EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Isaiah 53:2
2God's servant grew up in front of him, like a young, green plant, with its roots in dry ground. He was not handsome. He did not seem like a great king. We did not see him as a special person. There was nothing to see that would make us want to be with him.
Isaiah 53:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
- New International Version (NIV)He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
- English Standard Version (ESV)For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.
- New King James Version (NKJV)For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
Context of Isaiah 53:2
1Will anyone believe the news that we have to tell people? Will anyone understand how the Lord has used his great power? God's servant grew up in front of him, like a young, green plant, with its roots in dry ground. He was not handsome. He did not seem like a great king. We did not see him as a special person. There was nothing to see that would make us want to be with him. 3People did not respect him. They refused to accept him. He was a man who received much pain. He knew what it felt like to be weak and ill. People did not even want to look at him. They did not respect him. We decided that he was worth nothing. 4But he took away all our weakness! He carried our pain for us. We thought that he was receiving punishment for his own sins. We thought that God was causing him to suffer.
Read all of Isaiah 53Isaiah 53:2 word by word
וַיַּ֨עַל כַּיּוֹנֵ֜ק לְפָנָ֗יו וְכַשֹּׁ֙רֶשׁ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ צִיָּ֔ה לֹא־תֹ֥אַר ל֖וֹ וְלֹ֣א הָדָ֑ר וְנִרְאֵ֥הוּ וְלֹֽא־מַרְאֶ֖ה וְנֶחְמְדֵֽהוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- For he shall grow upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
- beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
- him as a tender plantיוֹנֵקyônêq · saplingH3126
- and as a rootשֹׁ֫רֶשׁsheresh · rootH8328
- out of a dryצִיָּהtsîyâh · drynessH6723
- groundאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: soilH776
- he hath no formתֹּ֫אַרtô'ar · appearanceH8389
- nor comelinessהָדָרhâdâr · gloryH1926
- and when we shall seeרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
- no beautyמַרְאֶהmar'eh · appearanceH4758
- that we should desireחָמַדchâmad · to desireH2530
Cross-references for Isaiah 53:2
- Isaiah 11:1A descendant of Jesse will appear, like a new branch that grows from a tree stump. The roots of the tree will give new fruit!
- Jeremiah 23:5The Lord says, ‘The time will come when I do this: I will cause a descendant of David to be born. He will be righteous. He will grow like a branch on the tree of David's family. He will rule as king in a wise way. He will do what is right and fair in the land.
- Ezekiel 17:22The Almighty Lord says this: I myself will take a new branch from the top of a tall cedar tree. I will break off one of its small fresh branches. Then I will plant it on the top of a high mountain.
- Zechariah 6:12Say to Joshua, “The Lord Almighty says, ‘I have chosen a man. His name is the Branch. He will be a great man and he will build the house of the Lord.
- Mark 6:3We know he is an ordinary man. He is the carpenter. He is the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Simon and Judas. His sisters live here in the town among us. Isn't that true?’ So the people there turned against Jesus.
- Luke 2:7This was her first baby, and it was a boy. She put cloths around him. Then she put him in an animal's food box. She did this because the rooms for visitors were full of people.
- Luke 9:58Jesus replied, ‘Wild animals and birds have their own places to live. But I, the Son of Man, have no place of my own to lie down and rest.’
- Romans 8:3The Law that God gave to Moses could not make us free like that. We were too weak to obey his Law because we are human. But God has done what his Law could not do. He sent his own Son to become a person like us. His human body was like the body of people who do wrong things. God's Son died as a sacrifice to take away the punishment for our sins. In that way, God destroyed the power of sin over people who are weak and human.
- Philippians 2:6Christ had the same nature as God. He was completely equal with God. But he did not try to keep hold of that.
- Isaiah 52:14At one time, when people saw him, they were very upset. His body became completely spoiled, so that he no longer seemed to be a man. He did not seem to have a human body.
- Mark 9:12Jesus said to them, ‘Elijah does come first. He makes everything ready. But what is written in the Bible about the Son of Man? It says that people will cause him to suffer a lot. They will think that he is nothing.
- John 1:10The Word was now in the world. God had made the world through him. But the people in the world did not know who he was.
- John 9:28Then the leaders were very angry with him. They shouted at him, ‘No, it is you! You are that man's disciple. But we are disciples of Moses.
- John 18:40They shouted their answer, ‘No, we do not want him! Let Barabbas go free!’ (Barabbas was a man who had attacked people and robbed them.)
- John 19:5Then Jesus came out. He was still wearing the hat of thorns on his head and the dark red coat. Pilate said to them, ‘Look. Here is the man!’
- 1 Peter 2:14Also obey the officers that serve the king. He has sent them to punish people who do bad things. And they praise people who do good things.
Commentaries on Isaiah 53:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2For he shall grow up - Supposes something to have preceded; as it might be asked, what or who shall 'grow up before him,' etc. As the translation now stands, no correct answer can be given to this question. The translation then is wrong, the connection broken, and the sense obscured. זרוע zeroa, translated the arm, from the root zara. To sow, or plant; also seed, etc. The limb which reaches from the shoulder to the hand, called the arm; or more properly…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2For he shall grow up before him - In this verse, the prophet describes the humble appearance of the Messiah, and the fact that there was nothing in his personal aspect that corresponded to the expectations that bad been formed of him; nothing that should lead them to desire him as their expected deliverer, but everything that could induce them to reject him. He would be of so humble an origin, and with so little that was magnificent in his external appear…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2a tender shoot … out of dry ground: Such a plant is at risk of dying out (compare Isaiah 37:27). It struggles to survive, much less offer anything to others. no stately form or majesty: The servant seemed to lack greatness or obvious royal splendor (see Isaiah 52:13–15). to attract us: People prefer leaders who are good-looking and charismatic. The servant would be neither.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. tender plant--Messiah grew silently and insensibly, as a sucker from an ancient stock, seemingly dead (namely, the house of David, then in a decayed state) (see on Is 11:1). shall grow ... hath--rather, "grew up ... had." before him--before Jehovah. Though unknown to the world (Joh 1:11), Messiah was observed by God, who ordered the most minute circumstances attending His growth. root--that is, sprout from a root. form--beautiful form: sorrow had…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 53:2
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 53
- 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
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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