Ilarion Christian

Ilarion Christian

In this writing concerning the Servant of Isaiah 53, I seek to refute the claim presented by the Jews, and prove according to the Holy Scriptures that the Servant of Isaiah 53 is not referring to the nation of Israel, but rather the Messiah.

To this present day, the Jews argue that the Servant spoken of in Isaiah 52:13-15 and Isaiah 53 is the nation of Israel, or at the least, a righteous remnant within the nation of Israel. Let us examine the chapter in its entirety and take heed to what is written therein:

Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men; So shall He sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; For what had not been told them they shall see, And what they had not heard they shall consider. (Isaiah 52:13-15)

Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked— But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:1-12)

Isaiah 53/The Old Testament

To refute the Jewish claim that the Servant of Isaiah 53 is in reference to the nation of Israel, we must first identify who the Servant is according to the Scriptures. In order to identify the Servant spoken of, we must examine the way in which He is described, and the things in which He is said to achieve.

According to the Prophet Isaiah, this Servant spoken of is considered to be a righteous servant:

He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. (Isaiah 53:11)

However, the Prophet Isaiah in multiple places states that Israel as a nation is sinful and disobedient, and deserving of Gods wrath:

Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the Lord’s hand Double for all her sins. (Isaiah 40:2)

Who gave Jacob for plunder, and Israel to the robbers? Was it not the Lord, He against whom we have sinned? For they would not walk in His ways, Nor were they obedient to His law. Therefore He has poured on him the fury of His anger And the strength of battle; It has set him on fire all around, Yet he did not know; And it burned him, Yet he did not take it to heart. (Isaiah 42:24-25)

“But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob; And you have been weary of Me, O Israel. You have not brought Me the sheep for your burnt offerings, Nor have you honoured Me with your sacrifices. I have not caused you to serve with grain offerings, Nor wearied you with incense. You have bought Me no sweet cane with money, Nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices; But you have burdened Me with your sins, You have wearied Me with your iniquities. “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins. Put Me in remembrance; Let us contend together; State your case, that you may be acquitted. Your first father sinned, And your mediators have transgressed against Me. Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary; I will give Jacob to the curse, And Israel to reproaches. (Isaiah 43:22-28)

I was angry with My people; I have profaned My inheritance, And given them into your hand. You showed them no mercy; On the elderly you laid your yoke very heavily. (Isaiah 47:6)

Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea. (Isaiah 48:18)

For the iniquity of his covetousness I was angry and struck him; I hid and was angry, And he went on backsliding in the way of his heart. (Isaiah 57:17)

Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins. (Isaiah 58:1)

But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. (Isaiah 59:2)

O Lord, why have You made us stray from Your ways, And hardened our heart from Your fear? Return for Your servants’ sake, The tribes of Your inheritance. (Isaiah 63:17)

You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, Who remembers You in Your ways. You are indeed angry, for we have sinned— In these ways we continue; And we need to be saved. But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. And there is no one who calls on Your name, Who stirs himself up to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your face from us, And have consumed us because of our iniquities. (Isaiah 64:5-7)

In addition to these rebellious descriptions applied the nation of Israel, they are also said by God through the Prophet Isaiah to be deaf and blind:

“Hear, you deaf; And look, you blind, that you may see. Who is blind but My servant, Or deaf as My messenger whom I send? Who is blind as he who is perfect, And blind as the Lord’s servant? (Isaiah 42:18-19)

Bring out the blind people who have eyes, And the deaf who have ears. (Isaiah 43:8)

According to these texts, it is evident that the nation of Israel cannot be identified as the Righteous Servant spoken of in Isaiah 53.

