Bible Strands
Isaiah 65:3
to a people who continually provoke Me to My face, sacrificing in the gardens and burning incense on altars of brick,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The Lord addresses the covenant people during a period of persistent idolatry, directly responding to their obstinate rejection of His repeated appeals (Isaiah 65:2).
The words — מַכְעִיסִים (makh.'i.Sim) means "provoke to anger," paired with תָּמִיד (ta.Mid) for "continually," emphasizing the unbroken nature of their defiance. זֹבְחִים (zoe.Chim) translates to "[who] sacrifice," specifying their active religious rebellion.
The thread — This pattern of open provocation and illicit worship recurs in Isaiah 1:29, Deuteronomy 32:21, and Isaiah 66:17, where groves and forbidden rites consistently mark covenant betrayal.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that religious activity divorced from divine command constitutes direct rebellion, requiring a reader to examine whether their practices align with explicit instruction rather than personal preference.
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
A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;
Cross-references
- Isaiah 1:29 Surely you will be ashamed of the sacred oaks in which you have delighted; you will be embarrassed by the gardens that you have chosen.
- Deuteronomy 32:21 They have provoked My jealousy by that which is not God; they have enraged Me with their worthless idols. So I will make them jealous by those who are not a people; I will make them angry by a nation without understanding.
- Isaiah 66:17 “Those who consecrate and purify themselves to enter the groves—to follow one in the center of those who eat the flesh of swine and vermin and rats—will perish together,” declares the LORD.
- Deuteronomy 32:16 They provoked His jealousy with foreign gods; they enraged Him with abominations.
- 2 Kings 17:14 But they would not listen, and they stiffened their necks like their fathers, who did not believe the LORD their God.
- Job 1:11 But stretch out Your hand and strike all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”
- Isaiah 3:8 For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen because they spoke and acted against the LORD, defying His glorious presence.
- Jeremiah 32:30 For the children of Israel and of Judah have done nothing but evil in My sight from their youth; indeed, they have done nothing but provoke Me to anger by the work of their hands, declares the LORD.
- 2 Kings 22:17 because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. My wrath will be kindled against this place and will not be quenched.’
- Job 2:5 But stretch out Your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”