Isaiah 52:13-53:12 - Bible Commentary for Preaching

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Isaiah 52:13-53:12

52:13Behold, my servant will act wisely [Hiphil Impf 3MS sakal ].He will be high [Qal Impf 3MS rum] and lifted up [Niphal Perf 3MS nasa’ + waw cons]

and exalted [Qal Perf 3MS gabah + waw cons] greatly.14

Just as many were astonished [Qal Perf 3MP shamem] at you,So marred beyond any man was his visage,

and his form more than the sons of man,15so he shall sprinkle [Qal Impf 3MS zanah] many nations.

On (or, because of ) him kings shut [Qal Impf 3MP qaphats] their mouths.

For that which was not told [Qal Pass Part MS saphar ] to them they see [Qal Perf 3MPra’ah],

and that which they did not hear [Qal Perf 3MP shama’ ] they consider diligently[Hithpolel Perf 3MP bin].

53:1Who has believed [Hiphil Perf 3MS ‘aman] our report?

And the arm of YHWH, to whom has it been revealed [Niphal Perf 3FS galah]?2

And he shall grow up [Qal Impf 3MS ‘anah] as a tender shoot before him,and as a root from the dry ground

He had no form and no majesty,and we shall see him [Qal Impf 1CP ra’ah + 3MS suff]

but no beauty that we should desire him [Qal Impf 1CP chamad + 3MS suff].3He is despised [Niphal Perf 3MS bazah] and rejected by men,

A man of sorrows and acquainted [Qal Pass Part MP yada’ ] with grief.And as one hiding-face [Hiphil Part MS satar ] from-us,

Despised but we did not esteem/value him [Qal Perf 1CP chashab + 3MS suff].4Surely our griefs he has borne [Qal Perf 3MS nasa’ ],

And our sorrows he has carried them [Qal Perf 3MS sabal + 3MP suff].

But we [‘anachnu] esteemed him [Qal Perf 1CP + 3MS suff] stricken,Smitten [Pual Part MS nakah] by God and afflicted [Pual Part MS ‘anah].5But he was wounded [Poal Part MP chalal ] for our transgressions,

Crushed [Pual Part MP daka’ ] for our iniquities,

The chastisement of our peace was upon him.And by his stripes there was healing [Niphal Perf 3MS rapha’ ] to us.

6All we like sheep have gone astray [Qal Perf 1CP ta’ah], Each man toward his own way we have turned [Qal Perf 1CP panah]

And YHWH has laid [Hiphil Perf 3MS paga’ ] on him the iniquity of us all.7He was oppressed [Niphal Perf 3MS nagash], and he was afflicted [Nipahl Perf 3MS ‘anah],

But he did not open [Qal Impf 3MS patach] his mouth.

Like a lamb to the slaughter led [Hophal Perf 3MS yabal ],And like a sheep before her shearers is dumb [Niphal Perf 3FS ‘alam]

He did not open [Qal Impf 3MS patach] his mouth.8From prison and from judgment he was taken [Pual Perf 3MS laqach],

And his generation—who shall declare it [Polel Impf 3MS siach]?

For he was cut off [Niphal Perf 3MS gazar ] from the land of the living,

From the transgression of my people he was stricken.9And he made [Qal Pret 3MS natan + waw cons] with the wicked his grave,



And with the rich in his death.

Although no violence he had done [Qal Perf 3MS ‘asah],

And no deceit in his mouth.10But YHWH delighted [Qal Perf 3MS chaphets] to bruise him [Piel Inf Cons daka’ + 3MS suff],

He put him to grief [Hiphil Perf 3MS chalah]

When you make [Qal Impf 2MS sum] his soul a sacrifice for sin,He shall see [Qal Impf 3MS ra’ah] his seed,

He shall prolong [Hiphil Impf 3MS ‘arak ] his days,

And the pleasure [chephets] of YHWH will prosper [Qal Impf 3MS tsalach] in his hand.11From the anguish of his soul he shall see [Qal Impf 3MS ra’ah] and he shall be satisfied [Qal

Impf 3MS saba’ ]

By his knowledge, the righteous one, my servant, will make righteous [Hiphil Impf 3MStsadaq] the many,And their iniquities he shall bear [Qal Impf 3MS sabal ]

12Therefore I will divide [Qal Impf 1CS chalaq] for him a portion among the many,

And with the strong he shall divide [Piel Impf 3MS chalaq] the spoil,

Because as he has poured out [Hiphil Perf 3MS ‘arah] unto death his south,And with sinners he was numbered [Niphal Perf 3MS manah],

And he the sin of many has borne [Qal Perf 3MS nasa’ ]And for sinners he makes intercession [Hiphil Impf 3MS paga’ ].



