Shared ground

Isaiah 64:4 makes a broad, time-spanning claim (“from of old”) that ordinary human ways of knowing—hearing, understanding by the ear, and seeing—have not identified any “god” comparable to the God being addressed. The verse is not mainly arguing that people are uninformed; it is stressing that no rival deity belongs in the same category as Israel’s God.

The verse also ties God’s uniqueness to God’s actions. This God “works for” (acts on behalf of) the person who “waits for him.” In the prayer setting of Isaiah 64, that supports a plea for God to intervene again, as in earlier defining acts (Isaiah 64:1–3).

Where interpretation differs

A first difference is what the “not heard / not seen” language is aiming at. Some read it as a claim about the limits of human discovery: people cannot figure out this God by normal observation, so God must be known because God shows himself. Others read it more as a claim about history’s record: no one has ever witnessed deeds from any other “god” that match what Israel’s God does.

A second difference is how narrow “works for” should be taken. Some interpret it mainly as rescue from crisis (deliverance, reversal of national distress). Others take it more broadly as God’s pattern of effective help for those who continue to look to him.

A third difference is what “waits for him” implies. Some hear “wait” primarily as patient expectation over time. Others emphasize loyalty—continuing to look to God instead of turning to other sources of security.

Why the disagreement exists The verse uses compressed, poetic wording. “Heard,” “seen,” and “works for” can refer to different kinds of knowledge (teaching, rumor, experience) and different kinds of divine action (dramatic rescue or ongoing support). Also, the line sits inside a communal lament asking for public intervention, which naturally pushes readers toward a “rescue” emphasis, but the wording itself is not limited to one scenario.

What this passage clearly contributes Explicitly, the text claims (1) God has no true rival (“no god besides you,” using besides as an excluding term), and (2) God’s uniqueness is demonstrated in action: he “works” on behalf of the one who waits for him. As theological inference, the verse supports the idea that God’s character is known not only by claims about who he is, but by what he does in relationship to those who continue to depend on him (cf. the next thought in Isaiah 64:5).