Isaiah 53 · Verse 2

Isaiah 53:2

For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
Isaiah 53:2, King James Version

Isaiah 53:2 in other translations

BSBHe 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.
WEBFor he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no good looks or majesty. When we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
ASVFor he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
YLTYea, he cometh up as a tender plant before Him, And as a root out of a dry land, He hath no form, nor honour, when we observe him, Nor appearance, when we desire him.
DARBYFor he shall grow up before him as a tender sapling, and as a root out of dry ground: he hath no form nor lordliness, and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
BBEFor his growth was like that of a delicate plant before him, and like a root out of a dry place: he had no grace of form, to give us pleasure;
WebsterFor he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

What does Isaiah 53:2 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
2. tender plant--Messiah grew silently and insensibly, as a sucker from an ancient stock, seemingly dead (namely, the house of David, then in a decayed state) (see on Is 11:1). shall grow ... hath--rather, "grew up ... had." before him--before Jehovah. Though unknown to the world (Joh 1:11), Messiah was observed by God, who ordered the most minute circumstances attending His growth. root--that is, sprout from a root. form--beautiful form: sorrow had marred His once beautiful form. and when we shall see--rather, joined with the previous words, "Nor comeliness (attractiveness) that we should look (with delight) on Him." there is--rather, "was." The studied reticence of the New Testament as to His form, stature, color, &c., was designed to prevent our dwelling on the bodily, rather than on His moral beauty, holiness, love, &c., also a providential protest against the making and veneration of images of Him. The letter of P. Lentulus to the emperor Tiberius, describing His person, is spurious; so also the story of His sending His portrait to Abgar, king of Edessa; and the alleged impression of His countenance on the handkerchief of Veronica. The former part of this verse refers to His birth and childhood; the latter to His first public appearance [Vitringa].

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 2 For he shall grow up - Supposes something to have preceded; as it might be asked, what or who shall 'grow up before him,' etc. As the translation now stands, no correct answer can be given to this question. The translation then is wrong, the connection broken, and the sense obscured. זרוע zeroa, translated the arm, from the root zara. 1. To sow, or plant; also seed, etc. 2. The limb which reaches from the shoulder to the hand, called the arm; or more properly beginning at the shoulder and ending at the elbow. The translator has given the wrong sense of the word. It would be very improper to say, the arm of the Lord should grow up before him; but by taking the word in its former sense, the connection and metaphor would be restored, and the true sense given to the text. זרע zera signifies, not only the seed of herbs, but children, offspring, or posterity. The same word we find Gen 3:15, where Christ is the Seed promised. See also Gen 22:17, Gen 22:18; Gen 26:4; Gen 28:14. Hence the Seed of the woman, the Seed promised to the patriarchs is, according to Isaiah, the Seed of the Lord, the Child born, and the Son given; and according to St. John, 'the Son of God, the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.' זרע then, in this place, should be understood to mean Jesus Christ, and him alone. To speak here of the manifestation of the arm or power of God would be irregular; but to suppose the text to speak of the manifestation of Jesus Christ would be very proper, as the whole of the chapter is written concerning him, particularly his humiliation and sufferings, and the reception he should meet with from the Jewish nation. "The first verse of this chapter is quoted Joh 12:38, and the former part of the same verse Rom 10:16. But no objection of importance can be brought forward from either of these quotations against the above explanation, as they are quoted to show the unbelief of the Jews in not receiving Christ as the promised Messiah." He hath no form nor comeliness "He hath no form nor any beauty" - Ουκ ειδος αυτῳ, ουδε αξιωμα, ἱνα ειδωμεν αυτον· ουδε θεωρια, ἱνα επιθυμωμεν αυτον. "He hath no form, nor any beauty, that we should regard him; nor is his countenance such that we should desire him." Symmachus; the only one of the ancients that has translated it rightly.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 53:1-3

The person. (Is. 53:1-3) sufferings. (Is. 53:4-9) humiliation, and exaltation of Christ, are minutely described; with the blessings to mankind from his death. (Is. 53:10-12) Verses 1-3 No where in all the Old Testament is it so plainly and fully prophesied, that Christ ought to suffer, and then to enter into his glory, as in this chapter. But to this day few discern, or will acknowledge, that Divine power which goes…

Read the full comment on Isaiah 53:1-3 →

Isaiah 53:2 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיַּ֨עַלvai.Ya.'aland he grew upH5927
כַּיּוֹנֵ֜קkai.yo.Neklike <the> shootH3126
לְפָנָ֗יוle.fa.Nav<to> before himH6440
וְכַשֹּׁ֙רֶשׁ֙ve.kha.Sho.reshand like <the> rootH8328
מֵאֶ֣רֶץme.'E.retzfrom groundH776
צִיָּ֔הtzi.YahdryH6723
לֹא\־lo'-notH3808
תֹ֥אַרTo.'arformH8389
ל֖וֹlo[belonged] to him
וְלֹ֣אve.Lo'and notH3808
הָדָ֑רha.DarsplendorH1926
וְנִרְאֵ֥הוּve.nir.'E.huand we will look at himH7200
וְלֹֽא\־ve.lo'-and notH3808
מַרְאֶ֖הmar.'EhappearanceH4758
וְנֶחְמְדֵֽהוּ\׃ve.nech.me.De.huand we will desire himH2530

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Isaiah 53:2

  • Philippians 2:6-7

    Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

  • Isaiah 52:14

    As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:

  • Isaiah 11:1

    And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

  • John 1:10-14

    He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. …

  • Mark 6:3

    Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

  • Ezekiel 17:22-24

    Thus saith the Lord God; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent: In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell. And all the trees of the field shall know that I the Lord have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the Lord have spoken and have done it.

  • Jeremiah 23:5

    Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

  • John 19:14-15

    And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Cesar.

  • Mark 9:12

    And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.

  • Romans 8:3

    For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

  • John 18:40

    Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.

  • John 9:28-29

    Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses’ disciples. We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
he shall grow.
11:1; Jer 23:5; Eze 17:22-24; Zec 6:12; Mr 6:3; Lu 2:7,39,40,51,52
Lu 9:58; Ro 8:3; Php 2:6,7
he hath no.
52:14; Mr 9:12; Joh 1:10-14; 9:28,29; 18:40; 19:5,14,15; 1Pe 2:14

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Isaiah 53:1

    Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

  • Isaiah 53:2

    For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

  • Isaiah 53:3

    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.

Read all of Isaiah 53

Isaiah 53:2 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y subirá cual renuevo delante de él, y como raíz de tierra seca: no hay parecer en él, ni hermosura: verlo hemos, mas sin atractivo para que le deseemos.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Il montera devant lui comme un rejeton, et comme une racine sortant d’une terre aride. Il n’a ni forme, ni éclat; quand nous le voyons, il n’y a point d’apparence en lui pour nous le faire désirer.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und er ist wie ein Reis vor ihm aufgeschossen, und wie ein Wurzelsproß aus dürrem Erdreich. Er hatte keine Gestalt und keine Pracht; und als wir ihn sahen, da hatte er kein Ansehen, daß wir seiner begehrt hätten.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et ascendet sicut virgultum coram eo, et sicut radix de terra sitienti. Non est species ei, neque decor, et vidimus eum, et non erat aspectus, et desideravimus eum: