Isaiah 65:3

Isaiah 65:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;
• English Standard Version (ESV)a people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens and making offerings on bricks;
• New King James Version (NKJV)A people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face; Who sacrifice in gardens, And burn incense on altars of brick;
• New Living Translation (NLT)All day long they insult me to my face by worshiping idols in their sacred gardens. They burn incense on pagan altars.

Context of Isaiah 65:3

1“I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’ 2All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations— a people who continually provoke me to my very face, offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on altars of brick; 4who sit among the graves and spend their nights keeping secret vigil; who eat the flesh of pigs, and whose pots hold broth of impure meat; 5who say, ‘Keep away; don’t come near me, for I am too sacred for you!’ Such people are smoke in my nostrils, a fire that keeps burning all day.

Isaiah 65:3 word by word

הָעָ֗ם הַמַּכְעִיסִ֥ים אוֹתִ֛י עַל־פָּנַ֖י תָּמִ֑יד זֹֽבְחִים֙ בַּגַּנּ֔וֹת וּֽמְקַטְּרִ֖ים עַל־הַלְּבֵנִֽים׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• A peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• that provoketh me to angerכָּעַסka‛as · to provokeH3707
• continuallyתָּמִידtâmîyd · continuallyH8548
• to my faceפָּנֶהpânîym · faceH6440
• that sacrificethזָבַחzâbach · to sacrificeH2076
• in gardensגַּנָּהgannâh · gardenH1593
• and burneth incenseקָטַרqâţar · to offer: offerH6999
• upon altars of brickלְבֵנָהlebênâh · brickH3843

Cross-references for Isaiah 65:3

• Isaiah 3:8Jerusalem staggers, Judah is falling; their words and deeds are against the Lord, defying his glorious presence.
• Deuteronomy 32:16They made him jealous with their foreign gods and angered him with their detestable idols.
• 2 Kings 17:14But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God.
• 2 Kings 22:17Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and aroused my anger by all the idols their hands have made, my anger will burn against this place and will not be quenched.’
• Psalms 78:40How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the wasteland!
• Jeremiah 32:30“The people of Israel and Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth; indeed, the people of Israel have done nothing but arouse my anger with what their hands have made, declares the Lord.
• Ezekiel 8:17He said to me, “Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a trivial matter for the people of Judah to do the detestable things they are doing here? Must they also fill the land with violence and continually arouse my anger? Look at them putting the branch to their nose!
• Matthew 23:32Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!
• Job 1:11But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
• Job 2:5But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
• Isaiah 1:29“You will be ashamed because of the sacred oaks in which you have delighted; you will be disgraced because of the gardens that you have chosen.
• Isaiah 66:17“Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one who is among those who eat the flesh of pigs, rats and other unclean things—they will meet their end together with the one they follow,” declares the Lord.
• Leviticus 17:5This is so the Israelites will bring to the Lord the sacrifices they are now making in the open fields. They must bring them to the priest, that is, to the Lord, at the entrance to the tent of meeting and sacrifice them as fellowship offerings.
• Jeremiah 3:6During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery there.
• Ezekiel 20:28When I brought them into the land I had sworn to give them and they saw any high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices, made offerings that aroused my anger, presented their fragrant incense and poured out their drink offerings.
• Exodus 20:24“ ‘Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you.

Commentaries on Isaiah 65:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3That sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick "Sacrificing in the gardens, and burning incense on the tiles" - These are instances of heathenish superstition, and idolatrous practices, to which the Jews were immoderately addicted before the Babylonish captivity. The heathen worshipped their idols in groves; whereas God, in opposition to this species of idolatry, commanded his people, when they should come into the promised land, to…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3A people - This verse contains a specification of the reasons why God had rejected them, and brought the calamities upon them. That provoketh me to anger - That is, by their sins. They give constant occasion for my indignation. Continually - (תמיד tâmı̂yd ). It is not once merely, but their conduct as a people is constantly such as to excite my displeasure. To my face - There is no attempt at concealment. Their abominations are public. It is always…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3Sacred gardens were a part of the fertility religion of Baal.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. continually--answering to "all the day" (Is 65:2). God was continually inviting them, and they continually offending Him (De 32:21). to my face--They made no attempt to hide their sin (Is 3:9). Compare "before Me" (Ex 20:3). in gardens--(See on Is 1:29; Is 66:17; Le 17:5). altars of brick--Hebrew, "bricks." God had commanded His altars to be of unhewn stone (Ex 20:25). This was in order to separate them, even in external respects, from idolaters; also…Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 65:3

• Altar
• Backsliders
• Brick
• Church
• Condescension of God
• Idolatry
• Self-Righteousness

In the dictionaries

• Cry
• Face
• Sought
• Thence
• Garden
• Isaiah
• Oreb; Zeeb
• Salvation

Commentaries on Isaiah 65

• 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
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings