Isaiah 66:3 · Bible study
Isaiah 66:3 Commentary: When Worship Becomes an Abomination
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Isaiah 66:3 shocks readers by comparing sacrifices to murder, dog sacrifice, and idolatry. Does God see some worship as abominable? Explore the debate.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God rejects worship from those who persist in sin, counting their sacrifices as odious as murder and idolatry.
- Key words: aven (wickedness/idol), shiq.quts (abomination), ne.phesh (soul/self).
- Main debate: Whether the worshippers actually commit the listed horrors or the comparison is hyperbolic.
- Theological theme: Heart obedience over empty ritual; the danger of religious hypocrisy.
- Best use: A sobering call to examine the congruence of our worship and our lives.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Whoever slaughters an ox is like one who slays a man; whoever sacrifices a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck; whoever presents a grain offering is like one who offers pig’s blood; whoever offers frankincense is like one who blesses an idol. Indeed, they have chosen their own ways and delighted in their abominations.
WEB World English Bible 2000
He who kills an ox is as he who kills a man; he who sacrifices a lamb, as he who breaks a dog’s neck; he who offers an offering, as he who offers pig’s blood; he who burns frankincense, as he who blesses an idol. Yes, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations.
KJV King James Version 1769
He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
He that killeth an ox is as he that slayeth a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as he that breaketh a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as he that offereth swine’s blood; he that burneth frankincense, as he that blesseth an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations:
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Whoso slaughtereth the ox smiteth a man, Whoso sacrificeth the lamb beheadeth a dog, Whoso is bringing up a present--The blood of a sow, Whoso is making mention of frankincense, Is blessing iniquity. Yea, they have fixed on their own ways, And in their abominations their soul hath delighted.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
He that slaughtereth an ox, smiteth a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, breaketh a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, [it is as] swine's blood; he that presenteth a memorial of incense, [is as] he that blesseth an idol. As they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations,
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
He that sacrificeth an ox, is as if he slew a man: he that killeth a sheep in sacrifice, as if he should brain a dog: he that offereth an oblation, as if he should offer swine's blood; he that remembereth incense, as if he should bless an idol. All these things have they chosen in their ways, and their soul is delighted in their abominations.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
El que sacrifica buey, como si matase un hombre; el que sacrifica oveja, como si degollase un perro; el que ofrece presente, como si ofreciese sangre de puerco; el que ofrece perfume, como si bendijese á un ídolo. Y pues escogieron sus caminos, y su alma amó sus abominaciones,
Quem mata boi fere de morte a um homem; quem sacrifica cordeiro degola a um cão; quem apresenta oferta, oferece sangue de proco; quem oferece incenso adora a um ídolo; também estes escolhem seus próprios caminhos, e sua alma tem prazer em suas abominações.
Celui qui immole un bœuf est comme celui qui tuerait un homme,
Wer einen Ochsen schlachtet, ist eben als der einen Mann erschlüge; wer ein Schaf opfert, ist als der einem Hund den Hals bräche; wer Speisopfer bringt, ist als der Saublut opfert, wer Weihrauch anzündet, ist als der das Unrecht lobt. Solches erwählen sie in ihren Wegen, und ihre Seele hat Gefallen an ihren Greueln.
Wie een os slacht, slaat een man; wie een lam offert, breekt een hond den hals; wie spijsoffer offert, is als die zwijnenbloed offert; wie wierook brandt ten gedenkoffer, is als die een afgod zegent. Dezen verkiezen ook hun wegen, en hun ziel heeft lust aan hun verfoeiselen.
Chi immola un bue è come se uccidesse un uomo; chi sacrifica un agnello, come se accoppasse un cane; chi presenta un’oblazione, come se offrisse sangue di porco; chi fa un profumo d’incenso, come se benedicesse un idolo. Come costoro hanno scelto le lor proprie vie e l’anima loro prende piacere nelle loro abominazioni,
Inaczej ten, kto zabija wołu na ofiarę, jakoby zabił człowieka; kto zabija na ofiarę bydlątko, jakoby psa ściął; kto ofiaruje ofiarę suchą, jakoby krew świnią ofiarował; kto kadzi kadzidłem, jakoby bałwanowi błogosławił. A jako oni sobie obrali drogi swoje, i w obrzydliwościach swoich kochała się dusza ich.
[Беззаконник же,] заколающий вола - то же, что убивающий человека; приносящий агнца в жертву - то же, что задушающий пса; приносящий семидал - то же, что приносящий свиную кровь; воскуряющий фимиам [в память] - то же, что молящийся идолу; и как они избрали собственные свои пути, и душа их находит удовольствие в мерзостях их, -
假冒為善的宰 牛，好像殺 人，獻 羊羔，好像打折 狗 項，獻 供物，好像獻豬 血，燒 乳香，好像稱頌 偶像。這等人 揀選 自己的道路，心 裡喜悅 行可憎惡的事。
He who puts an ox to death puts a man to death; he who makes an offering of a lamb puts a dog to death; he who makes a meal offering makes an offering of pig's blood; he who makes an offering of perfumes for a sign gives worship to an image: as they have gone after their desires, and their soul takes pleasure in their disgusting things;
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 66:3
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree on the central thrust: God rejects the worship of those who persist in sin and delight in evil. The verse pairs four legitimate sacrificial acts with four detestable practices. But a sharp disagreement arises over whether the worshipper is actually committing those abominations (literal view) or whether God considers the sacrifices as if they were those abominations (comparative view). Adam Clarke and some older interpreters hold that the text describes actual crimes: the same people who offer sacrifices also murder, break a dog’s neck, offer pig’s blood, and bless an idol. Barnes, the Cambridge Bible, and most modern commentators argue that the Hebrew lacks “as if”, the words are supplied, but the sense is that the worship is so odious it counts as those abominations. The verse opens with “He who kills an ox is as he who kills a man”, the comparison is explicit in the first pair. Yet the final line, “they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations,” seems to imply the worshipers actually practice what disgusts God. The tension is deliberate: Isaiah forces readers to ask whether mere ritual can coexist with a life of wickedness.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Comparative (hyperbolic): The Hebrew lacks 'as if,' but translators supply it; the parallelism suggests shocking comparison rather than actual action. Barnes, Cambridge, and most modern commentators favor this.
- Literal (actual crimes): The verse does not use comparative particles; historical context shows some Israelites did practice human sacrifice and idolatry (Ezekiel 23:39, Isaiah 57:5). Clarke and some older interpreters hold this.
What is clear: God utterly rejects worship offered by those who persist in sin and delight in abominations, regardless of how correct the rituals are.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of the comparison | God abhors worship offered by those who are not truly devoted to Him. | Some read the verse as saying the worshippers actually do these awful things; others say it is a hyperbole showing how God views such worship as equally abominable. |
| Identity of the worshippers | They claim to worship the true God but are wicked at heart. | Are they syncretistic Jews who mix idolatry with Yahweh worship, or are they hypocritical observers who sin openly but maintain religious forms? Both views find support in the text. |
| Fulfillment in the new covenant | The passage points beyond mere external religion to a need for heart transformation. | Some Christians see it as a direct prophecy of the end of the ceremonial law in Christ; others apply it more broadly as a timeless warning against formalism. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Isaiah 66 stands near the end of the book, in a section that envisions a new heaven and a new earth (Isaiah 65:17). The surrounding verses (66:1, 2) declare that God does not dwell in temples built by human hands, but looks to the poor, contrite, and obedient. The people addressed are likely those returning from exile who are eager to rebuild the temple and restart sacrifices, yet their hearts are far from God. The four abominations listed each carry deep cultural and religious weight.
Breaking a dog’s neck appears to allude to a Punic rite; dogs were considered unclean in Israel (Deuteronomy 23:18) and associated with pagan sacrifice. Swine’s blood was doubly loathsome, the pig was unclean (Deuteronomy 14:8), and blood was forbidden as food (Leviticus 17:10). Blessing an idol (Hebrew aven can mean “wickedness” or “idol”) directly violates the first commandment. These are not random insults: each punctures the pride of those who thought their temple service was automatically pleasing to God. The prophet Ezekiel similarly condemned people who sacrificed their children to idols and then came to the sanctuary (Ezekiel 23:39). Human sacrifice is a real possibility in the context (see Isaiah 57:5).
The verse thus exposes the gap between correct ritual and corrupt character. It does not dismiss sacrifice itself, but declares it worthless, worse, abominable, when offered by people who “choose their own ways” and take pleasure in what God hates.
Textual Notes
The Hebrew text of Isaiah 66:3 is well preserved with no significant variants. Adam Clarke notes that a verb may be missing in the fourth clause (“he that burneth incense”), the Vulgate and Chaldee supply one, but the sense is not affected. Early translations (Septuagint, Vulgate) add a comparative “as if,” which influenced English renderings. These additions reflect an interpretive choice rather than a different Hebrew reading.
Reception History
Early Christian writers read Isaiah 66:3 as a rebuke of Jewish confidence in animal sacrifice, foreshadowing the end of the old covenant. Augustine cited similar passages to argue that God desires a clean heart, not mere ceremony. During the Reformation, both Catholic and Protestant interpreters used the verse to critique reliance on external works. Matthew Henry (Presbyterian) and Wesley (Methodist) applied it to hypocritical worship in their own times. Modern scholarship debates whether the language is literal or comparative, but the passage consistently serves as a radical call to examine the authenticity of worship.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Claim without character: The people performed the correct actions (killing oxen, sacrificing lambs, offering grain and incense). But God looked past the ritual to the heart and saw delight in evil.
- The shock of comparison: By pairing each act with a heinous sin, God forces the worshippers to see their worship from His perspective. What we think honors Him can become an offense when our lives contradict our liturgy.
- God’s criterion remains: The passage begins with God’s throne and footstool (v.1, 2). He doesn’t need a building; He wants a broken spirit. True worship starts with humility, not ceremony.
Five-point outline
- The danger of form without faith
- How good things become abominations
- God’s choice vs. our choices (v.4)
- The contrast: the contrite heart
- Call to self-examination in worship
Illustration hooks
- A person gives generously to charity but cheats on their taxes. Which defines them?
- A spouse says “I love you” daily but is unfaithful. The words lose meaning because actions contradict them.
- A church sings hymns passionately while ignoring injustice in its community. The songs can become offensive to God.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does God care more about my heart or my church attendance?
- Can my worship actually be offensive to God?
- How do I know if I am delighting in abominations without realizing it?
Leading a Discussion
This passage challenges the assumption that religious activity is always pleasing to God. As you discuss, remember that the goal is not to condemn but to invite honest self-reflection.
Discussion questions
- Read Isaiah 66:1-3. What does this passage reveal about what God values most in people?
- Why do you think the prophet uses such graphic comparisons (dog’s neck, pig’s blood)?
- In what ways can religious practices become an abomination in God’s sight?
- How does the principle of Proverbs 15:8 help interpret this passage?
- Why does God contrast these sacrifices with “he who is poor and of a contrite spirit” in verse 2?
- What are some “ways” we choose today that might make our worship unacceptable?
- How can we cultivate a heart that trembles at God’s word (v.2) rather than merely going through religious motions?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Leviticus 2:2 | He shall bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests. He shall take his handful of its fine flour, and of its oil, with all its frankincense, and the priest shall burn its memorial on the altar, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh. |
| Deuteronomy 14:8 | The pig, because it has a split hoof but doesn’t chew the cud, is unclean to you. You shall not eat their meat. You shall not touch their carcasses. |
| Deuteronomy 23:18 | You shall not bring the hire of a prostitute, or the wages of a male prostitute, into the house of Yahweh your God for any vow; for both of these are an abomination to Yahweh your God. |
| Judges 5:8 | They chose new gods. Then war was in the gates. Was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel? |
| Judges 10:14 | Go and cry to the gods which you have chosen. Let them save you in the time of your distress!” |
| Proverbs 15:8 | The sacrifice made by the wicked is an abomination to Yahweh, but the prayer of the upright is his delight. |
| Proverbs 21:27 | The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination— how much more, when he brings it with a wicked mind! |
| Isaiah 1:11 | “What are the multitude of your sacrifices to me?”, says Yahweh. “I have had enough of the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed animals. I don’t delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of male goats. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke insists the verse exposes hypocrites who commit the worst sins while still performing religious rituals. He argues that most interpreters miss this point by softening the literal sense, which actually condemns the combination of outward worship and inward wickedness.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator presents the original Hebrew as pairing four legitimate sacrifices with four detestable rites, leaving two interpretations open. Either God views unspiritual worship as equally hateful as idolatry, or the same people practice both simultaneously. The latter seems more likely, since the verse later speaks of those who delight in actual abominations.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva annotators stress that when people deliberately choose their own sinful ways and take pleasure in what God calls abominable, even their formal acts of worship become repulsive to Him, equated with murder, idolatry, and the most unclean offerings.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill argues that after Christ's final sacrifice, the old animal offerings became deeply offensive to God. Continuing to kill an ox or lamb as a sacrifice is now as heinous as murder, offering a dog, or blessing an idol. Such acts reject Christ and treat His blood as worthless.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB stresses that the Hebrew text gains force by omitting "is as if," making the parallel between sacrifice and murder direct and shocking. He notes that offering a dog's neck was an abomination under Jewish law, likely due to Egyptian veneration of dogs. The contrast between bloodless offerings and swine's blood underscores how wicked worship corrupts even the most sacred acts.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch contends that the passage rebukes the un
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that the prophet does not forbid the exiles from rebuilding the temple but looks ahead to the end times when no temple will exist. In that coming age, animal sacrifices will be as abhorrent as murder or idolatry, because the spiritual reality has made the old ceremonial worship obsolete.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry downplays the temple's significance by contrasting it with a humble heart. He argues that God, who fills heaven and earth, does not need a human-built house. Instead, God looks favorably on the person who is poor, contrite, and reverent toward his word.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley stresses that the prophet is not condemning idolatry here but empty formalism—people worshiping the true God by his own appointed acts yet living in their lusts. Such services, he argues, are no more acceptable to God than murder or profaning his name. The worshippers delight in their sins, making their rituals abominable.