Comment:

Oswalt describes the structure of the poem:

The poem gives evidence of careful literary construction. It contains five stanzas of three

verses each (52:13-15; 53:1-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12). The first and last stanzas contain thecommendation of the Servant in the voice of God, while the middle three speak of the

Servant’s humiliation and suffering, the first and second of which are in the voice of

“we,” those who caused his suffering. The central thought of the poem is focused on twogreat contrasts: the contrast between the Servant exaltation and his humiliation and

suffering, and the contrast between what people thought about the Servant and what was

really the case.1

Isaiah 52:13-53:1 – The Paradox of the Servant

The Suffering Servant passage is one of the more famous prophecies about Jesus, foretelling that

he would suffer and die, bearing upon himself the sins of “my people” (53:8). The paradox laidout in this passage, however, depicts the Servant as accomplishing a great success through his

own utter ruin.

Here is the paradox:

Jesus came to act wisely through his own foolishness.

Jesus came to be high, lifted up, and exalted through his own rejection.

Jesus came to reveal the strong arm of YHWH's salvation through his own weakness.

Jesus came to accomplish victory through his own defeat.

Jesus came to bring life through his own death.

Jesus came to secure salvation through his own condemnation.

V. 13: Preface to a Paradox

Right off of the bat in v. 13, we read that the Servant “shall act wisely.” The alternate translationfor this Hiphil imperfect is “shall prosper,” a translation that reveals the full extent of the paradox

of his suffering. How could this suffering possibly signify prosperity?

One tidbit of interest on the word sakal : this is the word in Genesis 3:6 to describe Eve’s seeing

“that the tree was to be desired to make one wise [Hiphil Inf Cons sakal with L prep].” If there is

a deliberate connection made here, the connection suggests that there is a “wisdom” of

disobedience that ends in death and destruction, but that there is also a wisdom of obedience(even through suffering) that ends in prosperity and life.

Also in v. 13, we read that the Servant shall “be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted.” Thefirst two descriptors are the same words that we find written of YHWH on his throne in Isaiah

6:1. Oswalt extends this observation:

1 John Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah: Chapters 40-66. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), p. 376.



One must not overlook the significance of these words. “High and lifted up” (rwm andns’ ) are used in combination four times in this book (and no place else in the OT). In the

other three places (6:1; 33:10; 57:15) they describe God. Whom do they describe here? 2

The last word “exalted” is a word often used of the haughty and the arrogant—they are “exalted”

in their own estimation; however, it does refer to the exaltation of YHWH in one of its four usesin Isaiah in ch. 5:16. The word is a swing word that describes both the false exaltation of

arrogant humans and the true exaltation of the glorious YHWH.

But again, a paradox: if this human Servant is arrogant and haughty, then why would he submit

to such a torturous death? And if he is genuinely exalted (we will leave aside for now the issue

that true exaltation for this word typically only applies to YHWH), how could this suffering

conceivably lead to his exaltation?

V. 14-15: Salvation through Suffering Paradox

V. 14 and 15 are connected by the ka’asher (“Just as…”) at the beginning of 14, which iscompleted by the ken (“So…”) at the beginning of 15.3 The logic is this: Just as many were

astonished by his marred appearance and form beyond any human semblance, so (i.e., because of this marring) he shall sprinkle4 many nations, causing kings to shut their mouths because of him

as the behold and understand what has not been explained to them—that his suffering has

brought about their salvation.

“Sprinkle” is a priestly word almost exclusively, and certainly so here. The salvation he brings

even to kings is accomplished through his sprinkling, but don’t miss what the passage is

teaching: that he is able to sprinkle because he has been so marred. Again, a paradox: greatsalvation accomplished through great suffering.

Brevard Childs includes a helpful exegetical note cautioning us from demanding “sprinkle” asthe definition of the word, however:

The Hebrew verb in v. 15 ( yazzeh) has as its primary meaning “to sprinkle,” but there areseveral reasons that have caused most commentators to prefer a broader, secondary sense

of the root....First, the Greek reads “surprise,” which BHS conjectures—probably

wrongly—to reflect a different Hebrew root from the MT. More likely, the issue is one of

semantic range rather than a textual variant. Second, the verb nzh (hiphil) never designates the person or thing sprinkled, but the blood being applied. In English the sense

is expressed in the archaic distinction between sprinkling a liquid, and besprinkling a


3 The ken on the second line of v. 14 does not answer the ka’asher but rather stresses the degree to which theServant’s visage was marred: “so marred beyond any man was his visage.” See BDB 485-86.

