Isaiah 53, taken from the Book of Isaiah, is the last of the four Songs of the Suffering Servant, and tells the story of "The Suffering Servant". The passage is famous for its interpretation by many Christians to be prophesy of the coming of Jesus, being written over 700 years before his birth. This interpretation is strongly rejected by Jewish theologians, most of whom believe the servant to be the nation of Israel.^[1][2] Many Christians view the entire chapter, and particularly this passage to refer to the suffering Jesus faced as well as the absolution of sins believed to be made possible by his death.^[3] The Book of Isaiah (Hebrew: Sefer Yshayah ספר ישעיה) is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament, believed to be written by Isaiah[1]. // The 66 chapters of Isaiah consist primarily of prophecies of the judgments awaiting nations that are persecuting Judah. ... The Book of Isaiah (Hebrew: Sefer Yshayah ספר ישעיה) is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament, traditionally attributed to Isaiah. ... This article is about the religous people known as Christians. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination... The Passion is the theological term used for the suffering, both physical and mental, of Jesus in the hours prior to and including his trial and execution by crucifixion. ... The resurrection of Jesus is an event in the New Testament in which God raised him from the dead[1] after his death by crucifixion. ...

⁵But he was pierced for our transgressions,

he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,

and by his wounds we are healed.

The passage actually begins with Isaiah 52:13, because the original Hebrew had no chapters. Jewish and Christian scholars both agreee that 52:13 is the natural beginning of the chapter, however.^[4] The speaker from 52:13 to the chapter's end is God himself, whereas beginning with 53:1 it is considered to be Isaiah speaking, or more broadly the Jewish people. This is due to the use of the word "our" instead of "my" or any other possessive pronoun. The speaker switches again to the Lord in verse 11, when the servant is referred to as "my" servant. ^[5]

Isaiah 53 in the New Testament

Probably the first known claim of Isaiah 53 to be a prophecy of Jesus comes from the Book of Acts, in which its author, Luke, describes a scene in which God commands Philip the Apostle to approach an Ethiopian eunuch who is sitting in a chariot, reading aloud to himself from the Book of Isaiah. The man explains that he does not understand what he is reading, (Isaiah 53), and Philip explains to him that it is Jesus to whom the passage refers. "And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? Of himself, or of some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus."^[6] The Acts of the Apostles (Greek Praxeis Apostolon) is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. ... Luke was, according to tradition, the painter of the first icon Luke the Evangelist (Greek Loukas) is said by tradition to be the author of both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, the third and fifth books of the New Testament. ... Philip was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. ... A eunuch is a castrated man; the term usually refers to those castrated in order to perform a specific social function, as was common in many societies of the past. ...

Israel theory

Citing a number of Biblical verses that refer to Israel as the "servant", many of them from the Book of Isaiah,^[7] many scholars, particularly Jewish Scholars, have argued that the "servant" in question is actually the nation of Israel.^[1] Scholars also argue that verse 10 is inconsistent with the actual life of Jesus. The verse states that the servant will live a long life and have many children, which, when taken literally, contradicts the short, childless life of Jesus.^[1]

¹⁰he shall see [his] seed, he shall prolong [his] days

The reason that the Servant is referred to in the third person is not readily known, but it is speculated that it is written from the point of view of Gentile nations amazed at Israel's restoration, or that it is mere figurative language.^[8][1] Supporters of this theory argue that the reason for the use of past tense is based on the differences between Proto-Isaiah and Deutero-Isaiah. Chapters 40-55 of Isaiah are referred to as "Deutero-Isaiah" because the themes and language are different from the rest of the book, leading liberal scholars to believe it was written by another author. Deutero-Isaiah differs from Proto-Isaiah in that it refers to Israel as already restored, which could account for the past-tense of the passage.^[1] However most ancient Jewish scholars believed that Isaiah 53 referred to the Messiah, and it was not until the 10th century that another view was offered.^[9][10] The Babylonian Talmud is said to have offered the "earliest indisputable, firsthand evidence of a rabbinic interpretation of Isaiah 53 which takes the servant as the Messiah, and attributes suffering to him"^[11] This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Book of Isaiah (Hebrew: Sefer Yshayah ספר ישעיה) is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament, written by Isaiah[1]. // The first 39 chapters of Isaiah consist primarily of prophecies of the judgments awaiting nations that are persecuting Judah. ... The Book of Isaiah (Hebrew: Sefer Yshayah ספר ישעיה) is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament, believed to be written by Isaiah[1]. // The 66 chapters of Isaiah consist primarily of prophecies of the judgments awaiting nations that are persecuting Judah. ... A century (From the Latin cent, one hundred) is one hundred consecutive years. ... Babylonia was an ancient state in Iraq), combining the territories of Sumer and Akkad. ... The first page of the Vilna Edition of the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Berachot, folio 2a The Talmud (Hebrew: תלמוד) is a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs and history. ...

Arguments against the "nation of Israel" theory

Christians argue that the "servant" could not have been the nation of Israel because of scriptural contradictions that would arise. Primarily, the servant is described as "innocent and guiltless," but Isaiah 1:4 declares the nation of Israel to be "...a people laden with iniquity. A brood of evildoers, children who are corrupters!"^[12], along with countless other verses that declare Israel's iniquity including Isaiah 64:6.

