EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Isaiah 1:11
11The Lord says, ‘All your sacrifices are not important to me. I have received too many sacrifices that you have burned as gifts to me. I have received too many sheep and fat animals. I do not want any more blood from bulls, goats and lambs that you have offered to me as sacrifices. They do not give me any pleasure.
Isaiah 1:11 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
- New International Version (NIV)“The multitude of your sacrifices— what are they to me?” says the Lord. “I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” Says the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats.
Context of Isaiah 1:11
9Unless the Lord Almighty had left some of us alive, we would have become like Sodom. We would have been completely destroyed, like Gomorrah. 10Yes, you are like the rulers of Sodom, so listen to the Lord's message! You are no better than the people in Gomorrah! So listen to what our God is saying to you. The Lord says, ‘All your sacrifices are not important to me. I have received too many sacrifices that you have burned as gifts to me. I have received too many sheep and fat animals. I do not want any more blood from bulls, goats and lambs that you have offered to me as sacrifices. They do not give me any pleasure. 12You come to worship me in my temple. But are you doing what I want? Did I ask you to march round the temple yards with all your animals? 13Do not bring any more useless gifts to offer to me! I do not like your incense. You like to have feasts at new moons, or on Sabbath days. But because of your sins, I hate all your holy meetings.
Read all of Isaiah 1Isaiah 1:11 word by word
לָמָּה־לִּ֤י רֹב־זִבְחֵיכֶם֙ יֹאמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה שָׂבַ֛עְתִּי עֹל֥וֹת אֵילִ֖ים וְחֵ֣לֶב מְרִיאִ֑ים וְדַ֨ם פָּרִ֧ים וּכְבָשִׂ֛ים וְעַתּוּדִ֖ים לֹ֥א חָפָֽצְתִּי׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- To whatמָהmâh mah mâ ma meh · what?H4100
- the multitudeרֹבrôb · abundanceH7230
- of your sacrificesזֶ֫בַחzebach · sacrificeH2077
- unto me? saithאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- I am fullשָׂבֵעַώâba‛ ώâbêa‛ · to satisfyH7646
- of the burnt offeringsעֹלָה‛ôlâh ‛ôlâh · burnt offeringH5930
- of ramsאַ֫יִל'ayil · ramH352
- and the fatחֵ֫לֶבcheleb chêleb · fatH2459
- of fed beastsמְרִיאmerîy' · fatlingH4806
- and I delightחָפֵץchâphêts · to delight inH2654
- not in the bloodדָּםdâm · bloodH1818
- of bullocksפַּרpar pâr · bullockH6499
- or of lambsכֶּ֫בֶשׂkebeώ · lambH3532
- or of he goatsעַתּוּד‛attûd ‛attûd · goatH6260
Cross-references for Isaiah 1:11
- Isaiah 66:3You may kill a bull as a sacrifice to me, but you might also kill a man. You may offer a lamb to me as a sacrifice, but you might also break a dog's neck to offer to your idols. You may give me a grain offering, but you also offer pigs' blood. You may burn incense to worship me but you also worship false gods. Yes, these people have chosen how they want to live. They love to do these disgusting things.
- 1 Samuel 15:22But Samuel said, ‘What makes the Lord happy? Which is better? Is he more pleased when people offer burnt offerings and sacrifices to him? Or is he more pleased when people obey him? Listen! It is better to obey the Lord than to offer sacrifices to him. That is true even if you offer to him the best animals that you have.
- Psalms 50:8You offer sacrifices and burnt offerings to me all the time but that is not why I speak against you.
- Psalms 51:16I would be happy to offer sacrifices to you, but that is not what you really want. You do not want a burnt offering from me.
- Proverbs 15:8When wicked people offer sacrifices to the Lord, he hates it. But he is pleased when good people pray to him.
- Proverbs 21:27The Lord hates it when wicked people offer sacrifices to him. He hates it even more when they do it with an evil purpose.
- Jeremiah 6:20They may offer to me sweet incense that comes from Sheba. But that does not please me. The spices that they bring from lands far away do not please me either. I will not accept the burnt offerings or other sacrifices that they offer to me.’
- Jeremiah 7:21The Lord Almighty, Israel's God, says this to Judah's people: ‘You should eat the meat from your burnt offerings, as well as your other sacrifices. You are not offering them to me!
- Amos 5:21The Lord says, ‘When you have your festivals, I hate them! When you meet to worship me, it does not make me happy!
- Micah 6:7He might be happy with thousands of male sheep, or ten thousand rivers of olive oil. I have not obeyed God. I might even kill and burn my oldest son, because of that. I have done wrong things and I must pay God for that. Perhaps, if I give my own child to him, that will be enough to pay.’
- Matthew 9:13Go and study what it says in the Bible. God says there, “I want people to be kind to each other. I do not want them only to offer sacrifices to me.” Some people think that they always obey God. I did not come to help people like that. Some people know that they have done wrong things. I am asking those people to come to me for help.’
Commentaries on Isaiah 1:11
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11To what purpose, etc. "What have I to do" - The prophet Amos has expressed the same sentiments with great elegance: - I hate, I despise your feasts; And I will not delight in the odour of your solemnities: Though ye offer unto me burnt-offerings And your meat-offerings, I will not accept: Neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fatlings. Take away from me the noise of your songs; And the melody of your viols I will not hear. But let judgment…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11To what purpose - לי למה lâmâh lı̂y What is it to me; or what profit or pleasure can I have in them?‘ God here replies to an objection which might be urged by the Jews to the representation which had been made of their guilt. The objection would be, that they were strict in the duties of their religion, and that they even abounded in offering victims of sacrifice. God replies in this and the following verses, that all this would be of no use, and would…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-15Verses 10-15 Judea was desolate, and their cities burned. This awakened them to bring sacrifices and offerings, as if they would bribe God to remove the punishment, and give them leave to go on in their sin. Many who will readily part with their sacrifices, will not be persuaded to part with their sins. They relied on the mere form as a service deserving a reward. The most costly devotions of wicked people, without thorough reformation of heart and life…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11-15The people had sinned so much that God no longer found joy in their sacrifices. The Lord wanted Judah to stop the religious practices he had commanded them to do rather than to continue them in a manner that was sinful and false (Isaiah 1:13). Ceremony cannot replace true godliness.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. God does not here absolutely disparage sacrifice, which is as old and universal as sin (Ge 3:21; 4:4), and sin is almost as old as the world; but sacrifice, unaccompanied with obedience of heart and life (1Sa 15:22; Psa 50:9-13; 51:16-19; Ho 6:6). Positive precepts are only means; moral obedience is the end. A foreshadowing of the gospel, when the One real sacrifice was to supersede all the shadowy ones, and "bring in everlasting righteousness" (Psa…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 1:11
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 1
- 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
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