Isaiah 53:3
New International Version
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.

New Living Translation
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.

English Standard Version
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.

Berean Standard Bible
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
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.

New American Standard Bible
He was despised and abandoned by men, A man of great pain and familiar with sickness; And like one from whom people hide their faces, He was despised, and we had no regard for Him.

NASB 1995
He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

NASB 1977
He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Legacy Standard Bible
He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Amplified Bible
He was despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and pain and acquainted with grief; And like One from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or esteem Him.

Christian Standard Bible
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turned away from; he was despised, and we didn’t value him.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turned away from; He was despised, and we didn’t value Him.

American Standard Version
He was despised, and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised; and we esteemed him not.

Contemporary English Version
He was hated and rejected; his life was filled with sorrow and terrible suffering. No one wanted to look at him. We despised him and said, "He is a nobody!"

English Revised Version
He was despised, and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He was despised and rejected by people. He was a man of sorrows, familiar with suffering. He was despised like one from whom people turn their faces, and we didn't consider him to be worth anything.

Good News Translation
We despised him and rejected him; he endured suffering and pain. No one would even look at him--we ignored him as if he were nothing.

International Standard Version
"He was despised and rejected by others, and a man of sorrows, intimately familiar with suffering; and like one from whom people hide their faces; and we despised him and did not value him.

Majority Standard Bible
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.

NET Bible
He was despised and rejected by people, one who experienced pain and was acquainted with illness; people hid their faces from him; he was despised, and we considered him insignificant.

New Heart English Bible
He was despised, and rejected by people; a man of sorrows, and familiar with illness; and as one from whom people hide their face. He was despised, and we did not value him.

Webster's Bible Translation
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 esteemed him not.

World English Bible
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering and acquainted with disease. He was despised as one from whom men hide their face; and we didn’t respect him.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
He is despised, and left of men, "" A Man of pains, and acquainted with sickness, "" And as one hiding the face from us, "" He is despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Young's Literal Translation
He is despised, and left of men, A man of pains, and acquainted with sickness, And as one hiding the face from us, He is despised, and we esteemed him not.

Smith's Literal Translation
He was despised and forsaken of men; a man of griefs and knowing affliction: and as hiding the faces from him; he was despised and we regarded him not.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Despised, and the most abject of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with infirmity: and his look was as it were hidden and despised, whereupon we esteemed him not.

Catholic Public Domain Version
He is despised and the least among men, a man of sorrows who knows infirmity. And his countenance was hidden and despised. Because of this, we did not esteem him.

New American Bible
He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, knowing pain, Like one from whom you turn your face, spurned, and we held him in no esteem.

New Revised Standard Version
He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their faces he was despised, and we held him of no account.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
He is despised and humbled of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and we turned our faces away from him; we despised him and we esteemed him not.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
He is despised and humbled of men, a man of sorrows, and he knew sufferings. We turned away our faces from him and we despised him and thought nothing of him.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
He was despised, and forsaken of men, A man of pains, and acquainted with disease, And as one from whom men hide their face: He was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
But his form was ignoble, and inferior to that of the children of men; he was a man in suffering, and acquainted with the bearing of sickness, for his face is turned from us: he was dishonoured, and not esteemed.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Suffering Servant
2He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no stately form or majesty to attract us, no beauty that we should desire Him. 3He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. 4Surely He took on our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken by God, struck down and afflicted.…

Cross References
Psalm 22:6-8
But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. / All who see me mock me; they sneer and shake their heads: / “He trusts in the LORD, let the LORD deliver him; let the LORD rescue him, since He delights in him.”

Matthew 27:30-31
Then they spit on Him and took the staff and struck Him on the head repeatedly. / After they had mocked Him, they removed the robe and put His own clothes back on Him. Then they led Him away to crucify Him.

John 1:10-11
He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. / He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

Mark 9:12
He replied, “Elijah does indeed come first, and he restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected?

Luke 17:25
But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

John 12:37-38
Although Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still did not believe in Him. / This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

1 Peter 2:4
As you come to Him, the living stone, rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight,

John 15:18-25
If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. / If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. / Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well. ...

Matthew 26:67-68
Then they spit in His face and struck Him. Others slapped Him / and said, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who hit You?”

Mark 15:19-20
They kept striking His head with a staff and spitting on Him. And they knelt down and bowed before Him. / After they had mocked Him, they removed the purple robe and put His own clothes back on Him. Then they led Him out to crucify Him.