In addition, Christians argue that if the "servant" were Israel, verse 10 ("It pleased the LORD to bruise him") would thereby be illogical because it entails God enjoying the sufferings of His elect people, whereas the suffering of Jesus would ultimately mean an absolution of sin and victory for mankind.^[12] It has also been argued that the nation of Israel, even through all of its suffering and torment can not have "atoned" for the sins of mankind because they were not guiltless.^[12] Christian theologians also point out that the verse 10 is not to be taken literally, where the "children" referred to are the Church, and the "long life" refers to the Resurrection.^[12]

Technically, it is reasonable to argue that the Suffering Servant is indeed "Israel," but it is not the nation of Israel to whom the name "Israel" is referring to. In Isaiah 49:3 KJV, the LORD states, "Thou art My servant, O' Israel, in whom I will be glorified." This may lead some to conclude that this particular verse is referring to the nation of Israel, but shortly thereafter, the scripture reveals that this servant called "Israel" would be responsible "to bring Jacob again to Him (the LORD), though Israel be not gathered..." (Isa. 49:5), and the LORD declares that the servant called "Israel" should be "My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel..." Furthermore, the LORD states, "...I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth" (Isa. 49:6).

As the scripture states, the servant called "Israel" is responsible for raising up the tribes of Jacob and restoring the preserved of Israel; therefore, the servant called "Israel" in Isaiah 49 could not possibly be the nation of Israel itself, for the nation of Israel could not possibly raise (i.e., resurrect) nor gather itself. Rather, it is the Messiah who is called "Israel," just as he is called "David" elsewhere (cf. Ezek. 34:23-24, 37:24), who is responsible for raising Jacob and gathering Israel upon his second coming (Dan. 7:13; Isa. 27:13; 1 Thes. 4:14-17; 1 Cor. 15:52-55; Matt. 24:29-31).

Many Jewish writings from antiquity refer Isaiah 52:13-53:12 to the Messiah rather than the nation of Israel.

In the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin, folio 98b, it is written: Christians believe that Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant (see Hebrews 8:6). ... According to the New Testament, especially the Gospels, God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. ...

Said Rabh: The world is created only for such men as David. And Samuel said: For such men as Moses. And R. Johanan said: For such men as the Messiah. But what is his name?

אמר רב לא אברי עלמא אלא לדוד ושמואל אמר למשה ורבי יוחנן אמר למשיח מה שמו

And the rabbis said, "The pale one of the House of Rabbi is his name, as it is said (Isaiah 53), 'Surely, he has borne our sicknesses, and our pains, he has carried them, and we had esteemed him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.'"

ורבנן אמרי חיוורא דבי רבי שמו שנאמר (ישעיהו נג) אכן חליינו הוא נשא ומכאובינו סבלם ואנחנו חשבנוהו נגוע מוכה אלהים ומעונה

In the Targum Jonathan of Isaiah 52:13, it is written:

Behold, My servant the Messiah shall prosper, he shall be exalted and great and very powerful."

הָא יַצלַח עַבדִי מְשִיחָא יִראַם וְיִסגֵי וְיִתקַף לַחדָא׃

In the Midrash Tanchuma Toldos, it is written:

The great mountain spoken of by the prophet Zechariah (4. 7) is no other than Messiah, Son of David, and he is called 'the Great Mountain,' because he towers above the Patriarchs, is greater than Moses, and is above the ministering angels. As Isaiah says (52:13), 'Behold, My servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.'

In Ruth Rabbah 5.6, it is written:

"Come hither": approach to royal state. "And eat of the bread": refers to the bread of royalty. "And dip thy morsel in vinegar" refers to his (the Messiah's) sufferings, as it is said, "But he was wounded because of our transgressions" (Isa. 53:5). "And she sat beside the reapers": for he will be deprived of his sovereignty (kingdom) for a time, as it is said, "For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken" (Zech. 14:2). "And they reached her parched corn": means that he will be restored to his throne, as it is said, "And he shall smite the land with the rod of his mouth" (Isa. 11:4).

R. Berekiah said in the name of R. Levi: The future Redeemer (Messiah, son of David) will be like the former redeemer (Moses). Just as the former redeemer revealed himself and later was hidden from them...so the future Redeemer will be revealed to them, and then be hidden from them.

As evident, not only did the Jewish literature declare that Isaiah 52:13-53:12 referred to the Messiah, but is also alludes to two comings of the Messiah which is identical to the belief of Christianity (cf. Zech. 9:9; Dan. 7:13).

See also

• Messianic prophecies of Jesus

The Messianic Prophecies of Jesus are the passages in the Old Testament which Christians believe are prophecies of the coming of Jesus, whom Christians call the Christ (or the Messiah). ...

Notes and references

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Jewish viewpoint #1. Jews for Judaism. Retrieved on 2006-07-05.
2. ^ Jewish viewpoint #3. Truthnet.org: The Messiah. Retrieved on 2006-08-03.
3. ^ Christian viewpoint 2. grebeweb. Retrieved on 2006-07-06.
4. ^ http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Agora/4229/isaih.html
5. ^ http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/m.sion/shul53-3.htm
6. ^ Acts 8:34-35
7. ^ Isaiah 41:8-9, Isaiah 44:1, [Isaiah 44:21, and Isaiah 49:3
8. ^ as in Isaiah 52:15
9. ^ http://www.amfi.org/ABOUTWHOM.htm
10. ^ E. W. Hengstenberg, Christology of the Old Testament, Vol. 2 of 4 vols. (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1956), 260-342.
11. ^ Sydney H. T. Page, “The Suffering Servant Between The Testaments,” New Testament Studies, 31 (1985): 491-492.
12. ^ ^{a b c d} Christian viewpoint 1]. Chaim. Retrieved on 2006-07-05.

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External links

• Isaiah 52:13-53:12
• A Jewish refutation of Christian interpretation
• Why the Suffering Servant cannot be Israel, but must be the Messaiah
• One Christian's interpretation of Isaiah 53
• A Christian examination of Isaiah 53
• A Jewish explanation of the text from Rabbi Dov
• A Christian person's website devoted to Isaiah 53