers primarily to the people’s actions, to what they do. But there is another level of meaning possible, namely, it is a reference to actual hands, covered with blood from the useless sacrifices that were offered. But it is more likely that the expression refers figuratively to the injustice and evil mentioned in the following verses. The Hebrew word rendered blood is plural here. It often refers to the killing of humans in battle or, as it does here, to murder. The sense of evil against other human beings is probably its primary meaning here, with “bloodstains” as the secondary meaning. A translation that allows for both possibilities is recommended. For English Revised English Bible provides an excellent example with “there is blood on your hands.”
Two translation examples for this verse are:
• Every time you spread your hands in prayer,
I refuse to look;
no matter how many times you pray,
I will not listen.
There is blood on your hands!
• Every time you pray I will turn my eyes away;
even if you pray often, I will not listen to you.
Your hands are covered with blood.
Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .