Faith Expressions

Selected Similar Verses in Isaiah and Matthew

This article provides selected verses from the book of Isaiah and the gospel of Matthew. Specifically, it contains verses  from the book of Isaiah that are used in the gospel of Matthew as well verses in Matthew that appear to be same as or strikingly similar to the verses in the book of Isaiah.

*Isaiah 6:9-10 vis-à-vis Matthew 13:14-15

Isaiah 6:9-10 / 1997 NLT

“And he [God] said, ’Yes, go. But tell my people this: You will hear my words, but you will not understand. You will see what I do, but you will not perceive its meaning. Harden the hearts of these people. Close their ears, and shut their eyes. That way, they will not see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn to me for healing.’”

(Note: Name in brackets is an insertion by the author of the website in order to identify the speaker in a conversation.)

Matthew 13:14-15 / 1997 NLT

“This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah, which says: 

’You will hear my words, but you will not understand;

you will see what I do, but you will not perceive its meaning.

For the hearts of these people are hardened,

and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes –

so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’”


*Isaiah 7:14 vis-à-vis Matthew 1:23

Isaiah 7:14 / NLT 1997

“All right then, the Lord himself will choose a sign. Look! The virgin will conceive the child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel – ’God is with us.’”

Matthew 1:23 / NLT 1997

“(All of this happened to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:) ’Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and he will be called Immanuel {meaning, God is with us}.’”

(Note: Phrase in parenthesis is the introductory part of the verse, “Matthew 1:23”.)


*Isaiah 8:14-15 vis-à-vis Matthew 21:44

Isaiah 8:14-15 / NIV® 2011

“He will be a holy place; for both Israel and Judah he will be a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. Many of them will stumble; they will fall and be broken, they will be snared and captured.”

Matthew 21:44 / NIV® 2011

“Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”


*Isaiah 28:16 vis-à-vis Matthew 21:42

Isaiah 28:16 / NIV® 2011

“So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: ’See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken in panic.’”

Matthew 21:42 / NIV® 2011

“(Jesus said to them, ’Have you never read in the Scriptures:) The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes?’”

(Note: Phrase in parenthesis is the introductory part of the verse, “Matthew 21:42”.)


*Isaiah 29:13 vis-à-vis Matthew 15:8-9

Isaiah 29:13 / NLT 1997

“And so the Lord says, ’These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. And their worship of me amounts to nothing more than human laws learned by rote.’”

Matthew 15:8-9 / NLT 1997

“(You hypocrites! Isaiah was prophesying about you when he said,)

  ’These people honor me with their lips,

     but their hearts are far away.

  Their worship is a farce,

     for they replace God’s commands with their own man-made

     teachings.’”

(Note: Phrase in parenthesis is the verse, “Matthew 15:7”.)


*Isaiah 35:5-6 vis-à-vis Matthew 21:14

Isaiah 35:5-6 / NIV® 2011

“Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.”

Matthew 21:14 / NIV® 2011

“The blind and the lame came to him [Jesus] at the temple, and he healed them.”

(Note: Name in brackets is an insertion by the author of the website in order to identify the person being referred to.)


*Isaiah 35:5-6 and Isaiah 61:1 vis-à-vis Matthew 11:5

Isaiah 35:5-6 / NLT 1997

“And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unstop the ears of the deaf. The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will shout and sing!”

Isaiah 61:1 / NLT 1997

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has appointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the broken-hearted and to announce that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.”

Matthew 11:5 / NLT 1997

“(Jesus told them, ’Go back to John and tell him about what you have heard and seen –) the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life and the Good News is being preached to the poor.’”

(Note: Phrase in parenthesis is the verse, “Matthew 11:4”.)


*Isaiah 40:3 vis-à-vis Matthew 3:3

Isaiah 40:3 / NLT 1997

“Listen! I hear the voice of someone shouting, ’Make a highway for the Lord through the wilderness. Make a straight, smooth road through the desert for our God.’”

Matthew 3:3 / NLT 1997

“Isaiah had spoken of John when he said, ’He is a voice shouting in the wilderness: Prepare a pathway for the Lord’s coming! Make a straight road for him!’”


*Isaiah 42:1-4 vis-à-vis Matthew 12:18-21

Isaiah 42:1-4 / NLT 1997

“Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, and I am pleased with him. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will reveal justice to the nations. He will be gentle – he will not shout or raise his voice in public. He will not crush those who are weak or quench the smallest hope. He will bring full justice to all who have been wronged. He will not stop until truth and righteousness prevail throughout the earth. Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction.”

Matthew 12:18-21 / NLT 1997

“(This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning him:)

  ’Look at my Servant,

     whom I have chosen.

  He is my Beloved,

     and I am very pleased with him.

   I will put my Spirit upon him,

     and he will proclaim justice to the nations.

  He will not fight or shout;

     he will not raise his voice in public.

  He will not crush those who are weak,

     or quench the smallest hope,

     until he brings full justice with his final victory.

  And his name will be the hope

     of all the world.’”

(Note: Phrase in parenthesis is the verse, “Matthew 21:17”.)


*Isaiah 50:6, Isaiah 53:3 and Isaiah 53:7 vis-à-vis Matthew 27:30, Matthew 27:29 and Matthew 27:31

Isaiah 50:6 / NIV® 2011

“I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.”

Matthew 27:30 / NIV® 2011

“They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.”


Isaiah 53:3 / NIV® 2011

“He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.”

