New Living Translation
Isaiah 65:5
5Yet 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.
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.
- New International Version (NIV)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.
- 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.
Context of Isaiah 65:5
3All day long they insult me to my face by worshiping idols in their sacred gardens. They burn incense on pagan altars. 4At night they go out among the graves, worshiping the dead. They eat the flesh of pigs and make stews with other forbidden foods. 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. 6“Look, my decree is written out in front of me: I will not stand silent; I will repay them in full! Yes, I will repay them— 7both for their own sins and for those of their ancestors,” says the Lord. “For they also burned incense on the mountains and insulted me on the hills. I will pay them back in full!
Read all of Isaiah 65Isaiah 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 9:11But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”
- Luke 5:30But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?”
- Luke 7:39When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!”
- Luke 15:2This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!
- Luke 18:9Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else:
- Acts 22:21“But the Lord said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!’”
- Romans 2:17You who call yourselves Jews are relying on God’s law, and you boast about your special relationship with him.
- Jude 1:19These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.
- Proverbs 6:16There are six things the Lord hates— no, seven things he detests:
- Proverbs 10:26Lazy people irritate their employers, like vinegar to the teeth or smoke in the eyes.
- Proverbs 16:5The Lord detests the proud; they will surely be punished.
- James 4:6And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
- 1 Peter 5:5In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
- Deuteronomy 29:20The Lord will never pardon such people. Instead his anger and jealousy will burn against them. All the curses written in this book will come down on them, and the Lord will erase their names from under heaven.
- Deuteronomy 32:20He said, ‘I will abandon them; then see what becomes of them. For they are a twisted generation, children without integrity.
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
In the dictionaries
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
New Living Translation — © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation
Commentaries