4 Unless this word means “startle” (which is a possibility), virtually all of the uses of this word referring to

“sprinkling” have to do with the sprinkling of sacrificial blood (e.g., Ex. 29:21; Lev 4:6, 17; Lev 5:9; Lev

6:27; Lev 8:11, 30; Lev 16:15, 19; Num 19:4) or priestly sprinklings of oil or water for

cleansing/consecration (e.g., Lev 14: 7, 16, 27; Num 8:7; Num 19:18, 19, 21). The only other uses include

the sprinkling of Jezebel’s blood when thrown down from the wall (2 Kings 9:33) and the blood sprinkled

on the Servant’s garment after he has trodden the winepress alone in his vengeance (Isa 63:3).



person. Third, it is an [page] exegetical misconstrual in seeking to heighten the cultic

context of the passage that never actually surfaces to the foreground.5

The only quibble I would hesitatingly bring up with Dr. Childs would be that the cultic context of

the passage does surface to the surface if one considers the language of the “lamb that is led to

the slaughter” (53:7) to refer not merely to the slaughter of a butcher, but the slaughter of a priest.

V. 1: Paradoxical Questions

The climax to this paradox, then, arises in two rhetorical questions in 53:1: “Who has believed

what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of YHWH been revealed?” This message

is so strange, so paradoxical, and so contrary to human wisdom that it seems unbelievable. Whocould possibly believe this report?

Only those to whom the arm of YHWH has been revealed . That is, only those to whom God has

revealed the truest, purest form of his glory and exaltation: that his power is made perfect inweakness, and that his glory is refined in suffering.

Isaiah 53:2-9 – The Suffering of the Servant

V. 2-3: Overview of his suffering

In this section, Isaiah develops a full picture of the outright rejection, suffering, and humiliation

of the Servant. The picture begins in the Servant’s youth, where he grew up like a young plant, or

like a root out of dry ground, but he grew up bereft of any attractiveness that might have drawn people to him. He had “no beauty that we should desire him.”

Oswalt is helpful here:

The real issue is not whether this person was good-looking, but that the way in which he

set about delivering his people was just as shocking and as off-putting as it would be tohave the ugliest man in a group chosen “best-looking.” Deliverers are dominating,

forceful, attractive people, who by their personal magnetism draw people to themselves

and convince people to do what they want them to do. People who refuse to follow that

leadership frequently find themselves crushed and tossed aside. This man does not fit that picture at all. We are not drawn to him and his plans; rather, we are repulsed by him and

them.6

Yet, the Servant’s rejection did not consist only of being passively overlooked, but of being

actively rejected: “He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with

grief; and as one who hides his face, he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (53:3). Our Lord was hated, loathed, despised, and rejected at the deepest levels. The word we mildly

5 Brevard Childs, Isaiah, The Old Testament Library (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001), 412-

13.




translate “acquainted” is a passive participle for yada’ , the word used for intimate knowledge

(e.g., “Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived…”).

Oswalt sums up this passage well:

Thus the revelation of the arm of the Lord that will deliver the Lord’s people is met withshock, astonishment, distaste, dismissal, and avoidance. Such a one as this can hardly be

the one who can set us free from that most pervasive of all human bondages: sin, and all

its consequences. To a world blinded by selfishness and power, he does not even merit asecond thought.7

V. 4-6: Substitutionary nature of his suffering

Up to this point in the passage, “we” are merely the ones who reject and despise the Servant.

Now, however, “we” are the people whom the Servant is serving! He has borne our griefs. He

has carried our sorrows. Even so, we couldn’t understand what he was doing: “Yet we esteemed

him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted” (v. 4). We imagined that YHWH was punishing himfor his own sins, and we thereby permitted ourselves to despise him; but we were so incredibly

mistaken. Oswalt writes, “That weakness and illness that made us think little of the Servant—itis our weakness and illness! The very things that made us think him of no account are the things

for which we ought to honor him, because it is for our sake he is enduring them.”8

The doctrine of penal substitution is no more beautifully and gloriously described than in v. 5-6:

5But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities;

Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace;and with his stripes we are healed.

