Isaiah 65:5

Isaiah 65:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.
• English Standard Version (ESV)who say, "Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am too holy for you." These are a smoke in my nostrils, a fire that burns all the day.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Who say, ‘Keep to yourself, Do not come near me, For I am holier than you!’ These are smoke in My nostrils, A fire that burns all the day.
• New Living Translation (NLT)Yet they say to each other, ‘Don’t come too close or you will defile me! I am holier than you!’ These people are a stench in my nostrils, an acrid smell that never goes away.

Context of Isaiah 65:5

3a 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; who 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. 6“See, it stands written before me: I will not keep silent but will pay back in full; I will pay it back into their laps— 7both your sins and the sins of your ancestors,” says the Lord. “Because they burned sacrifices on the mountains and defied me on the hills, I will measure into their laps the full payment for their former deeds.”

Isaiah 65:5 word by word

הָאֹֽמְרִים֙ קְרַ֣ב אֵלֶ֔יךָ אַל־תִּגַּשׁ־בִּ֖י כִּ֣י קְדַשְׁתִּ֑יךָ אֵ֚לֶּה עָשָׁ֣ן בְּאַפִּ֔י אֵ֥שׁ יֹקֶ֖דֶת כָּל־הַיּֽוֹם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Which sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Standקָרַבqârab · to present: comeH7126
• by thyself, come not nearנָגַשׁnâgash · to approach: approachH5066
• to me; for I am holierקָדַשׁqâdash · to consecrate: consecateH6942
• a smokeעָשָׁן‛âshân · smokeH6227
• in my noseאַף'aph · face: noseH639
• a fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784
• that burnethיָקַדyâqad · to burnH3344
• all the dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117

Cross-references for Isaiah 65:5

• Matthew 9:11When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
• Luke 5:30But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
• Luke 7:39When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
• Luke 15:2But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
• Luke 18:9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable:
• Acts 22:21“Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”
• Romans 2:17Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God;
• Jude 1:19These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.
• Proverbs 6:16There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him:
• Proverbs 10:26As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so are sluggards to those who send them.
• Proverbs 16:5The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.
• James 4:6But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
• 1 Peter 5:5In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
• Deuteronomy 29:20The Lord will never be willing to forgive them; his wrath and zeal will burn against them. All the curses written in this book will fall on them, and the Lord will blot out their names from under heaven.
• Deuteronomy 32:20“I will hide my face from them,” he said, “and see what their end will be; for they are a perverse generation, children who are unfaithful.

Commentaries on Isaiah 65:5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5For I am holier than thou - So the Chaldee renders it. קדשתיך kedashticha is the same with ממך קדשתי kadashti mimmecha . In the same manner חזקתני chazaktani, Jeremiah 20:7, is used for ממני חזקת chazacta mimmenni, "thou art stronger than I." - L.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5Which say, Stand by thyself - Who at the time that they engage in these abominations are distinguished for spiritual pride. The most worthless people are commonly the most proud; and they who have wandered farthest from God have in general the most exalted idea of their own goodness. It was a characteristic of a large part of the Jewish nation, and especially of the Pharisees, to be self-righteous and proud. A striking illustration of this we have in the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5do not come near me, for I am holier than you!: The people of Israel used the words of ritual purification found in the law of Moses. They spoke as if they were clean and obedient to God. But they also practiced worship influenced by pagan religions. Their actions did not match their words. Because of this hypocrisy, God was deeply displeased. The text says they were like a bad smell in his nostrils. This image shows how offensive their behavior was to…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. (Mt 9:11; Lu 5:30; 18:11; Jude 19). Applicable to the hypocritical self-justifiers of our Lord's time. smoke--alluding to the smoke of their self-righteous sacrifices; the fire of God's wrath was kindled at the sight, and exhibited itself in the smoke that breathed forth from His nostrils; in Hebrew the nose is the seat of anger; and the nostrils distended in wrath, as it were, breathe forth smoke [Rosenmuller] (Psa 18:8).Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 65:5

• Bigotry
• Church
• Condescension of God
• Heathen
• Hypocrisy
• Presumption
• Self-Righteousness

In the dictionaries

• Cry
• Sought
• Thence
• Fire
• Isaiah
• Nose; Nostrils
• 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