Isaiah 1:11 kjv
To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
Isaiah 1:11 nkjv
"To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?" Says the LORD. "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats.
Isaiah 1:11 niv
"The multitude of your sacrifices? what are they to me?" says the LORD. "I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
Isaiah 1:11 esv
"What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.
Isaiah 1:11 nlt
"What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?"
says the LORD.
"I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams
and the fat of fattened cattle.
I get no pleasure from the blood
of bulls and lambs and goats.
Isaiah 1 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Sam 15:22 | And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams." | Obedience prioritized over ritual sacrifice. |
| Psa 40:6 | In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear... | God desires an open ear (obedience), not just rituals. |
| Psa 50:8-9 | I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices... Nor for your burnt offerings... | God affirms He does not lack animals, implying He wants more than just them. |
| Psa 51:16-17 | For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. | True sacrifice is a contrite heart. |
| Prov 15:8 | The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him. | God rejects sacrifices from wicked hearts. |
| Prov 21:3 | To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. | Righteous action is preferred over rituals. |
| Ecc 5:1 | Guard your steps when you go to the house of God; to draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools... | Listen to God's word above empty ritual. |
| Isa 1:13 | Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. | Directly reinforces Isa 1:11, condemning vain worship. |
| Jer 6:20 | What use to me is frankincense from Sheba... Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices displease me. | God rejects offerings from disobedient hearts. |
| Jer 7:22-23 | For when I brought your fathers out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to them or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice...’ | God primarily desired obedience, not just rituals from the beginning. |
| Hos 6:6 | For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. | God desires faithful love and knowledge of Him, not just sacrifices. |
| Amos 5:21-24 | “I hate, I despise your feasts... Even though you offer me your burnt offerings... I will not accept them... But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." | God despises ritual without justice and righteousness. |
| Mic 6:7-8 | Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? ... He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? | God's requirements are justice, kindness, and humility, not lavish offerings. |
| Zech 7:4-6 | “When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months... was it for me that you fasted?” | True fasting should be for God, not external show. |
| Mal 1:10 | “Oh that there were one among you who would shut the temple doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand.” | God rejects insincere worship. |
| Matt 9:13 | Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners. | Jesus quotes Hos 6:6, emphasizing mercy over rigid ritual. |
| Matt 12:7 | And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. | Jesus reiterates the principle of mercy over mere ritual. |
| Mark 12:33 | And to love him with all the heart... and to love one's neighbor as oneself is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. | Love for God and neighbor surpasses all rituals. |
| Heb 10:4-7 | For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me..." | Christ's perfect sacrifice replaces the inadequacy of animal offerings. |
| Rom 12:1 | I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. | Believers are to offer themselves as living sacrifices, spiritual worship. |
| 1 Pet 2:5 | You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. | Christians offer spiritual sacrifices (praise, service) through Christ. |
Isaiah 1 verses
Isaiah 1 11 Meaning
Isaiah 1:11 conveys God's profound displeasure with the empty, hypocritical ritualism of His people. He declares that He has no desire for the vast number of their animal sacrifices because their hearts are far from Him and their lives are filled with injustice and unrighteousness. What should be acts of worship have become detestable in His sight, indicating a fundamental disconnect between external religious observance and genuine inner obedience and moral conduct.
Isaiah 1 11 Context
Isaiah chapter 1 serves as the opening address of the prophet Isaiah to Judah and Jerusalem. It paints a stark picture of the nation's spiritual degeneracy. Despite being blessed by God, the people have rebelled against Him, becoming deeply sinful from "head to foot" (v. 6). The land is desolate due to their transgressions, and the leadership is corrupt. In this immediate context, verses 1-9 highlight their rebellion and God's judgment. Verse 10 accuses them of being like "Sodom and Gomorrah," not just in their sin, but in their rejection of God's law. Verse 11 directly follows this indictment, exposing the hypocrisy of their religious practice. They are diligent in offering sacrifices as prescribed by the Mosaic Law, but these rituals have become empty forms, devoid of true reverence, justice, or heartfelt repentance. God’s rejection of their sacrifices is a core theme in the first chapter, exposing the futility of external worship without internal transformation.
Isaiah 1 11 Word analysis
What is the multitude (מַה־לִּי רֹב - mah-lli rov)
- מַה־לִּי (mah-lli): "What to Me?" or "What concern is it to Me?" expresses rhetorical dismissal, suggesting uselessness or irrelevance.
- רֹב (rov): "multitude," "abundance," "great number." Emphasizes the quantity of their offerings. The people were performing numerous sacrifices, perhaps thinking more was better, but God dismisses their sheer volume.
- Significance: It highlights God's exasperation, implying that the abundance of their offerings is not only unwelcome but actually bothersome because of the accompanying sin.
of your sacrifices (זִבְחֵיכֶם - ziv'khechem)
- זִבְחֵיכֶם (ziv'khechem): "your sacrifices" (plural, construct form). This is a general term for animal sacrifices, including peace offerings.