6

All we like sheep have gone astray;We have turned—everyone—to his own way;and YHWH has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Yes, he was wounded for our transgressions, and yes, he was crushed for our iniquities; however,his suffering was not in vain. The chastisement laid upon him brought us peace. With his stripes,

we are healed. Oswalt makes an important point of emphasis concerning the nature of the

Servant’s suffering: “He does not suffer merely as a result of the sins of the people, but in the

place of the people. He suffers for them, and because of that, they do not need to experience theresults of their sins.”9

I love Oswalt on the significance of the depth of the Servant’s suffering:

This effect in the Servant [of such serious suffering] is the measure of how seriously God

takes our rebellion and crookedness. We typically wish to make light of our “short-comings,” to explain away our “mistakes.” But God will have none of it. The refusal of






humanity to bow to the Creator’s rule, and our insistence on drawing up our own moral

codes that pander to our lusts, are not shortcomings or mistakes. They are the stuff of

death and corruption, and unless someone can be found to stand in our place, they willsee us impaled on the swords of our own making and broken on the racks of our own

design. But someone has been found. Someone has taken on himself the results of our

rebelliousness, and we have been given the keys of the kingdom (2 Cor. 5:21; 8:0; 1 Pet.2:24).10

The scope of our need was universally vast: every last one of us has turned to go our own way.Yet the Servant bore the iniquity of us all.

V. 7-9: Innocence of his suffering

After Isaiah emphasizes the substitutionary nature of the Servant’s suffering, he goes on to stress

the Servant’s own innocence. It would be one thing for the Servant to be singled out to be

punished as one transgressor among many, but in fact the Servant is the only innocent person

there is!

The first glimpse we get into the innocence of the Servant is in his humble submission to historturers: “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” (v. 7). Despite this being the most terrible injustice ever perpetrated, the Servant is

content to keep his mouth shut, humbly being led to slaughter as a sheep before its shearer.

In v. 8 the substitutionary nature of the Servant’s suffering is reiterated, most likely to stress the

Servant’s own innocence: “By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for hisgeneration, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the

transgression of my people?” (v. 8). Not only was this an act of “oppression,” but the Servant isstricken solely “for the transgression of my people.” Not his own transgression, but thetransgressions of the people of God.

V. 9 contains one final statement of the injustice perpetrated against the Servant: “And they madehis 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.” No violence and no deceit; yet, his chastisement brought

him even to death and the grave.

Isaiah 53:10-12 - The Reward of the Servant

The opening phrase of v. 10 is shocking: “Yet it delighted YHWH to crush him.” Mosttranslations water this down to “Yet it was the will of YHWH to crush him,” but the word is

typically used of what someone takes pleasure in, or what someone is pleased to do. YHWH was

pleased to crush him and to put him to grief.

The pleasure does not come from some sadistic desire in God to torture his beloved Son—this

could never be the case. Rather, the pleasure comes from the result of crushing and putting his




Son to grief: “when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall

prolong his days; the pleasure [chephets – same word as “pleased” in v. 10] of YHWH shall

prosper in his hand.” In the same way that Jesus endured the cross for the purpose of obtainingthe joy set before him (Heb. 12:2), the Father delighted to crush his Son for the purpose of

making a sufficient guilt offering to secure the salvation of his offspring. Because of the perfect

sacrifice that Jesus has offered up, the pleasure of his Father shall prosper in his hand forever.

In v.11, we again see that the anguish of the Servant will accomplish a joyous salvation: “Out of

the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, myservant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.” When the

Servant sees what he has secured through his suffering—making many to be accounted righteous

[Hiphil Impf 3MS tsadaq] through bearing their iniquities—he shall be satisfied, even in the

anguish of his soul.

In addition to a people, the Servant will be rewarded with great wealth: “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,11

andmakes intercession for the transgressors” (v. 12). The Servant is given a portion, and he shall

divide his spoil with the strong. (Notice even here that the Servant is offering what is his toothers!) All this because he was punished with transgressors, pouring his soul out to death, in

order to bear the sin of many, and to make intercession with the transgressors.

Oswalt summarizes this passage masterfully:

Christians look back at this passage from the vantage point of Christ [page] with a

piercing sense of recognition....In almost every word they see the face of their Savior andwhat had formerly been opaque becomes patently clear. If Isaiah had been compelled to

produce a literal description of the life and character of the Servant/Messiah, would ithave looked like Jesus of Nazareth? Probably not, but the points of contact between thatlife and ministry and this text are so many and various that they cannot be coincidental.

Either the facts of Jesus' life were reshaped by a conspiracy of early Christian writers to

make them conform to this text, a task so complex as to be unimaginable, or, much moresimply, his life, death, and resurrection did so conform. The text must still be read

through the eyes of faith, but with that faith the mystery is no longer about how it is

possible for sinful humans to have a healthy and whole relationship with God. The only

mystery is how God could love us like that.12

11 I recall Dr. Allen Ross linking the phrase “he bore the sin of many” to Jesus’ words instituting the Lord’s

Supper: “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the

forgiveness of sins” (Matt. 26:27-28).

12 John Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah: Chapters 40-66. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), p. 407-08.

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Isaiah 52:13-53:12 - Bible Commentary for Preaching