Luke 23:18-21
But they all cried out in unison: “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!” / (Barabbas had been imprisoned for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.) / Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate addressed them again, ...

John 19:14-16
It was the day of Preparation for the Passover, about the sixth hour. And Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is your King!” / At this, they shouted, “Away with Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him!” “Shall I crucify your King?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” replied the chief priests. / Then Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified, and the soldiers took Him away.

Romans 9:32-33
Why not? Because their pursuit was not by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, / as it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”

1 Peter 2:7
To you who believe, then, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”

Psalm 69:4
Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs of my head; many are those who would destroy me—my enemies for no reason. Though I did not steal, I must repay.


Treasury of Scripture

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.

despised

Isaiah 49:7
Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.

Isaiah 50:6
I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.

Psalm 22:6-8
But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people…

a man

Isaiah 53:4,10
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted…

Psalm 69:29
But I am poor and sorrowful: let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high.

Matthew 26:37,38
And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy…

we hid as it were our faces from him.

Deuteronomy 32:15
But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.

Zechariah 11:13
And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

Matthew 27:9,10
Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; …

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Acquainted Alone Despised Disease Esteemed Face Faces Forsaken Grief Hid Hide Marked Pains Rejected Respect Sorrows Sport Suffering Turned Turning Value
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Acquainted Alone Despised Disease Esteemed Face Faces Forsaken Grief Hid Hide Marked Pains Rejected Respect Sorrows Sport Suffering Turned Turning Value
Isaiah 53
1. The prophet, complaining of incredulity, excuses the scandal of the cross
4. By the benefit of his passion
10. And the good success thereof














He was despised
The phrase "He was despised" refers to the rejection and scorn that the Messiah, Jesus Christ, faced during His earthly ministry. The Hebrew word used here is "בָּזָה" (bazah), which conveys a sense of being held in contempt or being considered worthless. Historically, Jesus was rejected by the religious leaders and many of His own people, fulfilling the prophecy that the Messiah would not be received with honor. This rejection is a profound reminder of the humility and suffering that Christ willingly endured for humanity's redemption.

and rejected by men
The phrase "and rejected by men" emphasizes the collective dismissal by humanity. The Hebrew word "חָדַל" (chadal) implies a cessation or abandonment, indicating that people turned away from Him. This rejection was not just a personal affront but a fulfillment of the broader human tendency to turn away from God's truth. In the New Testament, this is echoed in John 1:11, "He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him." This rejection underscores the depth of Christ's love, as He continued His mission despite knowing He would be spurned.

a man of sorrows
The term "a man of sorrows" highlights the deep emotional and spiritual anguish that characterized Jesus' life. The Hebrew word "מַכְאוֹב" (mak'ob) refers to pain and suffering, not just physical but also emotional and spiritual. Jesus experienced profound sorrow as He bore the weight of humanity's sin and the brokenness of the world. This title reflects His empathy and identification with human suffering, making Him a compassionate Savior who understands our deepest pains.

acquainted with grief
"Acquainted with grief" suggests an intimate familiarity with suffering. The Hebrew word "יָדַע" (yada) means to know deeply or personally. Jesus' life was marked by grief, from the loss of loved ones to the betrayal by friends and the ultimate agony of the cross. This acquaintance with grief was not just observational but experiential, as He fully entered into the human condition. His willingness to embrace such grief demonstrates His profound love and commitment to redeeming humanity.

Like one from whom men hide their faces
This phrase paints a vivid picture of the extent of Jesus' rejection. The imagery of people hiding their faces suggests shame, disgust, or fear. In ancient Near Eastern culture, turning one's face away was a sign of rejection and dishonor. This reaction to Jesus underscores the depth of His humiliation and the extent to which He was misunderstood and maligned. Yet, it also highlights His steadfastness in fulfilling His mission despite such profound rejection.

He was despised, and we esteemed Him not
The repetition of "He was despised" reinforces the earlier statement, emphasizing the persistent and pervasive nature of the rejection Jesus faced. The phrase "and we esteemed Him not" uses the Hebrew word "חָשַׁב" (chashab), meaning to consider or regard. This indicates a failure to recognize His true worth and identity as the Messiah. This lack of esteem is a sobering reminder of humanity's blindness to God's work and the need for spiritual awakening to truly appreciate the gift of salvation offered through Christ.

(3) He is despised and rejected.--Better, for the last word, forsaken. This had been the crowning sorrow of the righteous sufferer of the Old Testament (Job 17:15; Job 19:14). It was to complete the trial of the perfect sufferer of the New (Matthew 26:56).

A man of sorrows . . .--The words "sorrow" and "grief" in the Heb. imply the thought of bodily pain or disease. (Comp. Exodus 3:7; Lamentations 1:12; Lamentations 1:18.) Men have sometimes raised the rather idle question whether the body of our Lord was subject to disease, and have decided on a priori grounds that it was not. The prophet's words point to the true view, that this was an essential condition of His fellowship with humanity. If we do not read of any actual disease in the Gospel, we at least have evidence of an organisation every nerve of which thrilled with its sensitiveness to pain, and was quickly exhausted (Luke 8:46; John 4:6; Mark 4:36). The intensity of His sympathy made Him feel the pain of others as His own (Matthew 8:17), the "blood and water" from the pierced heart, the physical results of the agony in Gethsemane (Luke 22:44; John 19:34), indicate a nature subject to the conditions of our humanity. . . .

Verse 3. - He is despised; rather, was despised (comp. Isaiah 49:7 and Psalm 22:6). Men's contempt was shown, partly in the little attention which they paid to his teaching, partly in their treatment of him on the night and day before the Crucifixion (Matthew 26:67, 68; Matthew 27:29-31; Mark 14:65; Mark 15:18, 19, etc.). Rejected of men; rather, perhaps, forsaken of men - "one from whom men held themselves aloof" (Cheyne); comp. Job 19:14. Our Lord had at no time more than a "little flock" attached to him. Of these, after a time, "many went back, and walked no more with him" (John 6:66). Some, who believed on him, would only come to him by night (John 3:2). All the "rulers" and great men held aloof from him (John 7:48). At the end, even his apostles "forsook him, and fled" (Matthew 26:56). A Man of sorrows. The word translated "sorrows" means also pains of any kind. But the beautiful rendering of our version may well stand, since there are many places where the word used certainly means "sorrow" and nothing else (see Exodus 3:7; 2 Chronicles 6:29; Psalm 32:10; Psalm 38:17; Ecclesiastes 1:18; Jeremiah 30:15; Jeremiah 45:3; Lamentations 1:12, 18, etc.). Aquila well translates, ἄνδρα ἀλγηδόνων The "sorrows" of Jesus appear on every page of the Gospels. Acquainted with grief; literally, with sickness; but as aeger and aegritudo are applied in Latin both to the mind and to the body, so kholi, the word here used, would seem to be in Hebrew (see Jeremiah 6:7; Jeremiah 10:19). The translation of the Authorized Version may therefore be retained. We hid as it were our faces from him; literally, and there was as it were the hiding of the face from him. Some suppose the hiding of God's face to be intended; but the context, which describes the treatment of the Servant by his fellow-men, makes the meaning given in our version far preferable. Men turned their faces from him when they met him, would not see him, would not recognize him (comp. Job 19:13-17; Job 30:10). Despised. A repetition very characteristic of Isaiah (see Isaiah 1:7; Isaiah 3:12; Isaiah 4:3; Isaiah 6:11; Isaiah 14:25; Isaiah 15:8; Isaiah 17:12, 13, etc.).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
He was despised
נִבְזֶה֙ (niḇ·zeh)
Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 959: To disesteem

and rejected
וַחֲדַ֣ל (wa·ḥă·ḏal)
Conjunctive waw | Adjective - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2310: Vacant, ceasing, destitute

by men,
אִישִׁ֔ים (’î·šîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

a man
אִ֥ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

of sorrows,
מַכְאֹב֖וֹת (maḵ·’ō·ḇō·wṯ)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4341: Anguish, affliction

acquainted
וִיד֣וּעַ (wî·ḏū·a‘)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3045: To know

with grief.
חֹ֑לִי (ḥō·lî)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2483: Malady, anxiety, calamity

Like one from whom men hide
וּכְמַסְתֵּ֤ר (ū·ḵə·mas·têr)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4564: A hider, a hiding, aversion

their faces,
פָּנִים֙ (pā·nîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 6440: The face

He was despised,
נִבְזֶ֖ה (niḇ·zeh)
Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 959: To disesteem

and we esteemed
חֲשַׁבְנֻֽהוּ׃ (ḥă·šaḇ·nu·hū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common plural | third person masculine singular
Strong's 2803: To think, account

Him not.
וְלֹ֥א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 53:3 He was despised and rejected by men (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 53:2
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