וַיַּ֨עַל כַּיּוֹנֵ֜ק לְפָנָ֗יו וְכַשֹּׁ֙רֶשׁ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ צִיָּ֔ה לֹא־תֹ֥אַר ל֖וֹ וְלֹ֣א הָדָ֑ר וְנִרְאֵ֥הוּ וְלֹֽא־מַרְאֶ֖ה וְנֶחְמְדֵֽהוּ׃
Er schoss auf wie ein Reis vor [Gott], wie eine Wurzel aus unfruchtbarem Boden, er, der nicht wohlgeformt und nicht schön war, dass wir auf ihn gesehen hätten, und unansehnlich, dass wir sein begehrten.
Rashi
And he came up like a sapling before it This people, before this greatness came to it, was a very humble people, and it came up by itself like a sapling of the saplings of the trees.
Ibn Ezra
And he grew up, etc. That Israelite who is the servant of the Lord,1That is, the prophet. or the whole nation of the Israelites, grew up2A. V., For he shall grow up.
Rashi
and we saw him that he had no appearance. Now shall we desire him? And when we saw him from the beginning without an appearance, how could we desire him? Now shall we desire him? This is a question.