Isaiah 53 Analysis

[Carmella Prochaska]

Who has believed our message?
To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
nothing to attract us to him.
He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.

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,
a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
the sins of us all.

He was oppressed and treated harshly,
yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
he did not open his mouth.
Unjustly condemned,
he was led away.
No one cared that he died without descendants,
that his life was cut short in midstream.
But he was struck down
for the rebellion of my people.
He had done no wrong
and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
he was put in a rich man’s grave.

But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
for he will bear all their sins.
I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

This is quite a powerful prophecy of Jesus. It accurately describes His suffering & purpose from beginning to end yet it was written approx. 681 BC.

A couple points highlighted about Jesus:

- nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance - he probably looked like a common Semitic man from the Middle East. He was also badly disfigured from the scourging & tortures of the crucifixion.
- despised and rejected by the Pharisees, Sadducees & much of the Jewish community of His day. Isaiah also says 'we turned our backs on Him' & that he was 'despised'.
- our weaknesses he carried, our sorrows that weighed him down.
- pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins - this part is rather interesting as it talks specifically about this human sin offering as being 'pierced' as in the crucifixion where Jesus' hands, feet & side were pierced.
- Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all - this is a profound sacrifice. For one man to take away the sins 'of us all'. So instead of Yom Kippur sacrifices & the like where animal blood is given for atonement, we have a human man atoning for all sins. This man cannot be just a regular human as a normal human being cannot atone for sin. He must be a deity or a part of God to be able to atone for so many sins.
- oppressed and treated harshly - we see this from the Passion of Mark's gospel.
- he never said a word - Yeshua was not defiant or resistant when he was being sentenced to crucifixion. He willingly died & as can be seen by the Gospels, he barely said anything while people mocked Him & spit on Him.
- led like a lamb - we call Him the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world
- died without descendants - he had no offspring of any sort
- life was cut short in midstream - he was crucified in His 30's
- done no wrong, never deceived anyone - this person is obviously sinless & perfect. No human can stand up today & say they've never done anything wrong, deceived anyone or lied.
- buried like a criminal, put in a rich man’s grave - buried in a tomb belonging to Joseph of Aramathea from The Sanhedrin
- many descendants, enjoy a long life - I would interpret this as many spiritual descendants & a long life implies resurrection esp. since Isaiah is talking about Him being satisfied in the end with what He has accomplished.
- make it possible for many to be counted righteous, he will bear all their sins
- counted among the rebels - he was crucified along with other men transgressors
- bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels - rebels like us

Commonly, the non-Messianic Jewish community claims that this passage is speaking of Israel as a nation & the suffering of it's people. However, this is manifestly untrue as shown above.

Israel cannot be crushed for Israel's sins. That makes no sense. Isaiah speaks of this person in a singular form bearing His people's sins. Israel is also not sinless & perfect as everyone sins. This is definitely speaking about an individual. A plural context of this being about a nation makes very little sense.

 

[ebedmelech]

I think you need to re-think this idea that Israel is not accountable for their sins...they clearly are! That is not a proper application of the text of Isaiah 53.

The efficacy of Christ sacrifice is to "all those who believe". Israel doesn't believe Jesus was the Passover Lamb.

As the scripture says in John 1:12, 13:
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Very few in Israel believed...they crucified Christ. This is why John said in John 1:11:
11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.

That speaks of Israel.

It was Christ who pronounced the desolation of Jerusalem in Matthew 23:37-39:
37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.
38 Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!
39 For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

Furthermore God told Moses that Israel would break their covenant with Him before Moses died, teliing him he would have to punish them. That is Deuteronomy 31:16-18:
16 The Lord said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers; and this people will arise and play the harlot with the strange gods of the land, into the midst of which they are going, and will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them.
17 Then My anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide My face from them, and they will be consumed, and many evils and troubles will come upon them; so that they will say in that day, ‘Is it not because our God is not among us that these evils have come upon us?’
18 But I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they will do, for they will turn to other gods.

