Isaiah 66:3

Isaiah 66:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.
• New International Version (NIV)But whoever sacrifices a bull is like one who kills a person, and whoever offers a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck; whoever makes a grain offering is like one who presents pig’s blood, and whoever burns memorial incense is like one who worships an idol. They have chosen their own ways, and they delight in their abominations;
• English Standard Version (ESV)"He who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a man; he who sacrifices a lamb, like one who breaks a dog's neck; he who presents a grain offering, like one who offers pig's blood; he who makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like one who blesses an idol. These have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations;
• New King James Version (NKJV)“He who kills a bull is as if he slays a man; He who sacrifices a lamb, as if he breaks a dog’s neck; He who offers a grain offering, as if he offers swine’s blood; He who burns incense, as if he blesses an idol. Just as they have chosen their own ways, And their soul delights in their abominations,

Context of Isaiah 66:3

1This is what the Lord says: ‘Heaven is my throne. The earth is the place where I put my feet. So you could not build a house for me to live in. Where would I lie down to rest? 2I made all these things with my own hands. That is how everything began.’ The Lord says, ‘I am pleased with people who are humble. Those people are sorry when they do wrong things. They respect my teaching. You 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. 4So I will cause great trouble to come to them. It will be the trouble that they are so afraid of. When I called out to them, nobody answered me. When I spoke to them, nobody listened. They did evil things against me. They chose to do things that I would hate.’ 5Hear this message from the Lord, you people who respect his teaching. Some of your own people hate you. They throw you out, because you are faithful to me. They laugh at you and they say, ‘Let the Lord show how great he is! We want to see him make you happy!’ But it is those people who will be ashamed.

Isaiah 66:3 word by word

שׁוֹחֵ֨ט הַשּׁ֜וֹר מַכֵּה־אִ֗ישׁ זוֹבֵ֤חַ הַשֶּׂה֙ עֹ֣רֵֽף כֶּ֔לֶב מַעֲלֵ֤ה מִנְחָה֙ דַּם־חֲזִ֔יר מַזְכִּ֥יר לְבֹנָ֖ה מְבָ֣רֵֽךְ אָ֑וֶן גַּם־הֵ֗מָּה בָּֽחֲרוּ֙ בְּדַרְכֵיהֶ֔ם וּבְשִׁקּוּצֵיהֶ֖ם נַפְשָׁ֥ם חָפֵֽצָה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• He that killethשָׁחַטshâchaţ · to slaughterH7819
• an oxשׁוֹרshôr · cattleH7794
• he slewנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
• a manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• he that sacrificethזָבַחzâbach · to sacrificeH2076
• a lambשֶׂהώeh ώêy · sheepH7716
• he cut offעָרַף‛âraph · to break the neckH6202
• a dog’sכֶּ֫לֶבkeleb · dogH3611
• he that offerethעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: offer upH5927
• an oblationמִנְחָהminchâh · offeringH4503
• swine’sחֲזִירchăzîyr · swineH2386
• bloodדָּםdâm · bloodH1818
• he that burnethזָכַרzâkar · to rememberH2142
• incenseלְבֹנָהlebônâh lebônâh · frankincenseH3828
• he blessedבָּרַךְbârak · to blessH1288
• an idolאָ֫וֶן'âven · evil: wickednessH205
• Yea, they have chosenבָּחַרbâchar · to chooseH977
• their own waysדֶּ֫רֶךְderek · way: conductH1870
• and their soulנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soulH5315
• delightethחָפֵץchâphêts · to delight inH2654
• in their abominationsשִׁקּוּץshiqqûts shiqqûts · abominationH8251

Cross-references for Isaiah 66:3

• Isaiah 1:11The 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.
• 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.
• 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!
• Deuteronomy 23:18You must not bring the money that people pay to these prostitutes into the Lord's temple. Do not use it to offer a gift that you have promised to the Lord your God. He hates prostitutes, both men and women.
• Isaiah 66:17The Lord says, ‘I will destroy people who prepare themselves to worship their false gods. They make themselves clean and they follow one another into their special gardens. They eat unclean meat from pigs and rats and other disgusting animals. They will all come to their deaths together.
• Isaiah 65:3They 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.
• Deuteronomy 14:8You may not eat pigs, either. They have feet in two parts but they do not eat their food a second time. You must not eat any meat from these animals. You must not even touch their dead bodies.
• Leviticus 2:2He must take it to Aaron's sons, the priests. The priest will take some of the flour and oil and all the incense in his hand. He will burn them on the altar as a gift to the Lord. The smell of them while they are burning will give the Lord pleasure.
• Isaiah 65:12So this will be your fate: a sword will kill you. You will all bend down low for someone to kill you. This will happen because you did not answer me when I spoke to you. You did not even listen to my words. You did evil things against me. You chose to do things that I would hate.’
• Judges 5:8When the Israelites chose new gods to worship, enemies attacked their cities. No one in Israel was ready to fight. Not one of their 40,000 soldiers had a shield or a spear.
• Judges 10:14Go and ask those other gods to help you! They are the gods that you have chosen, so let them rescue you from your trouble!’

Commentaries on Isaiah 66:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man "He that slayeth an ox killeth a man" - These are instances of wickedness joined with hypocrisy; of the most flagitious crimes committed by those who at the same time affected great strictness in the performance of all the external services of religion. God, by the Prophet Ezekiel, upbraids the Jews with the same practices: "When they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man - Lowth and Noyes render this, He that slayeth an ox, killeth a man.‘ This is a literal translation of the Hebrew. Jerome renders it, He who sacrifices an ox is as if (quasi) he slew a man.‘ The Septuagint, in a very free translation - such as is common in their version of Isaiah - render it, The wicked man who sacrifices a calf, is as he who kills a dog; and he who offers to me fine flour, it is as the blood…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3delighted in their abominations: This refers to pagan worship practices. slaughters an ox … blesses an idol: Some wicked people offered sacrifices as the law of Moses required. But they continued to sin and worship idols. Because of this, their sacrifices were no better than pagan offerings in God’s sight (see Isaiah 1:11–17).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. God loathes even the sacrifices of the wicked (Is 1:11; Pr 15:8; 28:9). is as if--Lowth not so well omits these words: "He that killeth an ox (presently after) murders a man" (as in Eze 23:39). But the omission in the Hebrew of "is as if"--increases the force of the comparison. Human victims were often offered by the heathen. dog's neck--an abomination according to the Jewish law (De 23:18); perhaps made so, because dogs were venerated in Egypt. He…Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 66:3

• Frankincense
• Hypocrisy
• Offerings
• Swine

In the dictionaries

• Abomination
• Boar
• Draw
• Extend
• Idol
• Swine
• Throne
• Abomination of Desolation
• Aven
• Delight

Commentaries on Isaiah 66

• 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
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings