The Meaning of Isaiah 11:3 Explained

Isaiah 11:3

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:

YLT: To refresh him in the fear of Jehovah, And by the sight of his eyes he judgeth not, Nor by the hearing of his ears decideth.

Darby: And his delight will be in the fear of Jehovah; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears;

ASV: And his delight shall be in the fear of Jehovah; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither decide after the hearing of his ears;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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: 

What does Isaiah 11:3 Mean?

Study Notes

fear
.
fear of the Lord
The "fear of the Lord," a phrase of the O.T. piety, meaning reverential trust, with hatred of evil.

Verse Meaning

The coming "David" would also delight in fearing the Lord, not fearing Him out of dread, much less, lacking respect for Yahweh. He would make decisions on the basis of reality rather than appearances, having the ability to see through issues. Such abilities demand more than a merely human ruler (cf. John 18:36-38). An earlier Messiah passage ( Isaiah 9:6) showed Him to be divine, but this one presents Him as a dependent human being, "a combination that requires the Incarnation for its explanation." [1]

Context Summary

Isaiah 11:1-9 - The Kingdom Of The Messiah
The advance of the Assyrian along the great north road is graphically described. It was marked by raided villages and towns. The night sky was lurid with flames. But his collapse would be as sudden and irretrievable as the felling of forest timber. As the one chapter closes we can almost hear the crash of the Assyrian tree to the ground, and there is no sprout from his roots. But in the next the prophet descries a fair and healthy branch uprising from the trunk of Jesse's line. The vision of the King is then presented, who can be none other than the divine Redeemer on whom rests the sevenfold Spirit of God. The second verse defines the work of the Comforter, and is evidently the model of that royal hymn, Veni Creator Spiritus. But remember that He on whom this divine unction rested longs to share the pentecostal gift with the least of His disciples, 1 John 2:27. Note that as man's sin brought travail and groaning on all creation, so will His redemption deliver it, Romans 8:19-25. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 11

1  The peaceable kingdom of the Branch out of the root of Jesse
10  The victorious restoration of Israel, and vocation of the Gentiles

What do the individual words in Isaiah 11:3 mean?

and His delight [is] in the fear of Yahweh and not by the sight of His eyes He shall judge nor by the hearing of His ears decide
וַהֲרִיח֖וֹ בְּיִרְאַ֣ת יְהוָ֑ה וְלֹֽא־ לְמַרְאֵ֤ה עֵינָיו֙ יִשְׁפּ֔וֹט וְלֹֽא־ לְמִשְׁמַ֥ע אָזְנָ֖יו יוֹכִֽיחַ

וַהֲרִיח֖וֹ  and  His  delight  [is] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct, third person masculine singular
Root: רִיחַ  
Sense: (Hiphil) to smell, scent, perceive odour, accept.
בְּיִרְאַ֣ת  in  the  fear 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יִרְאָה  
Sense: fear, terror, fearing.
יְהוָ֑ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וְלֹֽא־  and  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
לְמַרְאֵ֤ה  by  the  sight 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מַרְאֶה  
Sense: sight, appearance, vision.
עֵינָיו֙  of  His  eyes 
Parse: Noun, cdc, third person masculine singular
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
יִשְׁפּ֔וֹט  He  shall  judge 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁפַט  
Sense: to judge, govern, vindicate, punish.
וְלֹֽא־  nor 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
לְמִשְׁמַ֥ע  by  the  hearing 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מִשְׁמָע  
Sense: thing heard, rumour.
אָזְנָ֖יו  of  His  ears 
Parse: Noun, fdc, third person masculine singular
Root: אֹזֶן  
Sense: ear, as part of the body.
יוֹכִֽיחַ  decide 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָכַח  
Sense: to prove, decide, judge, rebuke, reprove, correct, be right.