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:
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;
- BSB 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,
- 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 7:24Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
- Luke 2:52And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
- John 8:15–16Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.
- 1 Sam 16:7But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
- 1 Cor 2:13–15Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
- Prov 2:5Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
- 1 Kgs 3:28And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.
- Heb 5:14But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
- John 2:25And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.
- Phil 1:9–10And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
- Prov 2:9Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.
- 1 Kgs 3:9Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?
- 2 Sam 14:17Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the LORD thy God will be with thee.
- Job 34:3For the ear trieth words, as the mouth tasteth meat.
- Job 12:11Doth not the ear try words? and the mouth taste his meat?
- Isa 33:6And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure.
- 1 Cor 4:3–5But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.
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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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