The Prophet Isaiah states that the Righteous Servant will suffer for the sins of many and make intercession for them:

Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:4-6)

He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. (Isaiah 53:8)

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. (Isaiah 53:10)

Contrary to these descriptions concerning the Righteous Servant, the nation of Israel collectively had been exiled for sin. How then can they be those who intercede for the sins of others, when they themselves are in need of intercession, and had been exiled on account of their own transgressions?:

Thus says the Lord: “Where is the certificate of your mother’s divorce, Whom I have put away? Or which of My creditors is it to whom I have sold you? For your iniquities you have sold yourselves, And for your transgressions your mother has been put away. (Isaiah 50:1)

And I said: “O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens. Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been very guilty, and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to humiliation, as it is this day. (Ezra 9:6-7)

Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it. And the Chaldeans who fight against this city shall come and set fire to this city and burn it, with the houses on whose roofs they have offered incense to Baal and poured out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke Me to anger;because the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done only evil before Me from their youth. For the children of Israel have provoked Me only to anger with the work of their hands,’ says the Lord.‘For this city has been to Me a provocation of My anger and My fury from the day that they built it, even to this day; so I will remove it from before My face because of all the evil of the children of Israel and the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke Me to anger—they, their kings, their princes, their priests, their prophets, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And they have turned to Me the back, and not the face; though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not listened to receive instruction. But they set their abominations in the house which is called by My name, to defile it. And they built the high places of Baal which are in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I did not command them, nor did it come into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.’ “Now therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, ‘It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence.” (Jeremiah 32:28-36)

And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy. Therefore He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, on the aged or the weak; He gave them all into his hand. (II Chronicles 36:15-17)

“Nevertheless they were disobedient And rebelled against You, Cast Your law behind their backs And killed Your prophets, who testified against them To turn them to Yourself; And they worked great provocations. Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their enemies, Who oppressed them; And in the time of their trouble, When they cried to You, You heard from heaven; And according to Your abundant mercies You gave them deliverers who saved them From the hand of their enemies. (Nehemiah 9:26-27)

In addition to Israel being exiled, the nations themselves are fully aware and testify that Israel is not being exiled for the sins of other nations, but rather for their own sins:

The Gentiles shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity; because they were unfaithful to Me, therefore I hid My face from them. I gave them into the hand of their enemies, and they all fell by the sword. According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I have dealt with them, and hidden My face from them.” (Ezekiel 39:23-24)

On the basis of Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28, if Israel was truly found righteous before God, they would inherit the land and be blessed:

“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. (Deuteronomy 28:1)

‘If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them, then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. (Leviticus 26:3-4)

Likewise, if Israel is found to be in rebellion, all of Israel would be cursed and punished:

“But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: (Deuteronomy 28:15)

‘But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant, I also will do this to you: I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.(Leviticus: 26:14-16)

If Israel were righteous just as the Servant of Isaiah 53 is righteous, Israel would not have been exiled for their transgressions, nor would they have been punished, but rather they would inherit the land and prevail over their enemies.

The righteous Servant is also said to bring healing to many by His sufferings:

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

But according to the Prophet Jeremiah, Israel’s sufferings brought judgement upon the nations rather than healing:

“Israel is like scattered sheep; The lions have driven him away. First the king of Assyria devoured him; Now at last this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has broken his bones.” Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, As I have punished the king of Assyria.” (Jeremiah 50:17-18)

As mentioned previously, the Servant of Isaiah 53 makes a righteous intercession for the transgressors by baring their sins:

Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:12)

Whilst the people of Israel had interceded for judgement upon the nations who had done evil:

“Let all their wickedness come before You, And do to them as You have done to me For all my transgressions; For my sighs are many, And my heart is faint.” (Lamentations 1:22)

You have heard their reproach, O Lord, All their schemes against me, The lips of my enemies And their whispering against me all the day. Look at their sitting down and their rising up; I am their taunting song. Repay them, O Lord, According to the work of their hands. Give them a veiled heart; Your curse be upon them! In Your anger, Pursue and destroy them From under the heavens of the Lord. (Lamentations 3:61-66)

The Prophet Isaiah elsewhere states that God could not find anyone (including a righteous remnant within Israel) who was worthy enough to make intercession on behalf of sinners:

So truth fails, And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Then the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him That there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, it sustained Him. (Isaiah 59:15-16)

I looked, but there was no one to help, And I wondered That there was no one to uphold; Therefore My own arm brought salvation for Me; And My own fury, it sustained Me. (Isaiah 63:5)

Although God could not find anyone worthy enough to make intercession for the sins of humanity, the Servant spoken of by the Prophet Isaiah is clearly depicted as One who’s intercession is honoured by God and acceptable:

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:10-12)

There is only one possible candidate for the Servant of Isaiah 53, namely God Himself. According to Isaiah 59:16 and Isaiah 63:5, God states that it is His own Arm that brings salvation to the people, as a result of not finding anyone worthy enough:

He saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, it sustained Him. (Isaiah 59:16)

I looked, but there was no one to help, And I wondered That there was no one to uphold; Therefore My own arm brought salvation for Me; And My own fury, it sustained Me. (Isaiah 63:5)

Furthermore, according to Isaiah 52:10, it is Gods Arm who the nations will behold, and who will bring salvation to the ends of the earth:

The Lord has made bare His holy arm In the eyes of all the nations; And all the ends of the earth shall see The salvation of our God. (Isaiah 52:10)

“The Arm” of the LORD is a metaphorical term used as a symbol of Gods power and might, as it is common to the nature of man to use his hand in order to apply force and use the fullness of his power.

If read carefully, then, the context of Isaiah 53 is in reference to the “Arm of the LORD”, as found in verse 1:

Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? (Isaiah 53:1)

This explicitly suggests that Isaiah 53, when read in its immediate context, is referring to the Arm of the LORD, which is the Servant of the LORD, who God sent in order to bring salvation to the world through atonement and intercession as a result of not finding any other creature who is worthy enough.

Moreover, according to Isaiah 59:20, there is a distinction between the “Redeemer” who is the Servant, and “Jacob” who is the nation of Israel:

“The Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” Says the Lord. (Isaiah 59:20)

The Jews attempt to disregard the Messianic implications of Isaiah 53 by claiming that certain terms of the Hebrew text have been applied in the plural form, suggesting that the prophecy of this Servant ought to be referring to multiple people rather than a specific individual. The following verses contain words that can be used in the plural form:

He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken (נֶ֥גַע/nega). (Isaiah 53:8)

And they made His grave with the wicked—But with the rich at His death (בְּמֹתָ֑יו/bemotayw), Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth. (Isaiah 53:9)

In Volume 3 (Messianic Prophecy Objections) of his 5 Volume work on Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus, our Brother Dr Michael Brown refutes this attempt by the Jews to disregard the Messianic inference of Isaiah 53 by claiming that specific terms are used in the plural form, and therefore disqualify this Servant from being One individual. In Objection 4.10 (Several key words in Isaiah 53 speak of a servant in the plural) on pages 66-67, Dr Michael Brown responds by stating the following:

Readers of English translations of Isaiah 53 might find this argument very surprising. Isn’t the subject of this chapter spoken of throughout in the singular? Well, for hundreds of years now, it has been claimed that there are two words found in two seperate verses that hint toward a plural subject: lamo in verse 8 (in the phrase nega’ lamo, “a stroke for them/him”) and bemotayw, in verse 9 (literally, “in his deaths”). It is claimed that these words provide the clue that the singular servant is actually a nation-hence the plurals. The translation of the important part of these verses would then be: “for the transgression of my people [supposedly spoken by Gentile kings; see objection 4.9] there is a stroke for them” (i.e., the people of Israel); “and he [i.e., the servant of the Lord, taken to be Israel] was with the rich in his deaths” (as explained by Radak, the Jews have suffered all kinds of deaths at the hands of their enemies-by the sword, by burning, etc.). What is wrong with these interpretations? Plenty! First, the phrase nega’ lamo, as rightly understood by the NJPSV, most likely means that the servant receives a stroke for them-in other words, for those for whom he is suffering. Second, Isaiah elsewhere uses lamo to mean “to it,” not “to them,” (in 44:15: “he makes an idol and bows down to it“). So, even if you wanted to take lamo to refer to the servant (which, as stated, us unlikely), it could still mean “for him” as opposed to “for them.” Third, the reason deaths is in the plural in verse 9 is because it is an intensive plural, referring here to a violent death. Such usage of intensive plurals is extremely common in Hebrew, as recognized by even beginning students of the language. Thus, the word for compassion is an intensive plural, rahamim, while the word for God is ‘elohim (see vol 2, 3.1). More specifically, in Ezekiel 28:8 the prophet declares, “And you [singular] will die the deaths [plural] of one slain [singular] in the depths of the sea” (translated literally). It is difficult to question the meaning here! (See also Ezek 28:10: “the deaths [plural] of the uncircumcised you will die [singular].”) Whenever the Hebrew Bible refers to the deaths of an individual, it speaks of a violent death. (Dr Michael Brown, Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus, Volume Three, Objection 4.10, Pages 66-67)

