Isaiah 53:3 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
Isaiah 53:3 kjv
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isaiah 53:3 nkjv
He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Isaiah 53:3 niv
He 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.
Isaiah 53:3 esv
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isaiah 53:3 nlt
He was despised and rejected ?
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.
Isaiah 53 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 22:6 | But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. | Prophetic suffering; depicts the experience of being utterly despised. |
| Ps 118:22 | The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. | Prophecy of the Messiah's rejection by religious leaders, a core theme. |
| Zec 11:12 | They weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. | Foretells the low valuation of the Shepherd, linked to the Servant's worth. |
| Mt 21:42 | Jesus said to them, "Have you never read... The stone the builders rejected...?" | Jesus applies the rejected stone prophecy (Ps 118:22) to Himself. |
| Mk 9:12 | ...and the Son of Man must suffer many things and be treated with contempt. | Jesus' own teaching foretelling His extensive suffering and scorn. |
| Jn 1:10-11 | He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him... his own did not receive him. | Illustrates the broad rejection of Christ by humanity and His own people. |
| Lk 17:25 | But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. | Jesus explicitly states He must endure suffering and rejection. |
| Acts 4:11 | Jesus is "'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.'" | Peter explicitly links Jesus' rejection to the prophecy in Ps 118:22. |
| Heb 2:9-10 | But we do see Jesus... suffering death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. | Highlights Jesus' shared experience of suffering with humanity for redemption. |
| Heb 4:15 | For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. | Emphasizes Jesus' profound familiarity with human experience, including suffering. |
| Lam 1:12 | "Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look and see if there is any suffering like my suffering." | Evokes the profound grief and isolation, echoing the "man of sorrows" theme. |
| Mt 8:16-17 | He cast out the spirits...and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: "He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases." | Connects Jesus' ministry to bearing infirmities, an aspect related to "familiar with pain" (Is 53:4 is quoted here, expanding Is 53:3's themes). |
| Mk 14:64 | "You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?" They all condemned him as worthy of death. | The official religious condemnation demonstrating utter rejection and contempt. |
| Mt 26:67 | Then they spit in His face and struck him with their fists. | Physical manifestations of the deep hatred and despise shown towards Jesus. |
| Phil 2:6-8 | ...made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant...he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! | Explains Christ's willing embrace of lowliness and ultimate humiliation, central to His rejection. |
| Lk 9:22 | The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. | Jesus directly foretells the precise nature of His rejection and suffering by authorities. |
| Lk 23:18 | But they all shouted, "Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!" | Collective public rejection, preferring a criminal over the Suffering Servant. |
| Is 49:7 | This is what the LORD says—the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel—to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers. | Prior prophecy foreshadowing the Servant's experience of being despised. |
| Ps 69:10 | When I wept and fasted, I was scorned... | Personal suffering and scorn expressed in the Psalms, a foreshadowing. |
| Jer 11:19 | I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; I did not realize that they had plotted against me... | Imagery of the submissive, unsuspecting sacrifice, mirroring the Servant. |
| 1 Pet 2:23 | When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate... instead he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. | Illustrates Jesus' perfect response to rejection, fulfilling the Servant's character. |
| Rom 15:3 | For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me." | Christ identifies with suffering reproach for the sake of God's will. |
| Gal 3:13 | Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. | Jesus' death on the cross placed Him under a perceived divine curse, making Him abhorrent. |
Isaiah 53 verses
Isaiah 53 3 meaning
This verse vividly portrays the suffering Servant of the Lord as one profoundly rejected and scorned by humanity. He is depicted as deeply acquainted with sorrows and affliction, such that people instinctively turned away from him in aversion or shame, deeming him of no value or significance. It speaks to his deep identification with human suffering and his low status in the eyes of his contemporaries, highlighting the profound misunderstanding and contempt he endured.
Isaiah 53 3 Context
Isaiah 53 stands as the core of the fourth and most detailed "Servant Song" (Is 52:13-53:12), which delineates the identity and atoning work of God's chosen Servant. Preceding verse 3, Isaiah 52:13-15 sets the stage by contrasting the Servant's initially "marred" appearance and his eventual exaltation. Verse 3 pivots to explain the human perspective and response to this Servant during his humiliation. Historically, the audience (primarily Israel, often in a state of suffering or looking towards deliverance) would have anticipated a Messiah characterized by power, glory, and political victory, much like David or a mighty king. The description of a suffering, despised figure who brings redemption was revolutionary and ran contrary to the common expectation, establishing a significant polemic against the prevailing view of a conquering Messiah who would lead a glorious national restoration, rather than suffering as an individual.
