New International Version
Isaiah 11:3
3and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears;
Isaiah 11:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
- English Standard Version (ESV)And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
- New King James Version (NKJV)His delight is in the fear of the Lord, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
- New Living Translation (NLT)He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay.
Context of Isaiah 11:3
1A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; 4but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. 5Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
Read all of Isaiah 11Isaiah 11:3 word by word
וַהֲרִיח֖וֹ בְּיִרְאַ֣ת יְהוָ֑ה וְלֹֽא־לְמַרְאֵ֤ה עֵינָיו֙ יִשְׁפּ֔וֹט וְלֹֽא־לְמִשְׁמַ֥ע אָזְנָ֖יו יוֹכִֽיחַ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And shall make him of quick understandingרִיחַrûach · to smellH7306
- in the fearיִרְאָהyir'âh · fearH3374
- of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- and he shall not judgeשָׁפַטshâphaţ · to judgeH8199
- after the sightמַרְאֶהmar'eh · appearanceH4758
- of his eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
- neither reproveיָכַחyâkach · to rebukeH3198
- after the hearingמִשְׁמָעmishmâ‛ · hearingH4926
- of his earsאֹ֫זֶן'ôzen · earH241
Cross-references for Isaiah 11:3
- Isaiah 33:6He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.
- Proverbs 2:5then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
- Luke 2:52And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.
- Job 12:11Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes food?
- Job 34:3For the ear tests words as the tongue tastes food.
- Philippians 1:9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
- Hebrews 5:14But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
- 1 Samuel 16:7But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
- 2 Samuel 14:17“And now your servant says, ‘May the word of my lord the king secure my inheritance, for my lord the king is like an angel of God in discerning good and evil. May the Lord your God be with you.’ ”
- 1 Kings 3:9So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
- John 7:24Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”
- John 8:15You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one.
- 1 Corinthians 2:13This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.
- 1 Corinthians 4:3I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself.
Commentaries on Isaiah 11:3
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3And shall make him of quick understanding - (והריחו vahărı̂ychô ) The Septuagint renders this, And the spirit of the fear of God shall fill him.‘ The Chaldee, And the Lord shall draw him near to him in his fear.‘ The Syriac, And he shall be resplendent (like the sun, or the stars) in the fear of the Lord.‘ The Hebrew word used here is probably derived from ריח rêyach used only in Hiphil, “to smell;” and is kindred with רוח rûach “wind, breath,” for…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3the fear of the LORD: This means having deep respect and reverence for the Lord. It does not mean being afraid in a frightened way (see also Isaiah 11:2 and Proverbs 1:7).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. make him of quick understanding--literally, "quick-scented in the fear of Jehovah"; endowed with a singular sagacity in discerning the genuine principle of religious fear of God, when it lies dormant in the yet unawakened sinner (Mt 12:20; Ac 10:1-48; 16:14) [Horsley]. But Maurer, "He shall delight in the fear of God." The Hebrew means "to delight in the odors" of anything (Ex 30:38; Am 5:21); "smell," that is, "delight in." after ... sight--according…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 11:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 11
- 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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