It is therefore unfitting, according to the evidence found within the Holy Scriptures, to claim that this righteous Servant spoken of in Isaiah 53 is the nation of Israel, when the identity of the Servant of Isaiah 53 is entirely contrary to the identity of the nation of Israel found throughout the Scriptures.

Isaiah 52:13-15

In regards to the Servants role in Isaiah 52:13-15, the servant is said to be highly exalted. In the Hebrew, the term used is “yarum wa’nissa”:

Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted (יָר֧וּם) and extolled (וְנִשָּׂ֛א), and be very high. (Isaiah 52:13)

These exact words are given to God alone throughout the Holy Scriptures, in reference to His sovereign rule over all creation:

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up (וְנִשָּׂ֑א  רָ֣ם), and his train filled the temple. (Isaiah 6:1)

For thus saith the high and lofty One (וְנִשָּׂ֑א  רָ֣ם) that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. (Isaiah 57:15)

In addition to this, we know that God alone is He who is exalted and sovereign over all creation according to the Scriptures:

Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high. (Psalm 113:5)

Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven. (Psalm 148:13)

This demonstrates that God is willing to share His divine, sovereign glory with the righteous Servant of Isaiah 52:13-15 and Isaiah 53 by elevating the status of His Servant to His own divine Status, exalting Him beyond the status of any mere creature.

The New Testament

The New Testament authors, as well as Christ Himself, understood perfectly that Isaiah 53 was a prophecy concerning the Messiah, which was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul, The Apostle Peter, The Apostle John, The Apostle Matthew, The Apostle Luke and Christ Himself, all unanimously testify that Jesus Christ was the fulfilment of Isaiah 53, therefore affirming the Messianic implications of Isaiah 53, as stated in the following texts:

When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.” (Matthew 8:16-17)

For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ For the things concerning Me have an end.” (Luke 22:37)

But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” (John 12:37-38)

So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. The place in the Scripture which he read was this: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.” So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. (Acts 8:30-35)

But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:16-17)

For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (I Peter 2:21-25)

The authors of the New Testament Scriptures, inspired by the Holy Spirit, were fully aware that the Servant spoken of by the Prophet Isaiah in chapter 53 is the Messiah, Gods Arm, who became flesh and bore the sins of humanity, making perfect intercession.

Rabbinic Commentary

Multiple Ancient Rabbinic sources also testify to the Messianic implications of Isaiah 53, as stated in the following references:

Rav says: The world was created only for the sake of David, by virtue of his merit. And Shmuel says: It was created by virtue of the merit of Moses. And Rabbi Yoḥanan says: It was created by virtue of the merit of the Messiah. Apropos the Messiah, the Gemara asks: What is his name? The school of Rabbi Sheila says: Shiloh is his name, as it is stated: “Until when Shiloh shall come” (Genesis 49:10). The school of Rabbi Yannai says: Yinnon is his name, as it is stated: “May his name endure forever; may his name continue [yinnon] as long as the sun; and may men bless themselves by him” (Psalms 72:17). The school of Rabbi Ḥanina says: Ḥanina is his name, as it is stated: “For I will show you no favor [ḥanina]” (Jeremiah 16:13). And some say that Menaḥem ben Ḥizkiyya is his name, as it is stated: “Because the comforter [menaḥem] that should relieve my soul is far from me” (Lamentations 1:16). And the Rabbis say: The leper of the house of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi is his name, as it is stated: “Indeed our illnesses he did bear and our pains he endured; yet we did esteem him injured, stricken by God, and afflicted” (Isaiah 53:4). (Sefaria, Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b)