I encourage you to rethink you position. Israel is, and was accountable for their sins.

 

[Carmella Prochaska]

I think you need to re-think this idea that Israel is not accountable for their sins...they clearly are! That is not a proper application of the text of Isaiah 53.

The efficacy of Christ sacrifice is to "all those who believe". Israel doesn't believe Jesus was the Passover Lamb.

As the scripture says in John 1:12, 13:
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Very few in Israel believed...they crucified Christ. This is why John said in John 1:11:
11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.

That speaks of Israel.

It was Christ who pronounced the desolation of Jerusalem in Matthew 23:37-39:
37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.
38 Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!
39 For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

Furthermore God told Moses that Israel would break their covenant with Him before Moses died, teliing him he would have to punish them. That is Deuteronomy 31:16-18:
16 The Lord said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers; and this people will arise and play the harlot with the strange gods of the land, into the midst of which they are going, and will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them.
17 Then My anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide My face from them, and they will be consumed, and many evils and troubles will come upon them; so that they will say in that day, ‘Is it not because our God is not among us that these evils have come upon us?’
18 But I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they will do, for they will turn to other gods.

I encourage you to rethink you position. Israel is, and was accountable for their sins.

I think you misunderstood what I said at the end of my post. I never said Israel was not accountable for her sins, rather, that Israel is not the suffering servant of Isaiah 53. And I pointed this out when I said that the suffering servant is paying for the sins of Israel. Israel therefore cannot pay for it's own sins but needs a redeemer to do so.

 

[ebedmelech]

I think you misunderstood what I said at the end of my post. I never said Israel was not accountable for her sins, rather, that Israel is not the suffering servant of Isaiah 53. And I pointed this out when I said that the suffering servant is paying for the sins of Israel. Israel therefore cannot pay for it's own sins but needs a redeemer to do so.

OK Sis...I'm clear on that now....

 

[Unix]

53:1-6 The Servant's Suffering
the collective voice adds our transgressions and our iniquities to the list of offenses borne by the servant (53:5). Both the NIV84 and the NRSV translate the Hebrew preposition min as for (for our transgressions, for our iniquities), indicating the servant’s suffering as a substitute for the sin of God’s people. It may be argued that the preposition min means because of, indicating the servant’s suffering as a result of the sin of God’s people (BDB: 580; cf. Whybray:175; also Watts, 1987:231), but note that verses 4 and 6 suggest substitution.

Friesen, I. D. (2009). Isaiah. Believers Church Bible Commentary (p. 333). Scottdale, PA; Waterloo, ON: Herald Press.


53:7-10 The Servant's Death
Taken together, they speak of the servant’s imminent death. The individual voice asserts that this disablement took place for the transgression of my people (or perhaps because of the transgression; cf. 53:5) [Atonement, p. 439].

Friesen, I. D. (2009). Isaiah. Believers Church Bible Commentary (p. 334). Scottdale, PA; Waterloo, ON: Herald Press.


53:11–12 Bearing the Sins of Many
A final word from the Lord concludes the fourth servant song. First is an indication of the twofold intention of the Lord’s servant: to make many righteous and to bear their iniquities (53:11). God works even through his people’s rebellion to bring good out of evil intent.
Because of his servant’s obedience, the Lord exalts him (53:12). Because the servant poured out himself to death rather than inflict death, he was able to bear the sin of all who call upon the Lord out of their rebellion.

Friesen, I. D. (2009). Isaiah. Believers Church Bible Commentary (p. 335). Scottdale, PA; Waterloo, ON: Herald Press.

 

[pshun2404]

The Masoretic says...

53:8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

Isaiah is an Israelite Prophet therefore "he" cannot be associated with "my people" grammatically. They are two different subjects. Therefore this he is clearly not Israel.

That he will have no "generations" I take to mean no biological children, which Israel has had many of.