Isaiah 53 3 Word analysis
- He was despised (נִבְזֶה, nivzeh): This is a passive participle, meaning "he was regarded with contempt" or "he was scorned." It signifies that the Servant was made an object of extreme disrespect, held as worthless, ignoble, or insignificant. The term suggests an intense social degradation.
- and rejected by mankind (וַחֲדַל אִישִׁים, vachadal ishim): Literally "and ceasing from men" or "deprived of men." This points to a deep isolation, signifying he was shunned, forsaken, or withdrawn from human company. It describes not merely unpopularity, but active abandonment by others, making him an outcast.
- a man of suffering (אִישׁ מַכְאֹבוֹת, ish makh'ovot): Lit., "man of pains" or "man of sorrows." This doesn't mean he merely experienced pain; it denotes a profound, ongoing, and intrinsic identification with sorrow. His very essence is intertwined with suffering, indicating a life steeped in deep grief, anguish, and hardship.
- and familiar with pain (וִידוּעַ חֹלִי, vidu'a kholi): Lit., "and known of sickness" or "acquainted with disease/illness." Kholi often refers to physical ailment, but here it encompasses a broader sense of deep affliction, infirmity, and suffering. "Familiar" or "acquainted" suggests an intimate, firsthand, and extensive knowledge—he not only saw pain but fully lived through and understood its depths.
- Like one from whom people hide their faces (וּכְמַסְתֵּר פָּנִים מִמֶּנּוּ, ukhemasteir panim mimenu): This phrase has nuances but generally conveys strong aversion. It could mean people covered their own faces from him (due to his repulsive appearance, disgrace, or the assumption he was cursed), or it could mean his face was obscured/unseen (making him unnoticed or unremarkable). The predominant understanding points to people actively turning away in disgust, fear, or a desire to avoid being associated with his perceived shame or judgment.
- he was despised (נִבְזֶה, nivzeh): This repetition strongly reiterates the theme of profound contempt. It emphasizes the consistency and pervasiveness of the scorn directed at the Servant, underscoring that this was his continual experience, not an isolated incident.
- and we held him in low esteem (וְלֹא חֲשַׁבְנֻהוּ, velo chashavnuhu): Lit., "and we esteemed him not" or "we considered him as nothing." This signifies a complete undervaluation of the Servant. Those observing his condition judged him to be without worth, honor, or significance, failing entirely to recognize his true purpose or dignity. It is an admission of their collective misjudgment.
Isaiah 53 3 Bonus section
The chiastic structure observed in this verse (despised... rejected / man of suffering, familiar with pain / hiding faces / despised... held in low esteem) reinforces the comprehensive nature of the Servant's ignominy. The parallelism further amplifies the extent of his rejection, transitioning from the objective fact of his scorn ("despised") to the subjective admission of those who scorned him ("we held him in low esteem"). This prophetic utterance, primarily fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ, challenges conventional ideas of a victorious Messiah. It proposes a redemptive power not through conquest, but through voluntary, innocent suffering and a complete embrace of human vulnerability and contempt, which remains a central paradox of Christian theology. The early Church utilized this and surrounding Servant Song passages extensively to explain Jesus' passion and death.
Isaiah 53 3 Commentary
Isaiah 53:3 succinctly captures humanity's devastating misperception of the suffering Servant. He was utterly despised and actively rejected, portrayed as profoundly isolated and cut off from human support. His life was steeped in sorrows, experiencing deep-seated pain and affliction not as an occasional visitor, but as an intimate companion. So severe was his condition or so great was the aversion he elicited, that people recoiled, hiding their faces from him. This culminating in a collective human admission: we viewed him as utterly insignificant, failing to assign any true worth to his person or purpose. The verse powerfully demonstrates that the Servant's journey involved enduring not only physical pain but profound emotional and social ostracism, which, unknown to his detractors, was an integral part of his redemptive work.