Prophecy 21 of 30 · Suffering
The servant who carried our pain
A servant despised and rejected, wounded for our transgressions, silent like a lamb, buried with the rich, who then sees his offspring and justifies many.
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Hebrew · Leningrad Codexעִבְרִית
3נִבְזֶה֙ וַחֲדַ֣ל אִישִׁ֔ים אִ֥ישׁ מַכְאֹב֖וֹת וִיד֣וּעַ חֹ֑לִי וּכְמַסְתֵּ֤ר פָּנִים֙ מִמֶּ֔נּוּ נִבְזֶ֖ה וְלֹ֥א חֲשַׁבְנֻֽהוּ׃nivze vachadal ishim ish makh'ovot vidua choli ukhemaster panim mimmennu nivze velo chashavnuhu
4אָכֵ֤ן חֳלָיֵ֨נוּ֙ ה֣וּא נָשָׂ֔א וּמַכְאֹבֵ֖ינוּ סְבָלָ֑ם וַאֲנַ֣חְנוּ חֲשַׁבְנֻ֔הוּ נָג֛וּעַ מֻכֵּ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים וּמְעֻנֶּֽה׃akhen cholayenu hu nasa umakh'ovenu sevalam va'anachnu chashavnuhu nagua mukke elohim ume'unne
5וְהוּא֙ מְחֹלָ֣ל מִפְּשָׁעֵ֔נוּ מְדֻכָּ֖א מֵעֲוֺנֹתֵ֑ינוּ מוּסַ֤ר שְׁלוֹמֵ֨נוּ֙ עָלָ֔יו וּבַחֲבֻרָת֖וֹ נִרְפָּא־לָֽנוּ׃vehu mecholal mippesha'enu medukka me'avonotenu musar shelomenu alav uvachavurato nirpa-lanu
6כֻּלָּ֨נוּ֙ כַּצֹּ֣אן תָּעִ֔ינוּ אִ֥ישׁ לְדַרְכּ֖וֹ פָּנִ֑ינוּ וַֽיהוָה֙ הִפְגִּ֣יעַ בּ֔וֹ אֵ֖ת עֲוֺ֥ן כֻּלָּֽנוּ׃kullanu katzon ta'inu ish ledarko paninu veADONAI hifgia bo et avon kullanu
JPS 1917 · Jewish translation
3He was despised, and forsaken of men, A man of pains, and acquainted with disease, And as one from whom men hide their face: He was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4Surely our diseases he did bear, and our pains he carried; Whereas we did esteem him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5But he was wounded because of our transgressions, He was crushed because of our iniquities: The chastisement of our welfare was upon him, And with his stripes we were healed.
6All we like sheep did go astray, We turned every one to his own way; And the LORD hath made to light on him The iniquity of us all.
World Messianic Bible
3He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering and acquainted with disease. He was despised as one from whom men hide their face; and we didn’t respect him.He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering and acquainted with disease. He was despised as one from whom men hide their face; and we didn’t respect him.
4Surely he has borne our sickness and carried our suffering; yet we considered him plagued, struck by God, and afflicted.Surely he has borne our sickness and carried our suffering; yet we considered him plagued, struck by God, and afflicted.
5But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed.But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed.
6All we like sheep have gone astray. Everyone has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.All we like sheep have gone astray. Everyone has turned to his own way; and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:3-6. Transliteration simplified. Read the whole chapter
Fulfilment · New CovenantWMB
1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness. You were healed by his wounds.
Acts 8:34-35 The eunuch answered Philip, “Who is the prophet talking about? About himself, or about someone else?” Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, preached to him about Yeshua.
Matthew 8:17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, “He took our infirmities and bore our diseases.”
John 12:38 that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
Full passage: Isaiah 52:13 to 53:12.
How rabbinic tradition reads it
Since Rashi (11th century) most Jewish commentators read the servant as Israel, suffering among the nations. The national reading is older: Origen (3rd century) heard it from Jewish debaters. Isaiah does call Israel "my servant" in chapters 41, 44 and 49.
Why Messianic Jews read it as Yeshua
The servant suffers for "us" and is innocent ("he had done no violence", 53:9), while Isaiah calls Israel "a sinful nation" (1:4). Targum Jonathan on 52:13 reads "my servant the Messiah", and the Talmud calls the Messiah "the leper" from 53:4 (Sanhedrin 98b). The section isn't one of the synagogue's haftarah readings (they move from 52:12 to 54:1).
Look at the text for yourself
Read Isaiah 53:3-6 slowly, in the Hebrew and the JPS translation above. Then ask the question the Ethiopian official asked: "Who is the prophet talking about?"
Sources
- Targum Jonathan on Isaiah 52:13
- Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b
- Rashi on Isaiah 52:13
- Origen, Contra Celsum 1.55
- Haftarot of Shoftim (Isaiah 51:12-52:12) and Ki Tetze (Isaiah 54:1-10)
- Hebrew: Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain), via OpenScriptures. English: JPS 1917; World Messianic Bible (public domain).
