Isaiah 9:3

Isaiah 9:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
• New International Version (NIV)You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.
• English Standard Version (ESV)You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
• New King James Version (NKJV)You have multiplied the nation And increased its joy; They rejoice before You According to the joy of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

Context of Isaiah 9:3

1But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish [for with judgment comes the promise of salvation]. In earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He will make them honored [by the presence of the Messiah], by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. 2The people who walk in [spiritual] darkness Will see a great Light; Those who live in the dark land, The Light will shine on them. You [O God] will increase the nation, You will multiply their joy; They will rejoice before You Like the joy and jubilation of the harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil [of victory]. 4For You will break the yoke of Israel’s burden and the staff (goad) on their shoulders, The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian. 5For every boot of the marching warrior in the battle tumult, And [every soldier’s] garment rolled in blood, will be used for burning, fuel for the fire.

Isaiah 9:3 word by word

הִרְבִּ֣יתָ הַגּ֔וֹי ל֖וֹ הִגְדַּ֣לְתָּ הַשִּׂמְחָ֑ה שָׂמְח֤וּ לְפָנֶ֙יךָ֙ כְּשִׂמְחַ֣ת בַּקָּצִ֔יר כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר יָגִ֖ילוּ בְּחַלְּקָ֥ם שָׁלָֽל׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Thou hast multipliedרָבָהrâbâh · to multiplyH7235
• the nationגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
• not increasedגָּדַלgâdal · to magnifyH1431
• the joyשִׂמְחָהώimchâh · joyH8057
• they joyשָׂמַחώâmach · to rejoiceH8055
• beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
• in harvestקָצִירqâtsîyr · harvestH7105
• rejoiceגִּילgîyl gûl · to rejoiceH1523
• when they divideחָלַקchâlaq · to divideH2505
• the spoilשָׁלָלshâlâl · spoilH7998

Cross-references for Isaiah 9:3

• Isaiah 26:15You have increased the nation, O Lord; You have increased the nation, You are glorified; You have extended all the borders of the land.
• Isaiah 49:20The children of your bereavement [those born in captivity] will yet say in your ears, ‘The place is too cramped for me’; Make room for me that I may live here.
• Nehemiah 9:23You made their children as numerous as the stars of heaven, And You brought them into the land Which You told their fathers to enter and possess.
• Psalms 107:38Also He blesses them so that they multiply greatly, And He does not let [the number of] their cattle decrease.
• Hosea 4:7The more they multiplied [in numbers and increased in power], the more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame.
• Zechariah 2:11“Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day and shall be My people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know (recognize, understand fully) that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you.
• Zechariah 8:23Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘In those days ten men [as representatives] from all the nations will grasp the robe of a Jew, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” ’ ”
• Zechariah 10:8I will whistle for them and gather them together, For I have redeemed them; And they will increase [again] as they have increased before [in Egypt].
• Isaiah 12:1And on that day you will say, “I will give thanks to You, O Lord; For though You were angry with me, Your anger has turned away, And You comfort me.
• Isaiah 25:9It will be said in that day, “Indeed, this is our God for whom we have waited that He would save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; Let us shout for joy and rejoice in His salvation.”
• Isaiah 35:2It will blossom abundantly And rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, The majesty of [Mount] Carmel and [the plain] of Sharon. They will see the glory of the Lord, The majesty and splendor of our God.
• Isaiah 54:1“Shout for joy, O barren one, she who has not given birth; Break forth into joyful shouting and rejoice, she who has not gone into labor [with child]! For the [spiritual] sons of the desolate one will be more numerous Than the sons of the married woman,” says the Lord.
• Isaiah 55:12For you will go out [from exile] with joy And be led forth [by the Lord Himself] with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
• Isaiah 61:7Instead of your [former] shame you will have a double portion; And instead of humiliation your people will shout for joy over their portion. Therefore in their land they will possess double [what they had forfeited]; Everlasting joy will be theirs.
• Isaiah 65:18But be glad and rejoice forever over what I create; Behold, I am creating Jerusalem to be a source of rejoicing And her people a joy.
• Isaiah 66:10“Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; Rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her,

Commentaries on Isaiah 9:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3And not increased the joy "Thou hast increased their joy" - Eleven MSS. of Kennicott's and six of De Ross's, two ancient, read לו lo, it, according to the Masoretical correction, instead of לא lo, not. To the same purpose the Targum and Syriac. The joy in harvest - בקציר כשמחת kesimchath bakkatsir . For בקציר bakkatsir one MS. of Kennicott's and one of De Rossi's have קציר katsir, and another הקציר hakkatsir, "the harvest;" one of which seems to be the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Thou hast multiplied the nation - Thou hast rendered the nation strong, powerful, mighty. Several interpreters, as Calvin, Vitringa, and Le Clerc, suppose that the prophet here, and in the two following verses, speaks in the first instance of the prosperity near at hand, and of the rapid increase of the Israelites after the return from the Babylonian exile, in which the inhabitants of Galilee must have participated, as may be inferred from the accounts of…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-7After judgment and destruction, there would still be hope. God promised that the Messiah (God’s chosen one) would come and rule. In the Messiah’s kingdom, darkness would end and great light would begin. This light would first appear in Galilee. Then it would spread to the whole nation of Israel and finally to the whole world. The Messiah would defend those who suffer and are treated unfairly. He would bring an end to cruelty and injustice. He would rule…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. multiplied ... nation--primarily, the rapid increase of Israelites after the return from Babylon; more fully and exhaustively the rapid spread of Christianity at first. not increased the joy--By a slight change in the Hebrew, its (joy) is substituted by some for not, because "not increased the joy" seems opposite to what immediately follows, "the joy," &c. Hengstenberg, retains not thus: "Whose joy thou hadst not increased," (that is, hadst…Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 9:3

• Church
• Gentiles
• Harvest
• Isaiah
• Joy

In the dictionaries

• Ahaz
• Harvest
• Increase
• Kindle
• Prince
• Snatch
• Criticism of the Bible
• Ezekiel
• Isaiah
• Jesus Christ

Commentaries on Isaiah 9

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• 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