Isaiah 53's Gospel Message

Christ’s Life & Ministry,

Isaiah 53:1–4 ESV

1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

:1 There would be an unrepentant response to his unbelievable message.

:1 The hint is the Gentiles (:12) are those lit. “who has believed our report”

:1 The arm of the Lord … Jesus is our mighty warrior who divides the spoil (12) with “the strong” (12).

:2 “Young plant” refers to leader who is appt to bring change. As such Jesus will bring them back to peace by bearing their sins (12)

:2 “No beauty” not a typical expected charismatic deliverer

:3 “rejected” quick dismissal as of one who is worthless — not worthy of attention.

53:3 He was despised and rejected by The phrase connotes quick dismissal, not a strong willful and emotional rejection. The Servant is considered worthless, not worthy of attention.

a man of suffering The Hebrew word usually implies physical pain. He knew and understood pain.

acquainted with sickness He understood ailments and perhaps experienced them himself. The same language is used in where the phrasing suggests the Servant could heal sickness.

Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 53

a man of suffering The Hebrew word usually implies physical pain. He knew and understood pain.

acquainted with sickness He understood ailments and perhaps experienced them himself. The same language is used in Isa 53:4 where the phrasing suggests the Servant could heal sickness.

one from whom others hide their faces Parallels the Servant being despised and rejected. People look away to symbolize their dissociation with the Servant (compare note on 59:2).

we did not hold him in high regard As in Isa 53:1, the “we” here must refer to the nation of Israel. The prophet is likely identifying with his people and speaking on their behalf (compare Jer 14:7–9)

acquainted with sickness He understood ailments and perhaps experienced them himself. The same language is used in where the phrasing suggests the Servant could heal sickness.

one from whom others hide their faces Parallels the Servant being despised and rejected. People look away to symbolize their dissociation with the Servant (compare note on 59:2).

one from whom others hide their faces Parallels the Servant being despised and rejected. People look away to symbolize their dissociation with the Servant (compare note on 59:2).

we did not hold him in high regard As in , the “we” here must refer to the nation of Israel. The prophet is likely identifying with his people and speaking on their behalf (compare )

we did not hold him in high regard As in , the “we” here must refer to the nation of Israel. The prophet is likely identifying with his people and speaking on their behalf (compare )

53:4 lifted up our sicknesses The Hebrew phrase used here literally means “lifted our sickness.” The Hebrew word choli is frequently used for serious illness or injury (; ; ). Its use here likely indicates that the Servant had the ability to heal—this is linked to his willingness to die on behalf of the people. This verse is applied to Jesus in .

he carried our pain The Servant does more than heal people—he carries their pain. See note on .

struck down by God The Servant rose in power and esteem, like a plant out of dry ground (v. 2)—which was God’s will. But it was also God’s will for him to fall.

Christ’s Death,

Isaiah 53:5–8 ESV

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?

53:5 was pierced for our transgressions The people realize that the Servant is suffering for their wrongdoing, not being punished for his own sin.

crushed because of our iniquities The Servant suffers on behalf of other people. See note on .

our peace The Servant brings people into right relationship with God (vv. 11–12) and others. This could also indicate that there is a spiritual component to the Servant’s healing ministry described in v. 4.

his wounds we were healed The Servant is able to heal people—metaphorically and physically—because he is willing to follow the will of Yahweh—even though it results in his suffering.

53:6 All of us have wandered about like sheep The metaphor of wayward Israel as a flock of sheep without a shepherd is a common motif used in prophetic literature (see ; ; ; ; ; ).

have wandered about Sheep tend to get lost and be unaware of the consequences of their actions. Israel (and by extension all humanity) have wandered away from God.

let fall on him the iniquity of Rather than people suffering the consequences for their own sinful actions, their iniquities are placed upon the Servant. He bears the punishment for their mistakes.

53:7 slaughter Possibly alludes to sacrifice since sheep were important sacrificial animals. Lambs were used in the offering made on the Day of Atonement (). Lambs were also sacrificed on Passover ().

is dumb Unlike Jeremiah, who also speaks about being like a lamb led to the slaughter (), the Servant does not plead or complain. He is not requesting redemption from his situation, and he is certainly not asking for God to act (compare ).

53:8 by restraint of justice The implication is that the Servant’s treatment was completely unjust. The phrase is best understood as indicating oppressive legal treatment leading to an undeserved death sentence.

Justice

who concerned himself with his generation? The Servant is taken away with his generation. He symbolically takes on the role of the exiled Israelites.

from the land of the living The Hebrew of this phrase is best understood as a rhetorical question: “Who could have mused that [the Servant] would be cut off from the land of the living?” The Servant has not died yet in this poem—instead, the prophet is foreshadowing the Servant’s death by suggesting that it seemed improbable that the Servant would die. He was raised up just a little earlier (see ).

a blow because of the transgression of The Servant was destined to suffer for the people. It was known by his actions and his deeds.

my people Refers to Yahweh’s—and the prophet’s—people.

