And He will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what His eyes see, and He will not decide by what His ears hear,
Parallel translations
- WEB His delight will be in the fear of Yahweh. He will not judge by the sight of his eyes, neither decide by the hearing of his ears;
- KJV And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
- NKJV His delight is in the fear of the Lord, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
- NASB And He will delight in the fear of the Lord, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make decisions by what His ears hear;
- NLT He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The Messiah delights in the fear of the Lord and does not judge by mere appearances. His judgments are perfectly discerning and true.
Overview
Unlike fallible human rulers, the Messiah will not be misled by what eyes see or ears hear, but will judge by the Spirit's discernment. His delight is in reverent obedience to God. This portrays the flawless justice of Christ's reign, who sees the heart and judges righteously (John 7:24; 2:25).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- John 7:24Stop judging by outward appearances, and start judging justly.”
- Luke 2:52And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.
- John 8:15–16You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.
- 1 Sam 16:7But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.”
- 1 Cor 2:13–15And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.
- Prov 2:5then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God.
- 1 Kgs 3:28When all Israel heard of the judgment the king had given, they stood in awe of him, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.
- Heb 5:14But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained their senses to distinguish good from evil.
- John 2:25He did not need any testimony about man, for He knew what was in a man.
- Phil 1:9–10And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
- Prov 2:9Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity—every good path.
- 1 Kgs 3:9Therefore give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to govern this great people of Yours?”
- 2 Sam 14:17And now your servant says, ‘May the word of my lord the king bring me rest, for my lord the king is able to discern good and evil, just like the angel of God. May the LORD your God be with you.’”
- Job 34:3For the ear tests words as the mouth tastes food.
- Job 12:11Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes its food?
- Isa 33:6He will be the sure foundation for your times, a storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the LORD is Zion’s treasure.
- 1 Cor 4:3–5I care very little, however, if I am judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself.
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Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 11:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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