What Does Isaiah 53:3 Mean?
Two renderings of the same sentence, the verses it belongs to, and what the passage is doing — so you can decide what it means rather than take someone's word for it.
"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." Isaiah 53:3, King James Version
The same verse in modern English
"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not." Isaiah 53:3, Berean Standard Bible
What it sits inside
A verse quoted on its own is the commonest way one gets misread. Here it is with what comes immediately before and after, in the King James Version.
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.
Isaiah 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
A conversation built on it
Being rejected can feel like evidence something is wrong with you. Isaiah described someone everyone turned away from — and it was Christ, not a verdict on your worth. He knows the particular ache of being unwanted. You are not explaining it to a stranger.
Questions people ask
What does Isaiah 53:3 mean?
In modern English (Berean Standard Bible) it reads: “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.” The King James rendering most people know is: “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.”
What is the context of Isaiah 53:3?
The verses immediately around it read: (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. (Isaiah 53:4) Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. (Isaiah 53:5) But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
How is Isaiah 53:3 used in a conversation about this?
Being rejected can feel like evidence something is wrong with you. Isaiah described someone everyone turned away from — and it was Christ, not a verdict on your worth. He knows the particular ache of being unwanted. You are not explaining it to a stranger.
Reading it is one thing. Saying what it stirs up is another.
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