Isaiah 53:7

“He was mistreated, and he humbled himself, and he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a ewe that before her shearers is silent, and he did not open his mouth.”
Isaiah 53:7 · direct translation from the Hebrew

Study it in the app

Silent as a lamb, he is led to death and offers his life for manyThe Cross

With the Hebrew beneath

He was mistreated,נִגַּשׂand heוְהוּאhumbled himself,נַעֲנֶהand he did notוְלֹאopenיִפְתַּחhis mouth;פִּיוlike a lambכַּשֶּׂהthat is ledיוּבָלto the slaughter,לַטֶּבַחand like a eweוּכְרָחֵלthat beforeלִפְנֵיher shearersגֹזְזֶיהָis silent,נֶאֱלָמָהand he did notוְלֹאopenיִפְתַּחhis mouth.פִּיו

Quotation · Acts 8:32-33

Go to Acts 8:32-33

It is the passage that the Ethiopian was reading when Philip came up to him. In Acts, “like a sheep” goes with the slaughter and “like a lamb” with the one who shears; in the Hebrew of Isaiah it is the other way around.

Formula: ἡ δὲ περιοχὴ τῆς γραφῆς ἣν ἀνεγίνωσκεν ἦν αὕτη “the passage of Scripture that he was reading was this” (Acts 8:32)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: ἡ δὲ περιοχὴ τῆς γραφῆς ἣν ἀνεγίνωσκεν ἦν αὕτη Ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη καὶ ὡς ἀμνὸς ἐναντίον τοῦ κείραντος αὐτὸν ἄφωνος οὕτως οὐκ ἀνοίγει τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ταπεινώσει ἡ κρίσις αὐτοῦ ἤρθη τὴν γενεὰν αὐτοῦ τίς διηγήσεται ὅτι αἴρεται ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἡ ζωὴ αὐτοῦ

Hebrew (Masoretic text): נִגַּשׂ וְהוּא נַעֲנֶה וְלֹא יִפְתַּח פִּיו כַּשֶּׂה לַטֶּבַח יוּבָל וּכְרָחֵל לִפְנֵי גֹזְזֶיהָ נֶאֱלָמָה וְלֹא יִפְתַּח פִּיו מֵעֹצֶר וּמִמִּשְׁפָּט לֻקָּח וְאֶת דּוֹרוֹ מִי יְשׂוֹחֵחַ כִּי נִגְזַר מֵאֶרֶץ חַיִּים מִפֶּשַׁע עַמִּי נֶגַע לָמוֹ

Septuagint (Isaiah 53:7-8 in the Septuagint numbering): καὶ αὐτὸς διὰ τὸ κεκακῶσθαι οὐκ ἀνοίγει τὸ στόμα· ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη, καὶ ὡς ἀμνὸς ἐναντίον τοῦ κείραντος αὐτὸν ἄφωνος, οὕτως οὔκ ἀνοίγει τὸ στόμα αὑτοῦ. ἐν τῇ ταπεινώσει ἦ κρίσις αὐτοῦ τὴν γενεὰν αὐτοῦ τίς διηγήσεται; ὅτι αἴρεται ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἡ ζωὴ αὐτοῦ, ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνομιῶν τοῦ λαοῦ μου ἤχθη εἰς θάνατον.

The Greek of the NT matches the Septuagint word for word in 25 consecutive words: “Ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη καὶ ὡς ἀμνὸς ἐναντίον τοῦ κείραντος αὐτὸν ἄφωνος οὕτως οὐκ ἀνοίγει τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ταπεινώσει ἡ κρίσις αὐτοῦ.”

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Thread: Lamb · 5 of 9

שֶׂה / ἀμνός

The servant of YHWH, “like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,” does not open his mouth.

Exodus 12:5 John 1:29

Isaiah 53:7, word by word

He was mistreatedנִגַּשׂnigas

be oppressed

To be abused, suffer oppression.

Where else “nigas” appears

humbled himselfנַעֲנֶהnaane

humble

To humble, or humble oneself; to fast.

Where else “naane” appears

openיִפְתַּחyiftach

open

To open a door, mouth or eyes.

Where else “yiftach” appears

his mouthפִּיpi

mouth

The part of the face with which one speaks, eats and kisses.

Where else “pi” appears

like a lambשֶּׂהse

lamb, sheep

One animal of the flock: a lamb, a sheep or a young goat.

Where else “se” appears

that is ledיוּבָלyuval

bring, lead

To bring, to lead; sometimes in a procession, with solemnity.

Where else “yuval” appears

to the slaughterטֶּבַחtevach

slaughter

The act of slaughtering, or the place where it is done.

Where else “tevach” appears

and like a eweרָחֵלrachel

ewe

Ewe: a female sheep. It is the same word as the name "Rachel".

Where else “rachel” appears

that beforeפְנֵיfene

before

Literally "to the face of": in sight of someone, or on account of something.

Where else “fene” appears

her shearersגֹזְזֶיgozze

shear

To clip the wool from flocks.

Where else “gozze” appears

is silentנֶאֱלָמָהneelama

be mute

To lose one's voice, from pain, astonishment or a command of God.

Where else “neelama” appears

Translation note

Philip reads 53:7-8 with the Ethiopian (Acts 8:32-33).

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · Acts 8:32-33

See them side by side

Isaiah 53:7

⁷He was mistreated, and he humbled himself, and he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a ewe that before her shearers is silent, and he did not open his mouth.

Acts 8:32-33

³²Now the passage of Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to slaughter, and like a lamb silent before the one who shears it, so he does not open his mouth.

The context

6All of us like sheep went astray; each to his own way we turned; and YHWH caused to fall on him the iniquity of us all.

7 · This verse (above)

8By oppression and by judgment he was taken away; and his generation, who will consider it? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people the blow was for him.

Read all of Isaiah 53

How to use it