Isaiah 53:2

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.
• 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.
• New Living Translation (NLT)My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him.

Context of Isaiah 53:2

1Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 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. 3He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. 4Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.

Isaiah 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 come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
• Jeremiah 23:5“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.
• Ezekiel 17:22“ ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain.
• Zechariah 6:12Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord.
• Mark 6:3Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.
• Luke 2:7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
• Luke 9:58Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
• Romans 8:3For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh,
• Philippians 2:6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
• Isaiah 52:14Just as there were many who were appalled at him— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness—
• Mark 9:12Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected?
• John 1:10He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.
• John 9:28Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses!
• John 18:40They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.
• John 19:5When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”
• 1 Peter 2:14or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.

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

• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Persecution
• Unbelief

In the dictionaries

• Acquaint
• Bear
• Chastisement
• Comeliness
• Covenant
• Humiliation of Christ
• Intercession
• Lay
• Offering
• Stripe

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