They say, ‘Keep to yourself; do not come near me, for I am holier than you!’ Such people are smoke in My nostrils, a fire that burns all day long.
Parallel translations
- WEB who say, ‘Stay by yourself, don’t come near to me, for I am holier than you.’ These are smoke in my nose, a fire that burns all day.
- KJV Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.
- NKJV Who say, ‘Keep to yourself, Do not come near me, For I am holier than you!’ These are smoke in My nostrils, A fire that burns all the day.
- NASB “Who say, ‘Keep to yourself, do not come near me, For I am holier than you!’ These are smoke in My nostrils, A fire that burns all the day.
- NLT Yet they say to each other, ‘Don’t come too close or you will defile me! I am holier than you!’ These people are a stench in my nostrils, an acrid smell that never goes away.
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 idolaters claim to be holier than others, yet God calls them smoke and fire in His nostrils. It matters because self-righteous pride is offensive to God.
Overview
These people combine pagan practice with arrogant claims of superior holiness, an irony God finds intolerable. Their pretended sanctity is actually a provocation, 'smoke in my nose.' This warns against the self-righteousness Jesus condemned in the Pharisees (Luke 18:9-14) and points to the true holiness that comes only as a gift through Christ, never through proud self-assertion.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Luke 18:9–12To some who trusted in their own righteousness and viewed others with contempt, He also told this parable:
- Luke 7:39When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, He would know who this is and what kind of woman is touching Him—for she is a sinner!”
- Prov 16:5Everyone who is proud in heart is detestable to the LORD; be assured that he will not go unpunished.
- Rom 2:17–29Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God;
- Luke 15:28–30The older son became angry and refused to go in. So his father came out and pleaded with him.
- Deut 29:20The LORD will never be willing to forgive him. Instead, His anger and jealousy will burn against that man, and every curse written in this book will fall upon him. The LORD will blot out his name from under heaven
- Luke 5:30But the Pharisees and their scribes complained to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
- Matt 9:11When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
- Acts 22:21–22Then He said to me, ‘Go! I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”
- Deut 32:20–22He said: “I will hide My face from them; I will see what will be their end. For they are a perverse generation—children of unfaithfulness.
- 1 Pet 5:5Young men, in the same way, submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
- Jude 1:19These are the ones who cause divisions, who are worldly and devoid of the Spirit.
- Prov 6:16–17There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him:
- Prov 10:26Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the slacker to those who send him.
- Jas 4:6But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
- Luke 15:2So the Pharisees and scribes began to grumble: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 65:5 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.