Isaiah 65:3

Isaiah 65:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;
• New International Version (NIV)a people who continually provoke me to my very face, offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on altars of brick;
• English Standard Version (ESV)a people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens and making offerings on bricks;
• New King James Version (NKJV)A people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face; Who sacrifice in gardens, And burn incense on altars of brick;

Context of Isaiah 65:3

1“I let Myself be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I let Myself be found by those who did not seek Me. I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’ To the nation [Israel] which did not call on My Name. 2I have spread out My hands all the day long to a rebellious and stubborn people, Who walk in the way that is not good, [following] after their own thoughts and intentions, The people who continually provoke Me to My face, Sacrificing [to idols] in gardens and making offerings with incense on bricks [instead of at the designated altar]; 4Who sit among the graves [trying to conjure up evil spirits] and spend the night in the secret places [where spirits are thought to dwell]; Who eat swine’s flesh, And their pots hold the broth of unclean meat; 5Who say, ‘Keep to yourself, do not come near me, For I am too holy for you [and you might defile me]!’ These [people] are smoke in My nostrils, A fire that burns all the day.

Isaiah 65:3 word by word

הָעָ֗ם הַמַּכְעִיסִ֥ים אוֹתִ֛י עַל־פָּנַ֖י תָּמִ֑יד זֹֽבְחִים֙ בַּגַּנּ֔וֹת וּֽמְקַטְּרִ֖ים עַל־הַלְּבֵנִֽים׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• A peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• that provoketh me to angerכָּעַסka‛as · to provokeH3707
• continuallyתָּמִידtâmîyd · continuallyH8548
• to my faceפָּנֶהpânîym · faceH6440
• that sacrificethזָבַחzâbach · to sacrificeH2076
• in gardensגַּנָּהgannâh · gardenH1593
• and burneth incenseקָטַרqâţar · to offer: offerH6999
• upon altars of brickלְבֵנָהlebênâh · brickH3843

Cross-references for Isaiah 65:3

• Isaiah 3:8For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen, Because their words and their actions are against the Lord, To rebel against His glorious presence and defiantly provoke Him.
• Deuteronomy 32:16They provoked Him to jealousy with strange gods [by denying Him the honor and loyalty that is rightfully and uniquely His]; And with repulsive acts they provoked Him to anger.
• 2 Kings 17:14However they did not listen, but stiffened their necks as did their fathers who did not believe (trust in, rely on, remain steadfast to) the Lord their God.
• 2 Kings 22:17Because they have abandoned (rejected) Me and have burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore My wrath burns against this place, and it will not be quenched.” ’
• Psalms 78:40How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness And grieved Him in the desert!
• Jeremiah 32:30For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done only evil in My sight from their youth; for the children of Israel have been provoking Me to anger by the [idols that are the] work of their hands,” says the Lord.
• Ezekiel 8:17He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Is it too slight a thing for the house of Judah to commit the repulsive acts which they have committed here, that they have filled the land with violence and repeatedly provoked Me to anger? And behold, they are putting the branch to their nose.
• Matthew 23:32Fill up, then, the [allotted] measure of the guilt of your fathers’ sins.
• Job 1:11But put forth Your hand now and touch (destroy) all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”
• Job 2:5But put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh [and severely afflict him]; and he will curse You to Your face.”
• Isaiah 1:29For you will be ashamed [of the degradation] of the oaks in which you took [idolatrous] pleasure, And you will be ashamed of the gardens [of passion] which you have chosen [for pagan worship].
• Isaiah 66:17“Those who [vainly attempt to] sanctify and cleanse themselves to go to the gardens [to sacrifice to idols], Following after one in the center, Who eat swine’s flesh, detestable things and mice, Will come to an end together,” says the Lord.
• Leviticus 17:5This is so that the sons of Israel may bring their sacrifices which they were sacrificing [to idols] in the open field [where they killed them], that they may bring them in to the Lord, at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting to the priest, and sacrifice them as sacrifices of peace offerings to the Lord.
• Jeremiah 3:6Moreover, the Lord said to me in the days of Josiah the king [of Judah], “Have you seen what that faithless Israel has done—how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there she was a prostitute?
• Ezekiel 20:28For when I had brought them into the land which I swore to give to them, they saw every high hill and every dark and leafy tree [as a place for idol worship], and there they offered their sacrifices and there they presented their offering that provoked My anger; there also they made their sweet-smelling aroma and there poured out their drink offerings.
• Exodus 20:24You shall make an altar of earth for Me, and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause My Name to be recorded and remembered [through revelation of My divine nature] I will come to you and bless you.

Commentaries on Isaiah 65:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3That sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick "Sacrificing in the gardens, and burning incense on the tiles" - These are instances of heathenish superstition, and idolatrous practices, to which the Jews were immoderately addicted before the Babylonish captivity. The heathen worshipped their idols in groves; whereas God, in opposition to this species of idolatry, commanded his people, when they should come into the promised land, to…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3A people - This verse contains a specification of the reasons why God had rejected them, and brought the calamities upon them. That provoketh me to anger - That is, by their sins. They give constant occasion for my indignation. Continually - (תמיד tâmı̂yd ). It is not once merely, but their conduct as a people is constantly such as to excite my displeasure. To my face - There is no attempt at concealment. Their abominations are public. It is always…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3Sacred gardens were a part of the fertility religion of Baal.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. continually--answering to "all the day" (Is 65:2). God was continually inviting them, and they continually offending Him (De 32:21). to my face--They made no attempt to hide their sin (Is 3:9). Compare "before Me" (Ex 20:3). in gardens--(See on Is 1:29; Is 66:17; Le 17:5). altars of brick--Hebrew, "bricks." God had commanded His altars to be of unhewn stone (Ex 20:25). This was in order to separate them, even in external respects, from idolaters; also…Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 65:3

• Altar
• Backsliders
• Brick
• Church
• Condescension of God
• Idolatry
• Self-Righteousness

In the dictionaries

• Cry
• Face
• Sought
• Thence
• Garden
• Isaiah
• Oreb; Zeeb
• Salvation

Commentaries on Isaiah 65

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings