Bible Strands
Isaiah 53:3
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.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Isaiah describes the Servant of the Lord within a larger passage (Isa 52:13–53:12) that moves from humiliation to vindication. The speaker is the prophet; the Servant's identity is not named in the text.
The words — נִבְזֶה (nivzeh, "despised") is a Niphal form of בָּזָה (H959), a root denoting contempt and worthlessness, here passive: the Servant is the object of others' scorn. The BSB renders חֹלִי (choli, H2483) as "grief," but the Hebrew word means "sickness" or "disease," not merely emotional pain.
The thread — John 1:10 states the same rejection in theological terms ("the world did not recognize Him"), and Matthew 26:67 shows its physical form at the trial. The "sickness" reading of חֹלִי connects to Matthew 8:17, where the Servant "took our sicknesses."
Why it lands — The verse names the default human posture toward the Servant: hiding one's face, estimating him low. It asks the reader to examine whether that posture is still their own.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- John 1:10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him.
- Matthew 26:67 Then they spit in His face and struck Him. Others slapped Him
- Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
- Isaiah 53:10 Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush Him and to cause Him to suffer; and when His soul is made a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.
- Isaiah 49:7 Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, to Him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the Servant of rulers: “Kings will see You and rise, and princes will bow down, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen You.”
- Psalms 22:6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.
- Isaiah 53:4 Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.
- Mark 14:34 Then He said to them, “My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch.”
- Hebrews 5:7 During the days of Jesus’ earthly life, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence.
- Luke 9:22 “The Son of Man must suffer many things,” He said. “He must be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”