Christ’s Burial,

Isaiah 53:9 ESV

9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

53:9 his grave with the wicked The intention of those making the Servant suffer is for him to die as a wicked person next to wicked people. A connection to this prophecy can be made when Jesus is crucified next to two criminals (; ). Also, Jesus is killed by wicked people. This fits with the prophet’s words as well: those who kill the Servant are deceitful and violent.

the rich in his death The narratives of the nt Gospels suggest that the manner of Jesus’ burial fulfills the prophecy of the Suffering Servant in v. 9 (see ; ). According to the Gospel writers, Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus and a wealthy member of the Jewish council (), requested permission from Pilate to take Jesus’ body and bury it in a new tomb ( and note).

he had done no violence The Servant will be killed despite being peaceful.

there was no deceit in his mouth Not only is the Servant innocent of violence, he is never deceitful.

Christ’s Resurrection and Exaltation,

Isaiah 53:10–12 ESV

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. 11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

53:10–12 This passage is not a poem about the distraught feelings of a prophet. Instead, it involves a prophet speaking about the injustice done against the Servant—an injustice he has witnessed by means of divine revelation.

53:10 Yahweh was pleased People may be the instruments of the Servant’s death, but it is ultimately Yahweh’s will that he suffers, dies, and is resurrected.

she places his life a guilt offering The Servant dies as a guilt offering. A guilt offering was required in cases when a wrong was unintentionally or unknowingly committed. Once the guilt was known, the offering was necessary to atone for the sin ().

The Suffering Servant as a Guilt Offering

he will see offspring The Servant is resurrected; people only “see [their] offspring” in life.

He will prolong days, and The Servant will live a long life after he is made a guilt offering. Because of the Servant’s obedience to Yahweh’s will, he is resurrected and blessed. He is blessed with perhaps the two most desired things in the ancient Near East: long life and the ability to see descendants (either his own or simply that of his people).

in his hand God’s will is now in the hands of the Servant. He has been empowered by Yahweh.

53:11 he will see All intact Dead Sea Scrolls manuscripts and the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Bible) contain the word “light”; the Masoretic Text simply reads “he will see.” The most probable original text is “he will see light” (Dead Sea Scrolls) or “he will show him light” (Septuagint). The word “light” is required for the text to make sense poetically. This variant is a sign that the Servant experiences postmortem life, though it is not the only sign.

he will be satisfied The Servant may be satisfied by the fact that he has fulfilled Yahweh’s will (). It is also possible that he is satisfied because he has suffered for the transgressions of God’s people (vv. 5–7). Or, the Servant could be satisfied in his resurrected life.

In his knowledge An elaboration on the previous line. The Servant knows that he has borne the iniquities of many and will make many righteous. He has learned this through his anguish (his suffering).

my servant Yahweh begins speaking again.

shall declare many righteous Like Israel—as Yahweh’s servant—was commanded to bring forth justice to the nations, the Servant makes many righteous.

will bear their iniquities The iniquities of the people are placed upon the Servant (similar to the goat on the Day of Atonement in ).

53:12 This verse is an epilogue to . The Servant has suffered, died, and is resurrected. Now, the prophet—via the voice of Yahweh—tells us more about the results of the Servant’s actions.

I will divide to him The Servant is given a portion of that which he regained for the people—perhaps their land, or perhaps their reconciled relationship with Yahweh (or both).

he will divide bounty Yahweh’s Servant is a warrior whose suffering involves a triumphant battle over death, resulting in resurrection. This triumph results in Yahweh’s people being made righteous (v. 11)—a victory that likely results in the reclaiming of their relationship with Yahweh and their land. The Servant then shares in the bounty of his victory.

the strong ones Likely a reference to men of war. The Servant is portrayed like a divine warrior. See note on .

he poured his life out to death A reiteration of what has already occurred; the Servant already died in v. 10.

with the transgressors The Servant died with the wicked; see note on v. 9.

bore the sin of many Indicates that the prophet likely had both sin and guilt offerings in mind in v. 10 when he said that the Servant was placed as a guilt offering. The Servant does not just bear people’s iniquities (their culpability or guilt); He also carries their sin—their actual wrongdoings. The Servant takes responsibility for all the things that people have done wrong against God and one another.

will intercede for the transgressors The Servant vicariously suffers for the people by bearing their iniquities and carrying their sin through becoming their guilt offering. His actions are somewhat akin to—though not entirely the same as—the role of the priests in Leviticus (; compare ). Unlike the priests and prophets before him, the Servant successfully bears the iniquities of a group of people through his suffering.