Isaiah 65:5

Isaiah 65:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.
• New International Version (NIV)who say, ‘Keep away; don’t come near me, for I am too sacred for you!’ Such people are smoke in my nostrils, a fire that keeps burning all day.
• English Standard Version (ESV)who say, "Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am too holy for you." These are a smoke in my nostrils, a fire that burns all the day.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Who say, ‘Keep to yourself, Do not come near me, For I am holier than you!’ These are smoke in My nostrils, A fire that burns all the day.

Context of Isaiah 65:5

3They continue to make me angry, as they insult me without shame. They offer sacrifices to their idols in their gardens. They burn incense to them on altars that are made from bricks. 4They sit among the graves and they hide in caves. They eat meat from pigs. They use unclean meat to make their soup. They say to each other, “Keep away from me! Do not come near me! I am too holy for you!” These people are like smoke in my nose! They are like a fire that burns all day.’ 6The Lord says, ‘Look! I have decided what I will do, and I have written it down: I will not keep quiet. I will punish them completely. I will give them everything that they deserve, 7as punishment for their sins and for the sins of their ancestors. They burned incense to their idols on the mountains, and they insulted me on the hills. So I will punish them completely, as much as they deserve.’

Isaiah 65:5 word by word

הָאֹֽמְרִים֙ קְרַ֣ב אֵלֶ֔יךָ אַל־תִּגַּשׁ־בִּ֖י כִּ֣י קְדַשְׁתִּ֑יךָ אֵ֚לֶּה עָשָׁ֣ן בְּאַפִּ֔י אֵ֥שׁ יֹקֶ֖דֶת כָּל־הַיּֽוֹם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Which sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Standקָרַבqârab · to present: comeH7126
• by thyself, come not nearנָגַשׁnâgash · to approach: approachH5066
• to me; for I am holierקָדַשׁqâdash · to consecrate: consecateH6942
• a smokeעָשָׁן‛âshân · smokeH6227
• in my noseאַף'aph · face: noseH639
• a fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784
• that burnethיָקַדyâqad · to burnH3344
• all the dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117

Cross-references for Isaiah 65:5

• Matthew 9:11Some Pharisees saw what was happening. They said to Jesus' disciples, ‘Your teacher is eating a meal with these bad people. That is not right. They are people who do not obey God, and some of them take taxes from people.’
• Luke 5:30Some Pharisees and teachers of God's Law saw them there. So they said to Jesus' disciples, ‘You eat and drink with these bad people and with men who take taxes from people. That is not right.’
• Luke 7:39When the Pharisee saw this, he said to himself, ‘This man cannot be a prophet from God. If he were, he would know all about this woman. He would know that she is a very bad person. He would not let her touch him.’
• Luke 15:2The Pharisees and teachers of God's Law did not like this. ‘This man is friendly with people that do not obey God,’ they said. ‘He even eats with them in their homes.’
• Luke 18:9Jesus told a story to teach other people. These people thought that they were very good in front of God. They thought that they were much better than other people.
• Acts 22:21But the Lord said to me, “Go! I will now send you a long way away. You must go to the Gentiles and tell them my message.” ’
• Romans 2:17Do you say that you are a Jew? Maybe you trust in the Law that God gave to Moses. You are proud that you belong to God.
• Jude 1:19It is people like this who cause you to argue with one another, so that you belong to separate groups. Their thoughts belong to this world. They do not have God's Spirit in them.
• Proverbs 6:16There are six things that the Lord hates, or even seven things:
• Proverbs 10:26Do not send a lazy person with a message. He will bring you pain, like the taste of bitter wine, or like smoke in your eyes.
• Proverbs 16:5The Lord hates everyone who boasts. Be sure of this: They will receive the punishment that they deserve.
• James 4:6But God will be very kind to us and he will help us. That is why the Bible says, ‘God is against those people who think that they are important. But he is kind to people who do not feel important.’
• 1 Peter 5:5I want to say the same thing to you who are young men. You must respect the authority of the leaders. All of you who are believers must respect one another. Do not think that you are more important than other people. The Bible says: ‘God is against proud people. But he is kind to humble people.’
• Deuteronomy 29:20The Lord will never forgive that person. He will be very angry with him. The Lord will punish him in all the terrible ways that are written in this book. The Lord will destroy him completely so that his family name comes to an end.
• Deuteronomy 32:20He said, ‘I will not continue to help them. I will see what happens to them when I leave them alone. They are children who do not obey me. They have not served me faithfully.

Commentaries on Isaiah 65:5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5For I am holier than thou - So the Chaldee renders it. קדשתיך kedashticha is the same with ממך קדשתי kadashti mimmecha . In the same manner חזקתני chazaktani, Jeremiah 20:7, is used for ממני חזקת chazacta mimmenni, "thou art stronger than I." - L.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5Which say, Stand by thyself - Who at the time that they engage in these abominations are distinguished for spiritual pride. The most worthless people are commonly the most proud; and they who have wandered farthest from God have in general the most exalted idea of their own goodness. It was a characteristic of a large part of the Jewish nation, and especially of the Pharisees, to be self-righteous and proud. A striking illustration of this we have in the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5do not come near me, for I am holier than you!: The people of Israel used the words of ritual purification found in the law of Moses. They spoke as if they were clean and obedient to God. But they also practiced worship influenced by pagan religions. Their actions did not match their words. Because of this hypocrisy, God was deeply displeased. The text says they were like a bad smell in his nostrils. This image shows how offensive their behavior was to…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. (Mt 9:11; Lu 5:30; 18:11; Jude 19). Applicable to the hypocritical self-justifiers of our Lord's time. smoke--alluding to the smoke of their self-righteous sacrifices; the fire of God's wrath was kindled at the sight, and exhibited itself in the smoke that breathed forth from His nostrils; in Hebrew the nose is the seat of anger; and the nostrils distended in wrath, as it were, breathe forth smoke [Rosenmuller] (Psa 18:8).Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 65:5

• Bigotry
• Church
• Condescension of God
• Heathen
• Hypocrisy
• Presumption
• Self-Righteousness

In the dictionaries

• Cry
• Sought
• Thence
• Fire
• Isaiah
• Nose; Nostrils
• 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