New English Translation
Isaiah 9:3
3You have enlarged the nation; you give them great joy. They rejoice in your presence as harvesters rejoice; as warriors celebrate when they divide up the plunder.
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
1(8:23) The gloom will be dispelled for those who were anxious. In earlier times he humiliated the land of Zebulun, and the land of Naphtali; but now he brings honor to the way of the sea, the region beyond the Jordan, and Galilee of the nations. 2(9:1) The people walking in darkness see a bright light; light shines on those who live in a land of deep darkness. You have enlarged the nation; you give them great joy. They rejoice in your presence as harvesters rejoice; as warriors celebrate when they divide up the plunder. 4For their oppressive yoke and the club that strikes their shoulders, the cudgel the oppressor uses on them, you have shattered, as in the day of Midian’s defeat. 5Indeed every boot that marches and shakes the earth and every garment dragged through blood is used as fuel for the fire.
Read all of Isaiah 9Isaiah 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 made the nation larger, O Lord, you have made the nation larger and revealed your splendor, you have extended all the borders of the land.
- Isaiah 49:20Yet the children born during your time of bereavement will say within your hearing, ‘This place is too cramped for us, make room for us so we can live here.’
- Nehemiah 9:23You multiplied their descendants like the stars of the sky. You brought them to the land you had told their ancestors to enter in order to possess.
- Psalms 107:38He blessed them so that they became very numerous. He would not allow their cattle to decrease in number.
- Hosea 4:7The more the priests increased in numbers, the more they rebelled against me. They have turned their glorious calling into a shameful disgrace!
- Zechariah 2:11“Many nations will join themselves to the Lord on the day of salvation, and they will also be my people. Indeed, I will settle in the midst of you all.” Then you will know that the Lord who rules over all has sent me to you.
- Zechariah 8:23The Lord who rules over all says, ‘In those days ten people from all languages and nations will grasp hold of – indeed, grab – the robe of one Jew and say, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’”
- Zechariah 10:8I will signal for them and gather them, for I have already redeemed them; then they will become as numerous as they were before.
- Isaiah 12:1At that time you will say: “I praise you, O Lord, for even though you were angry with me, your anger subsided, and you consoled me.
- Isaiah 25:9At that time they will say, “Look, here is our God! We waited for him and he delivered us. Here is the Lord! We waited for him. Let’s rejoice and celebrate his deliverance!”
- Isaiah 35:2Let it richly bloom; let it rejoice and shout with delight! It is given the grandeur of Lebanon, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the grandeur of the Lord, the splendor of our God.
- Isaiah 54:1“Shout for joy, O barren one who has not given birth! Give a joyful shout and cry out, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate one are more numerous than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord.
- Isaiah 55:12Indeed you will go out with joy; you will be led along in peace; the mountains and hills will give a joyful shout before you, and all the trees in the field will clap their hands.
- Isaiah 61:7Instead of shame, you will get a double portion; instead of humiliation, they will rejoice over the land they receive. Yes, they will possess a double portion in their land and experience lasting joy.
- Isaiah 65:18But be happy and rejoice forevermore over what I am about to create! For look, I am ready to create Jerusalem to be a source of joy, and her people to be a source of happiness.
- Isaiah 66:10Be happy for Jerusalem and rejoice with her, all you who love her! Share in her great joy, all you who have mourned over 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
In the dictionaries
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
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