- Significance: While divinely ordained under the Mosaic Law, these particular sacrifices, offered by these people in their state of rebellion, are explicitly rejected by God. The "your" indicates the human offering, separated from God's true desire.
to Me? says the Lord. (נְאֻם־יְהוָה - ne'um-YHWH)
- נְאֻם־יְהוָה (ne'um-YHWH): "says the Lord" (literally "utterance of Yahweh"). A formal prophetic declaration, lending divine authority and gravity to the pronouncement.
- Significance: This is not merely Isaiah's opinion but God's direct word, making the condemnation irrefutable and absolute. It emphasizes God's personal stance and ultimate judgment.
I have had enough (שָׂבַעְתִּי - sav'ati)
- שָׂבַעְתִּי (sav'ati): "I am full," "I am sated," "I have had enough," "I am weary of." A strong anthropomorphic expression of divine satiation or even revulsion.
- Significance: Conveys a deep sense of aversion and weariness on God's part. It's not just disinterest, but an active, negative feeling toward the insincere offerings.
of burnt offerings (עֹלֹת - 'olot)
- עֹלֹת ('olot): "burnt offerings" (literally "what goes up," as the entire animal was consumed by fire). These were intended as expressions of complete devotion, atonement, or propitiation.
- Significance: Even the highest form of sacrifice, representing total surrender, has become repugnant due to the worshippers' corrupt hearts.
of rams (אֵילִים - elim)
- אֵילִים (elim): "rams." Specific animal type for offerings.
- Significance: Specificity shows the varied nature and continued efforts in physical observance, yet the futility of it all.
and the fat (וְחֵלֶב - v'chelev)
- וְחֵלֶב (v'chelev): "and fat." The fat of an animal was specifically designated for God alone (Lev 3:16-17), representing the best, the richest part, signifying the choicest dedication.
- Significance: Even when they offered the very best and holiest parts, God rejected them, underscoring that outward form, even of the highest quality, means nothing without an upright heart.
of fed animals; (מְרִיאִים - m'ri'im)
- מְרִיאִים (m'ri'im): "fattened animals," "well-fed animals." Choice, plump animals.
- Significance: Reinforces that the people were not cutting corners but actively investing in what they perceived as proper sacrifices, highlighting the depth of their misguided priorities.
I do not delight in (וְדַם פָּרִים וּכְבָשִׂים וְעַתּוּדִים לֹא חָפַצְתִּי - v'dam parim ukhvasim v'attudim lo chafatzti)
- לֹא חָפַצְתִּי (lo chafatzti): "I do not desire," "I take no pleasure in," "I do not delight in." A strong negation of God's will and pleasure concerning these acts.
- Significance: Clearly states God's aversion. His will is not aligned with their practices, even if they were Mosaic ordinances.
the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. (דַּם־פָּרִים וּכְבָשִׂים וְעַתּוּדִים - dam-parim ukhvasim v'attudim)
- דַּם (dam): "blood." Blood was essential for atonement and reconciliation in the Mosaic Law (Lev 17:11).
- פָּרִים (parim): "bulls."
- כְבָשִׂים (kh'vasim): "lambs."
- עַתּוּדִים (attudim): "goats" or "male goats."
- Significance: By listing these diverse animal types, which formed the bulk of Israel's sacrificial system, God indicates a comprehensive rejection of all their ritual performances as presently conducted. The very element that brought atonement (blood) is now seen as undesirable due to the people's pervasive sin.
Isaiah 1 11 Bonus section
The emphasis on "Me" (li, 'to Me') in the verse, especially at the very beginning ("What is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?"), strongly underscores that God views these rituals not just as useless but as offensive to Himself directly. Their performance, disconnected from love and righteousness, dishonors Him, polluting what should be sacred. This highlights a critical boundary: religious practices, though commanded by God, become repugnant when detached from their intended purpose of fostering a right relationship with Him and His covenant principles, especially justice and mercy toward fellow humans. God's disdain is deeply personal.
Isaiah 1 11 Commentary
Isaiah 1:11 delivers a scathing rebuke from God to the people of Judah, exposing the hypocrisy of their religious practice. God explicitly declares His revulsion for their numerous sacrifices, even those perfectly prescribed by the Mosaic Law. The problem was not the sacrificial system itself, which was divinely ordained, but the corrupt hearts and unrighteous lives of those offering them. They maintained an outward show of piety – meticulously bringing quantities of rams, fattened animals, bulls, lambs, and goats, and carefully offering the choicest fat and atoning blood – while simultaneously engaging in widespread social injustice, oppression, and rebellion against God's moral commands (as detailed in the preceding and subsequent verses of Isaiah 1).
God’s strong language ("I have had enough," "I do not delight in") conveys not mere disinterest but a deep aversion and weariness. What was meant to draw them closer to Him had become an "abomination" (v. 13) because it was divorced from a repentant heart and righteous conduct. This verse is a foundational prophetic statement emphasizing that God prioritizes genuine obedience, justice, and inner transformation over mere external ritual. It highlights the principle reiterated throughout the prophets and affirmed by Jesus: true worship flows from a heart devoted to God and expressed through ethical living, mercy, and justice, rather than empty adherence to religious forms. It challenges the misconception that one can "buy off" God with rituals while persisting in sin.