| Home | Old Testament Studies | Isaiah 40-66 Table of Contents | Previous Section | Next Section |
ISAIAH 53 (52:13-53:12)
PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS
| NASB | NKJV | NRSV | TEV | NJB |
| The Suffering Servant | The Sin-Bearing Servant (52:13-53:12) |
The Fourth Servant Song (52:13-53:12) |
The Suffering Servant (52:13-53:12) |
Fourth Song of the Servant (52:13-53:12) |
| 53:1-3 (1-3) |
53:1-3 (1-3) |
53:1-3 (1-3) |
53:1-3 (1-3) |
53:1-7 (1-7) |
| 53:4-6 (4-6) |
53:4-6 (4-6) |
53:4-6 (4-6) |
53:4-6 (4-6) |
|
| 53:7-9 (7-9) |
53:7-9 (7-9) |
53:7-9 (7-9) |
53:7-9 (7-9) |
|
| 53:8-9 (8-9) |
||||
| 53:10-12 (10-12) |
53:10-12 (10-12) |
53:10-12 (10-12) |
53:10-12 (10-12) |
53:10 (10) |
| 53:11 (11) |
||||
| 53:12 (12) |
READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")
FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL
This is a study guide commentary, which
means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the
light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not
relinquish this to a commentator.
Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.
CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS
WORD AND PHRASE STUDY
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: ISAIAH 52:13-15
13Behold, My servant will prosper,
He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted.
14Just as many were astonished at you, My people,
So His appearance was marred more than any man
And His form more than the sons of men.
15Thus He will sprinkle many nations,
Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him;
For what had not been told them they will see,
And what they had not heard they will understand.
52:13 "will prosper" This VERB (BDB 968, KB 1328, Hiphil VERB) has two connotations.
The question is which of these best parallel the series of VERBS "high," "lifted," and "greatly exalted." Will the Servant be
Both fit the context of Isaiah 44-55.
▣ "He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted" The threefold question of these VERBS with similar meaning intensifies the idea.
| 52:14 | |
| NASB, NKJV, LXX | "were astonished at you" |
| NRSV | "were astonished at him" |
| NJB | "were aghast at him" |
| JPSOA | "were appalled at him" |
| REB | "recoil at the sight of him" |
| Peshitta | "amazed at him" |
| NET | "were horrified by the sight of you" |
The MT has "on you," עליך (also LXX), but "on him," עליו is read by the Targums and some Syriac versions. The UBS Text Project, p. 142, gives "on you" a B rating.
There is a fluidity between the corporate focus ("you") and the individual ("him") in the Servant Songs. The individual ideal Israelite paid the price for corporate Israel (cf. Isa. 53:8) and corporate humanity (i.e., Gen. 3:15)!
▣ "My people" This is not in the Masoretic Hebrew text. The Servant is not identified with corporate Israel but an individual, ideal Israelite.
▣ "His appearance was marred more than any man,
And His form more than the sons of men" The term "marred" (BDB 1008, KB 644) is found only here.
BDB has "disfigurement of face"
KB has "ugly in form" from an Arabic root
The same root consonants
Jesus was beaten very badly, almost unrecognizable, first by the Sanhedrin and then by the Roman soldiers. The rabbis used this verse to say that the Messiah will have leprosy.
| 52:15 | |
| NASB, NKJV | "sprinkle" |
| NRSV, JPSOA, NET | "startle" |
| NJB, LXX | "astonished" |
| Peshitta | "purify" |
The MT (NASB) has a sacrificial term, "sprinkle" (BDB 633 I, KB 683, Hiphil IMPERFECT, i.e., Exod. 29:21: Lev. 4:6,17; 5:8; 6:27; 8:11,30; 14:7 and more). The term can also refer to sacrificial "spattered" (i.e., Lev. 6:27; 1 Kgs. 9:33). Some modern translations have "startle" (BDB 633 II, "cause to leap"), which comes from an Arabic root. This follows the LXX and the Vulgate. The UBS Text Project, p. 142, gives the MT a "B" rating (some doubt).
The question is "What do the kings hear and see?"
Does the VERB of Isa. 53:15a mean:
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: ISAIAH 53:1-3
1Who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
3He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
53:1 "Who has believed our message" The speaker (PLURAL) is uncertain, but possibly
It is obvious that very few understood the concept of a suffering Messiah (cf. Gen. 3:15; Psalm 22; Zechariah 11-12; John 12:38; Rom. 10:16)! However, one day the kings of the earth will understand (cf. Isa. 52:15 and Phil. 2:6-11)!
