New English Translation
Isaiah 53:2
2He sprouted up like a twig before God, like a root out of parched soil; he had no stately form or majesty that might catch our attention, no special appearance that we should want to follow 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
1Who would have believed what we just heard? When was the Lord’s power revealed through him? He sprouted up like a twig before God, like a root out of parched soil; he had no stately form or majesty that might catch our attention, no special appearance that we should want to follow him. 3He was despised and rejected by people, one who experienced pain and was acquainted with illness; people hid their faces from him; he was despised, and we considered him insignificant. 4But he lifted up our illnesses, he carried our pain; even though we thought he was being punished, attacked by God, and afflicted for something he had done.
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 shoot will grow out of Jesse’s root stock, a bud will sprout from his roots.
- Jeremiah 23:5“I, the Lord, promise that a new time will certainly come when I will raise up for them a righteous branch, a descendant of David. He will rule over them with wisdom and understanding and will do what is just and right in the land.
- Ezekiel 17:22“‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: “‘I will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and plant it. I will pluck from the top one of its tender twigs; I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain.
- Zechariah 6:12Then say to him, ‘The Lord who rules over all says, “Look – here is the man whose name is Branch, who will sprout up from his place and build the temple of the Lord.
- Mark 6:3Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And aren’t his sisters here with us?” And so they took offense at him.
- Luke 2:7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
- Luke 9:58Jesus said to him, “Foxes have dens and the birds in the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
- Romans 8:3For God achieved what the law could not do because it was weakened through the flesh. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,
- Philippians 2:6who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped,
- Isaiah 52:14(just as many were horrified by the sight of you) he was so disfigured he no longer looked like a man;
- Mark 9:12He said to them, “Elijah does indeed come first, and restores all things. And why is it written that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be despised?
- John 1:10He was in the world, and the world was created by him, but the world did not recognize him.
- John 9:28They heaped insults on him, saying, “You are his disciple! We are disciples of Moses!
- John 18:40Then they shouted back, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” (Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.)
- John 19:5So Jesus came outside, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Look, here is the man!”
- 1 Peter 2:14or to governors as those he commissions to punish wrongdoers and praise those who do good.
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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