Alternatively, it is referring to the messianic king. “Come here” – draw near to kingship. “Eat of the bread” – this is the bread of kingship. “Dip your loaf in the vinegar” – these are the afflictions, as it is stated: “He was pained by our transgressions” (Isaiah 53:5). (Sefaria, Midrash Ruth Rabbah 5:6)

Similarly, Isaiah referring to the arrival of the Messiah implies that neither his father nor mother, nor his kith nor kin will be known, “For he will shoot up right forth as a sapling, and as a root out of the dry ground.” (53:2). (Maimonides, Epistle to Yemen, Chapter 17)

Isaiah refers to the submission of the kings to the Messiah in the verse, “Kings shall shut their mouth because of him.” (Isaiah 52:15). (Maimonides, Epistle to Yemen, Chapter 17)

The children of the world are members one of another. When the Holy One desires to give healing to the world, he smites one just man amongst them, and for his sake heals all the rest. Whence do we learn this? From the saying, “He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities (Isaiah 53:5).” (Numbers, Pinchus, 218a)

This rabbi described those who interpret Isaiah 53 as referring to Israel as those: “having forsaken the knowledge of our Teachers, and inclined after the `stubbornness of their own hearts,’ and of their own opinion, I am pleased to interpret it, in accordance with the teaching of our Rabbis, of the King Messiah….This prophecy was delivered by Isaiah at the divine command for the purpose of making known to us something about the nature of the future Messiah, who is to come and deliver Israel, and his life from the day when he arrives at discretion until his advent as a redeemer, in order that if anyone should arise claiming to be himself the Messiah, we may reflect, and look to see whether we can observe in him any resemblance to the traits described here; if there is any such resemblance, then we may believe that he is the Messiah our righteousness; but if not, we cannot do so.” (Rabbi Mosheh Kohen Ibn Crispin, Adolf Neubauer, The Fifty-Third Chapter of Isaiah: According to Jewish Interpreters, Page 99-114)

“From the beginning God has made a covenant with the Messiah and told Him,’ My righteous Messiah, those who are entrusted to you, their sins will bring you into a heavy yoke’.. And He answered, ‘I gladly accept all these agonies in order that not one of Israel should be lost.’ Immediately, the Messiah accepted all agonies with love, as it is written: ‘He was oppressed and he was afflicted’.” (Rabbi Moses ‘The Preacher’ 11th Century, Commentary on Genesis, Page 660)

“Our Rabbis with one voice accept and affirm the opinion that the Prophet is speaking of the King Messiah… Of all the sufferings which entered into the world, one third was for David and the Fathers, one for the generation in exile, and one for the King Messiah.” (Rabbi Mosheh El-Sheikh, Drive and Neubauer, Fifty-Third Chapter of Isaiah, 2:259)

The consensus of Rabbis are in unanimous agreement concerning the Messianic interpretation of Isaiah 53. Those Rabbis who refuse to acknowledge the Messianic implications of Isaiah 53 have forsaken the ancient rabbinic understanding of the text, one of whom is Rashi, a well known Rabbinic scholar whos view was foreign to those before him, and whos view unfortunately many Jews today have adopted.

The Church Fathers

The Fathers of the Church additionally testify to the Messianic implications of the Servant of Isaiah 53 and its ultimate fulfilment in Jesus Christ our Lord:

Clement Of Rome

Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Sceptre of the majesty of God, did not come in the pomp of pride or arrogance, although He might have done so, but in a lowly condition, as the Holy Spirit had declared regarding Him. For He says, “Lord, who has believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? We have declared [our message] in His presence: He is, as it were, a child, and like a root in thirsty ground; He has no form nor glory, yea, we saw Him, and He had no form nor comeliness; but His form was without eminence, yea, deficient in comparison with the [ordinary] form of men. He is a man exposed to stripes and suffering, and acquainted with the endurance of grief: for His countenance was turned away; He was despised, and not esteemed. He bears our iniquities, and is in sorrow for our sakes; yet we supposed that [on His own account] He was exposed to labour, and stripes, and affliction. But He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we were healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray; [every] man has wandered in his own way; and the Lord has delivered Him up for our sins, while He in the midst of His sufferings opens not His mouth. He was brought as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before her shearer is dumb, so He opens not His mouth. In His humiliation His judgment was taken away; who shall declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth. For the transgressions of my people was He brought down to death. And I will give the wicked for His sepulchre, and the rich for His death, because He did no iniquity, neither was guile found in His mouth. And the Lord is pleased to purify him by stripes. If you make an offering for sin, your soul shall see a long-lived seed. And the Lord is pleased to relieve Him of the affliction of His soul, to show Him light, and to form Him with understanding, to justify the Just One who ministers well to many; and He Himself shall carry their sins. On this account He shall inherit many, and shall divide the spoil of the strong; because His soul was delivered to death, and He was reckoned among the transgressors, and He bare the sins of many, and for their sins was He delivered.“ (Clement of Rome, First Epistle to the Corinthians, Chapter 16)

Barnabas

For to this end the Lord endured to deliver up His flesh to corruption, that we might be sanctified through the remission of sins, which is effected by His blood of sprinkling. For it is written concerning Him, partly with reference to Israel, and partly to us; and the Scripture says thus: He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities: with His stripes we are healed. He was brought as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb which is dumb before its shearer. (Epistle of Barnabas, Chapter 5)

Justin Martyr

But that, having become man for our sakes, He endured to suffer and to be dishonoured, and that He shall come again with glory, hear the prophecies which relate to this; they are these: “Because they delivered His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, He has borne the sin of many, and shall make intercession for the transgressors. For, behold, My Servant shall deal prudently, and shall be exalted, and shall be greatly extolled. As many were astonished at You, so marred shall Your form be before men, and so hidden from them Your glory; so shall many nations wonder, and the kings shall shut their mouths at Him. For they to whom it was not told concerning Him, and they who have not heard, shall understand. O Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? We have declared before Him as a child, as a root in a dry ground. He had no form, nor glory; and we saw Him, and there was no form nor comeliness: but His form was dishonoured and marred more than the sons of men. A man under the stroke, and knowing how to bear infirmity, because His face was turned away: He was despised, and of no reputation. It is He who bears our sins, and is afflicted for us; yet we did esteem Him smitten, stricken, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of peace was upon Him, by His stripes we are healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray; every man has wandered in his own way. And He delivered Him for our sins; and He opened not His mouth for all His affliction. He was brought as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before his shearer is dumb, so He opens not His mouth. In His humiliation, His judgment was taken away.“ Accordingly, after He was crucified, even all His acquaintances forsook Him, having denied Him; and afterwards, when He had risen from the dead and appeared to them, and had taught them to read the prophecies in which all these things were foretold as coming to pass, and when they had seen Him ascending into heaven, and had believed, and had received power sent thence by Him upon them, and went to every race of men, they taught these things, and were called apostles. (Justin Martyr, First Apology, Chapter 50)

And that the Spirit of prophecy might signify to us that He who suffers these things has an ineffable origin, and rules His enemies, He spoke thus: “His generation who shall declare? Because His life is cut off from the earth: for their transgressions He comes to death. And I will give the wicked for His burial, and the rich for His death; because He did no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth. And the Lord is pleased to cleanse Him from the stripe. If He be given for sin, your soul shall see His seed prolonged in days. And the Lord is pleased to deliver His soul from grief, to show Him light, and to form Him with knowledge, to justify the righteous who richly serves many. And He shall bear our iniquities. Therefore He shall inherit many, and He shall divide the spoil of the strong; because His soul was delivered to death: and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bore the sins of many, and He was delivered up for their transgressions.“ (Justin Martyr, First Apology, Chapter 51)

Isaiah then asserted in regard to the generation of Christ, that it could not be declared by man, in words already quoted: ‘Who shall declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth: for the transgressions of my people was He led to death.’ (Justin Martyr, Dialogue With Trypho, Chapter 43)