For "believed" (BDB 52, KB 63, Hiphil PERFECT) see SPECIAL TOPIC: BELIEVE, TRUST, FAITH AND FAITHFULNESS IN THE OT.
▣ "arm of the Lord" This is an anthropomorphic phrase (cf. Isa. 51:9; 52:9,10; Deut. 5:15) for YHWH's actions, here involving the ministry of the Servant.
SPECIAL TOPIC: GOD DESCRIBED AS HUMAN (anthropomorphism)
53:2 "like a tender shoot" This (BDB 413) refers to His inconspicuous beginnings. It has some connotative relationship with the Messianic term "Branch" (BDB 666, cf. Isa. 4:2; 11:1,10). Both are used together in Isa. 11:1.
SPECIAL TOPIC: THE BRANCH OF THE LORD
SPECIAL TOPIC: JESUS THE NAZARENE
▣ "He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him" Jesus was not physically unusual or attractive. He did not stand out in a crowd in any way (i.e., He could melt into the crowd, cf. John 8:59; 12:36).
53:3 "He was despised" This VERB (BDB 102, KB 117, Niphal PARTICIPLE) is used as a title, "The Despised One" in Isa. 49:7. The Qal PASSIVE PARTICIPLE is used in Ps. 22:6, which Christians believe describes Jesus' crucifixion (cf. Matt. 27:35,39,43,46; Mark 15:29,34; Luke 23:34; John 19:24; 20:25).
So many of the texts in this section of Isaiah are used in the NT. Isaiah clearly reveals God's redemptive plan for all humans.
SPECIAL TOPIC: YHWH'S ETERNAL REDEMPTIVE PLAN
▣ The last two lines of Isa. 53:3 have been interpreted in several ways.
▣ "sorrows" This word (BDB 456) can mean
It is used in this context (Isa. 53:13-14) of the Servant suffering on behalf of Israel (cf. Isa. 53:8) and all mankind (cf. Isa. 53:6).
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: ISAIAH 53:4-6
4Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
6All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.
53:4 "griefs" The word literally means "sickness" (BDB 318, cf. Deut. 28:59,61), but is used in a much wider sense in Hebrew (Isa. 1:6; 6:10). This speaks of Jesus' substitutionary work (cf. Mark 10:45; 2 Cor. 5:21).
Many have tried to interpret this strophe and Isa. 53:5d as teaching that Jesus' death dealt with believers' sins and sicknesses, but this is to misinterpret the parallelism (cf. Ps. 103:3). "Sickness" is a Hebrew idiom for sin (cf. Isa. 1:5-6; Ps. 103:3). My favorite charismatic author, Gordon Fee, has written a powerful booklet on this issue entitled The Disease of the Health and Wealth Gospels.
▣ "bore. . .carried" These two VERBS are parallel.
Notice the series of VERBS in Isa. 53:4-6 of what YHWH did to the Servant for humanity's benefit.
This is the textual foundation for the doctrine of the vicarious, substitutionary atonement.
▣ "Smitten of God" It was God's will that Jesus die (cf. Isa. 53:10; John 3:16; Mark 10:45; 2 Cor. 5:21). Jesus' trial and death were not accidents or mistakes, but the plan of God (cf. Acts 2:23; 3:18; 4:28; 1 Pet. 1:20).
53:5 "pierced. . .crushed" As "bore" and "carried" in Isa. 53:4 were parallel, so too, these VERBS.
It denotes one who is humbled. In this context by YHWH Himself for the greater good of all mankind.
53:6 This is the OT counterpart to Rom. 3:9-18,23; 5:12,15,18; 11:32; Gal. 3:22. This shows the terrible development of the Fall of Genesis 3 (cf. Gen. 6:5,11-12; Ps. 14:3; 143:2).
SPECIAL TOPIC: THE FALL OF MANKIND
▣ "the iniquity of us all to fall on Him" Jesus died for the sins of the entire world. Everyone is potentially saved by Christ (cf. John 1:12,29; 3:16-17; 4:42; Rom. 5:18; 1 Tim. 2:4; 4:10; Titus 2:11; 1 Pet. 1:9; 1 John 2:2; 4:14). Only willful unbelief keeps anyone from God.
Some commentators have tried to make a restrictive distinction between the "all" [twice] of Isa. 53:6 and "the many" of Isa. 53:11d and 12e. However, the parallelism of Rom. 5:18, "all" and "the many" of Isa. 5:19, clearly shows that they refer to the same group (i.e., fallen humanity made in the image and likeness of YHWH, Gen. 1:26-27).
| 53:6d | |
| NASB, TEV | "fall on" |
| NKJV, NRSV, REB, Peshitta | "laid on" |
| NJB | "to bear on" |
| NET | "to attack" |
| JPSOA | "visited upon" |
| LXX | "gave him over to" |
The MT has the VERB (BDB 803, KB 910, Hiphiil PERFECT) which can mean
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: ISAIAH 53:7-9
7He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.
8By 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
For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?
9His grave was assigned with wicked men,
Yet He was with a rich man in His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
53:7 "Like a lamb" The sacrificial allusion is significant (cf. John 1:29 and 2 Cor. 5:21).
▣ "He did not open His mouth" This means the Servant did not attempt to defend Himself. There are several allusions to this in Jesus' trials.
53:8a This may refer to Jesus' unfair trials
▣ "For the transgression of my people" This phrase shows that the term "Servant" in this context cannot be national Israel. The Servant dies (cf. Isa. 8d) for Israel. The DSS have "of his people."
This song/poem has several rare and unusual VERBALS.
53:9 This verse, 9a and 9b, which may be antithetical parallelism on the term "rich" (BDB 799, in line b), in this context refers to "the wicked" (BDB 957, line a). I think it is antithetical parallelism.
This verse describes so explicitly the crucifixion and burial of Jesus (cf. Matt. 27:38-59), as does Psalm 22.
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: ISAIAH 53:10-12
10But the Lord was pleased
To crush Him, putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
11As a result of the anguish of His soul,
He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.
12Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,
And He will divide the booty with the strong;
Because He poured out Himself to death,
And was numbered with the transgressors;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors.
53:10 "But the Lord was pleased
To crush Him, putting Him to grief"
Notice the agent and object of these VERBS.
| ▣ | |
| NASB | "If He would render Himself as a guilt offering" |
| NKJV, NRSV | "When You make His soul an offering for sin" |
| TEV | "His death was a sacrifice to bring forgiveness" |
| NJB | "if he gives his life as a sin offering" |
| JPSOA | "if fhe made himself an offering for guilt" |
| Peshitta | "he laid down his life as an offering for sin" |
| REB | "who had given himself as a sacrifice for sin" |
| LXX | "If you give an offering for sin" |
This phrase is so simple yet so profound. It involves
This is the Hebrew theological concept of "corporality." It is illustrated by
One innocent One paid the price to set free all the guilty ones!
▣ "He will prolong His days" It is obvious that the Servant dies (cf. Isa. 53:8,9,12). Therefore, this verse must refer to life after death!
Notice all the things that YHWH will do for Him.
Poetry is always difficult to interpret. Some of these items are uncertain!
| 53:11 | |
| NASB | "He will see it" |
| NKJV, Peshitta | "He shall see the travail of His soul" |
| NRSV, NJB, REB | "he shall see light" |
| LXX, DSS | "to show him light" |
The MT has "of the travail of his soul he shall see." Notice there is no "it," but it seems to refer to
▣ "By His knowledge" The NRSV has "he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge." The question is what "knowledge" seems to relate to
▣ "the Righteous One. . .justify" These are both formed from one root (BDB 842, 843). YHWH's sin-bearing (cf. Isa. 53:11e) Servant will accomplish righteousness for all who believe and receive (cf. John 1:12; 3:16; Rom. 10:9-13).
▣ "the many" See note at "all" of Isa. 53:6.
▣ "He will bear their iniquities" The same VERB (BDB 687, KB 741, Qal IMPERFECT) was also used in Isa. 53:4. See note there.
53:12a,b "He will divide the booty with the strong" This is war imagery of victory. It is not to be taken literally, but figuratively of spiritual victory (cf. Isa. 52:13)!
▣ "He poured out Himself to death" This VERB (BDB 788, KB 881, Hiphil PERFECT) is literally "be naked" or "be bare" or "to empty." It is used in Isaiah in several senses.
▣ "And was numbered with the transgressors" Luke 22:37 quotes this verse as being spoken by Jesus in Gethsemane when the soldiers and guards came to arrest Him.
Notice the same word (BDB 833) was used of Israel's sin in Isa. 53:8 and all humans' sin in Isa. 53:5.
▣ "He Himself bore the sin of many" This is the doctrine of substitutionary, vicarious atonement (cf. Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45; 14:24; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 1:4; 1 Tim. 2:6; Titus 2:14; 1 John 2:2). The UBS Text Project thinks "sin" should be PLURAL (B rating).
▣ "And interceded for the transgressors" And He still does (cf. Rom. 8:27,34; Heb. 7:25; 9:24; 1 John 2:1)!
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are
responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You,
the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.
| Home | Old Testament Studies | Isaiah 40-66 Table of Contents | Previous Section | Next Section |
Copyright © 2014 Bible Lessons International