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 the land that is in distress. God humbled the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali in earlier times. But in the future he will bring glory to the road by the sea, to the land across the Jordan River, to Galilee, where foreigners live. 2The people who walk in darkness will see a bright light. The light will shine on those who live in the land of death’s shadow. You will expand the nation and increase its happiness. It will be happy in your presence like those who celebrate the harvest or rejoice when dividing loot. 4You will break the yoke that burdens them, the bar that is across their shoulders, and the stick used by their oppressor, as ⌞you did in the battle against⌟ Midian. 5Every warrior’s boot marching to the sound of battle and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel in 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 expanded the nation, O Lord. You have expanded the nation. You are honored. You have extended all the land’s boundaries.
• Isaiah 49:20The children taken from you will say to you, “This place is too crowded for me. Make room for me to live here.”
• Nehemiah 9:23You made their children as numerous as the stars in the sky. You brought them into the land you told their parents to enter and possess.
• Psalms 107:38He blesses them, and their numbers multiply, and he does not allow a shortage of cattle.
• Hosea 4:7The more priests there are, the more they sin against me. So I will turn their glory into shame.
• Zechariah 2:11On that day many nations will join the Lord and become my people. I will live among you. Then you will know that the Lord of Armies has sent me to you.
• Zechariah 8:23This is what the Lord of Armies says: In those days ten people from every language found among the nations will take hold of the clothes of a Jew. They will say, “Let us go with you because we have heard that God is with you.”
• Zechariah 10:8I will signal them with a whistle and gather them because I have reclaimed them. They will be as numerous as they have ever been.
• Isaiah 12:1At that time you will say, “I will praise you, O Lord. Although you had been angry with me, you turned your anger away from me, and you comforted me.
• Isaiah 25:9On that day ⌞his people⌟ will say, “This is our God; we have waited for him, and now he will save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him. Let us rejoice and be glad because he will save us.”
• Isaiah 35:2Like a lily the land will blossom. It will rejoice and sing with joy. It will have the glory of Lebanon, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. Everyone will see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God.
• Isaiah 54:1Sing with joy, you childless women who never gave birth to children. Break into shouts of joy, you women who never had birth pains. “There will be more children of women who have been deserted than there are children of married women,” says the Lord.
• Isaiah 55:12You will go out with joy and be led out in peace. The mountains and the hills will break into songs of joy in your presence, and all the trees will clap their hands.
• Isaiah 61:7You will receive a double measure of wealth instead of your shame. You will sing about your wealth instead of being disgraced. That is why you will have a double measure of wealth in your land. You will have everlasting joy.
• Isaiah 65:18Be glad, and rejoice forever in what I’m going to create, because I’m going to create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people to be a joy.
• Isaiah 66:10All who love Jerusalem, be happy and rejoice with her. All who mourn for her, be glad with 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