Matthew 27:29 / NIV® 2011

“…and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. ’Hail, king of the Jews!’ they said.”


Isaiah 53:7 / NIV® 2011

“He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”

Matthew 27:31 / NIV® 2011

“After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.”


*Isaiah 50:6 and Isaiah 53:5 vis-à-vis Matthew 26:67

Isaiah 50:6 / NIV® 2011

“I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.”

Isaiah 53:5 / NIV® 2011

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

Matthew 26:67 / NIV® 2011

“Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists.”


*Isaiah 53:4 vis-à-vis Matthew 8:17

Isaiah 53:4 / NLT 1997

“Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God for his own sins!”

Matthew 8:17 / NLT 1997

“This fulfilled the word of the Lord through Isaiah, who said, ’He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases.’”


*Isaiah 53:7 vis-à-vis Matthew 27:12

Isaiah 53:7 / NIV® 2011

“He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”

Matthew 27:12 / NIV® 2011

“When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer.”


*Isaiah 55:1-2 vis-à-vis Matthew 5:6

Isaiah 55:1-2 / NLT 1997

“Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink – even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk – it’s all free! Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen, and I will tell you where to get food that is good for the soul!”

Matthew 5:6 / NLT 1997

“God blesses those who are hungry and thirsty for justice, for they will receive it in full.”


*Isaiah 56:7 vis-à-vis Matthew 21:13

Isaiah 56:7 / NIV® 2011

“…these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”

Matthew 21:13 / NIV® 2011 

“’It is written,’ he said to them, ’My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers.’”


*Isaiah 58:5 vis-à-vis Matthew 6:16

Isaiah 58:5 / NLT 1997

“You humble yourself by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like a blade of grass in the wind. You dress in sackcloth and cover yourselves in ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord?”

Matthew 6:16 / NLT 1997

“And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, who try to look pale and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I assure you, that is the only reward they will ever get.”


*Isaiah 58:6-7 vis-à-vis Matthew 25:35-36

Isaiah 58:6-7 / NIV® 2011

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter – when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”

Matthew 25:35-36 / NIV® 2011

“(Then the King [God/Jesus] will say to those on his right, ’Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.) For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’”

(Note: Sentence in parenthesis is the verse, “Matthew 25:34”.)


*Isaiah 60:21 and Isaiah 61:3 vis-à-vis Matthew 15:13

Isaiah 60:21 / NIV® 2011

“Then all your people will be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor.”

Isaiah 61:3 / NIV® 2011

“…and provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”

Matthew 15:13 / NIV® 2011

“Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.”


*Isaiah 61:2-3 vis-à-vis Matthew 5:4

Isaiah 61:2-3 / NLT 1997 

“He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. To all who mourn in Israel, he will give beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of despair. For the Lord has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for his own glory.”

Matthew 5:4 / NLT 1997

“God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”


*Isaiah 62:11 vis-à-vis Matthew 21:5

Isaiah 62:11 / NIV® 2011

“The Lord has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: ’Say to Daughter Zion, See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.’”

Matthew 21:5 / NIV® 2011

“(This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:) ’Say to Daughter Zion, See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

(Note: Phrase in parenthesis is the verse, “Matthew 21:4”.)


*Isaiah 66:1 vis-à-vis Matthew 5:34-35

Isaiah 66:1 / NLT 1997

“This is what the Lord says, ’Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool. Could you ever build me a temple as good as that? Could you build a dwelling place for me?’”

Matthew 5:34-35 / NLT 1997

“But I [Jesus] say, don’t make any vows! If you say, ’By heaven!’ it is a sacred vow because heaven is God’s throne. And if you say, ’By the earth!’ it is a sacred vow because the earth is his footstool.”

(Note: Name in brackets is an insertion by the author of the website in order to identify the speaker.)


*Isaiah 66:1 vis-à-vis Matthew 23:22

Isaiah 66:1 / NIV® 2011

“Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?”

Matthew 23:22 / NIV® 2011

“And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.”


List of Selected Similar Verses in Isaiah and Matthew

*Isaiah 6:9-10 – Matthew 13:14-15

*Isaiah 7:14 – Matthew 1:23

*Isaiah 8:14-15 – Matthew 21:44

*Isaiah 28:16 – Matthew 21:42

*Isaiah 29:13 – Matthew 15:8-9

*Isaiah 35:5-6 – Matthew 21:14

*Isaiah 35:5-6 and Isaiah 61:1 – Matthew 11:5

*Isaiah 40:3 – Matthew 3:3

*Isaiah 42:1-4 – Matthew 12:18-21

*Isaiah 50:6 – Matthew 27:30

*Isaiah 50:6 and Isaiah 53:5 – Matthew 26:67

*Isaiah 53:3 – Matthew 27:29

*Isaiah 53:4 – Matthew 8:17

*Isaiah 53:7 – Matthew 27:12

*Isaiah 53:7 – Matthew 27:31

*Isaiah 55:1-2 – Matthew 5:6

*Isaiah 56:7 – Matthew 21:13

*Isaiah 58:5 – Matthew 6:16

*Isaiah 58:6-7 – Matthew 25:35-36

*Isaiah 60:21 and Isaiah 61:3 – Matthew 15:13

*Isaiah 61:2-3 – Matthew 5:4

*Isaiah 62:11 – Matthew 21:5

*Isaiah 66:1 – Matthew 5:34-35

*Isaiah 66:1 – Matthew 23:22