For the passover was Christ, who was afterwards sacrificed, as also Isaiah said, ‘He was led as a sheep to the slaughter.’(Justin Martyr, Dialogue With Trypho, Chapter 111)

Irenaeus

For this reason it is, said, “Who shall declare His generation? Since He is a man, and who shall recognise Him?“ But he to whom the Father which is in heaven has revealed Him. (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book III, Chapter 19)

But that He had, beyond all others, in Himself that pre-eminent birth which is from the Most High Father, and also experienced that pre-eminent generation which is from the Virgin, the divine Scriptures do in both respects testify of Him: “also, that He was a man without comeliness, and liable to suffering.” (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book III, Chapter 19)

God who stands in need of nothing, and do not recognise the advent of Christ, which He accomplished for the salvation of men, nor are willing to understand that all the prophets announced His two advents: the one, indeed, in which He became a man subject to stripes, and knowing what it is to bear infirmity, and sat upon the foal of an ass, and was a stone rejected by the builders, “and was led as a sheep to the slaughter.” (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book IV, Chapter 33)

And that He Himself “shall take upon Him our weaknesses, and bear our sorrows,“ all these proclaimed those works of healing which were accomplished by Him. (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book IV, Chapter 33)

Clement Of Alexandria

And this same Word who inflicts punishment is judge; regarding whom Esaias also says, “The Lord has assigned Him to our sins,“ plainly as a corrector and reformer of sins. Wherefore He alone is able to forgive our iniquities, who has been appointed by the Father, Instructor of us all; He alone it is who is able to distinguish between disobedience and obedience. And while He threatens, He manifestly is unwilling to inflict evil to execute His threatenings; but by inspiring men with fear, He cuts off the approach to sin, and shows His love to man, still delaying, and declaring what they shall suffer if they continue sinners, and is not as a serpent, which the moment it fastens on its prey devours it. (Clement Of Alexandria, The Paedagogus, Book I, Chapter 8)

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem

Many have been crucified throughout the world, but by none of these are the devils scared; but when they see even the Sign of the Cross of Christ, who was crucified for us, they shudder. For those men died for their own sins, but Christ for the sins of others; for He did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth. It is not Peter who says this, for then we might suspect that he was partial to his Teacher; but it is Esaias who says it, who was not indeed present with Him in the flesh, but in the Spirit foresaw His coming in the flesh. (Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Catechetical Lectures, Lecture 13, Paragraph 3.)

Saint Cyprian of Carthage

In Isaiah: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before his shearer is dumb, so He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His judgment was taken away: who shall relate His nativity? Because His life shall be taken away from the earth. By the transgressions of my people He was led to death; and I will give the wicked for His burial, and the rich themselves for His death; because He did no wickedness, nor deceits with His mouth. Wherefore He shall gain many, and shall divide the spoils of the strong; because His soul was delivered up to death, and He was counted among transgressors. And He bare the sins of many, and was delivered for their offences.” (Saint Cyprian of Carthage, Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews, Book II, Chapter 15)

Saint John of Damascus

Since our Lord Jesus Christ was without sin, (for He committed no sin, He Who took away the sin of the world, nor was there any deceit found in His mouth), He was not subject to death, since death came into the world through sin. He dies, therefore, because He took on Himself death on our behalf, and He makes Himself an offering to the Father for our sakes. For we had sinned against Him, and it was meet that He should receive the ransom for us, and that we should thus be delivered from the condemnation. God forbid that the blood of the Lord should have been offered to the tyrant. Wherefore death approaches, and swallowing up the body as a bait is transfixed on the hook of divinity, and after tasting of a sinless and life-giving body, perishes, and brings up again all whom of old he swallowed up. For just as darkness disappears on the introduction of light, so is death repulsed before the assault of life, and brings life to all, but death to the destroyer.

May the evidence and the information compiled in this work suffice for the fulfilment of Isaiah 53 in Christ Jesus our Lord. May the peace of Christ be with you all. Amen. Come Lord Jesus.