Besides, if Israel was "cut off from the land of the living", then who do these Jewish people today think they are? Obviously, if this were Israel they no longer are among the living here.

Just a thought

Paul

 

[pshun2404]

In the Talmud Sanhedrin 98b it is asked of “messiah,“…what is his shem? The section goes on to say, that the Rabbis called him “the leperous one”. Others said “Cholaya” for it says, “Surely he has borne our sickness“! Note how this is a direct quotation from Isaiah 53? Well again speaking of Isaiah 53, Rabbi Simeon said, “…whoever will not admit that Messiah thus suffers for our iniquities, must suffer them for himself…”. What? Brother Paul are you trying to say that the early Rabbis actually knew this Messiah had to come to suffer for our sins? Yes! That is exactly what I am saying.

The Midrash Tanchunna referring to the passage in Isaiah 52:13, speaking of YHVH’s “Servant”, declares that, “He was more exalted than Abraham, more extolled than Moses, and higher than the Archangels.“ From this allusion to ancient tradition we can know that they not only considered this Messiah to be “the Servant” of Isaiah 53, but also the very Memra (Word/Logos) of God, just as He is described in the opening chapter of the Gospel according to John. When Jonathan ben-Uzziel presents his commentary on Isaiah 52:13 he says it should be interpreted, “Behold My servant, the Messiah…”!

The 2nd century, diaspora Rabbi Jose the Galilean speaking of Messiah, declared that “the Lord has made the iniquity of us all to meet on him “!

Continuing on, the Pesikta Rabbati quotes Isaiah 53:4-5 as referring to this Messiah and says, “…surely he has borne our sickness and carried our pains, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But he was pierced because of our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our shalom was laid on him, and by his wounds we are healed.“

Is this not exactly the same application the earliest followers made to Jesus?

Much later, Gersonides cross-referencing Deuteronomy 18:18 to Isaiah 52:13, declares, “In fact, Messiah is such a Prophet, as it is stated in the Midrash on the verse, ‘Behold, my servant shall prosper’…”. He also ties Isaiah 53 with Isaiah 52:13 as referring to the same person!

Then there is the testimony of Rabbi Nachman who says, “Behold the man whose name is Tzemach (the Branch), where Jonathan interprets, ‘ Behold the man Messiah’ (of Zechariah 6:12) and so it is said ‘ A man of pains and known to sickness (Isaiah 53).”

Wow! See they actually knew this was not talking about Israel but they could not admit it in modern times for fear their people would accept Jesus.

Peace be unto you…
Paul

 

[Carmella Prochaska]

Thanks for the insight pshun2404!

 

[ebedmelech]

Actually if we look at what Christ said as He walked "On the road to Emmaus", we find the understanding.

Luke 24:24-26 gives us this answer:
25 And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
26 Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?”
27 Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

Christ suffering was necessary for Him to enter into His glory!

Now we see Jesus started with Moses and the Prophets...so it goes all the way back to the "protoevangel" of Genesis 3:15 which God said to Satan:
15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

The understanding of this is that it took death to cover the sin of Adam and Eve! God had to kill an animal(s) to cover their sin (nakedness):

Genesis 3:21
21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

An animal suffered to cover Adam and Eve's nakedness...and as they are our original parents we too God, we too were sinners naked before God. Christ suffered for all who will come to Him!

This brings us to Romans 5:18-21:
18 So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.
19 For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.
20 The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,
21 so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

That...is the REAL DEAL!!!

 

[Unix]

Since a few days I have a detailed commentary on this passage. Which specific passages are the most interesting/problematic to You all? I'll look up and give an anser if possible to be helpful

 

[REPHAIAHPEDAHEL]

Thank you Lord Jesus for having borne our sicknesses and diseases and having carried our physical and mental pain.

Isa 53:4 YLT Surely our sicknesses he hath borne, And our pains--he hath carried them, And we--we have esteemed him plagued, Smitten of God, and afflicted.