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Isaiah 53
Isaiah 53: Twofold Interpretation
Isaiah 53
1Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt 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.
11He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
This is by far the most controversial chapter in the whole Tanak. So much so it has been removed from the Annual Haftarah Reading Cycle. Reading it has been discouraged by the Jewish establishment at large on account that it so uncannily parallels the Passion of Jesus (Yeshua) that the Christians and Messianics talk so much about. Jews have been asked to read Isaiah 53 without knowing what they were reading. When asked where they thought it came from they said the Christian New Testament. So an anti-missionary, reactionary, doctrinal, pad answer has been formulated to answer those who have read this on their own. They say Isaiah 53’s Suffering Servant is Israel itself. However, even when this answer is given to pacify curious Jewish readers, when one reads it again with this answer in mind, inconsistencies cannot help but arise.
Unfortunately Isaiah 53 has been used in ruthless debates between Christian and Jews during the Middle Ages.
“The Jews were caught in a very uncomfortable position: if they lost the argument, they could be forced to convert to Christianity, but if they held their ground and refuse to accept the Christian interpretation, they could be banished or subjected to other forms of persecution.” – “Jesus and the Holocaust” – Joel Marcus
As a Torah Observant Jewish Rabbi and a Believer in Yeshua as Israel’s Messiah I do undoubtedly believe that Isaiah 53 is a prophecy in the Tanak about Yeshua’s atoning death on the Roman Cross. But is the Jewish interpretation all together wrong? Many prophecies are actually twofold in interpretation and does not violate or nullify one another.
“Most modern scholars would admit that there is evidence to support both interpretations. On the one hand, the Servant seems in our passage to have a mission to Israel, and that suggests that he is an individual separate from Israel. On the other hand, elsewhere in this section of Isaiah the Lord’s Servant is explicitly identified as Israel (Isa.44:1).” – “Jesus and the Holocaust” – Joel Marcus
And as a Torah Observant Jewish Rabbi who believes Yeshua is Messiah and who holds to the identity, customs and culture of the people of Israel, I believe both.
Many Passages can speak of Yeshua and the Jewish people, especially in light of past pogroms, the Inquisition, the Holocaust and current anti-Semitism and terrorism against Jews and Jewish communities.
Look at the possible double meaning of Isaiah 53:3 and 7.
“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.”
Many Europeans were fed propaganda to hate Jew and many despised them and turned their faces away from them and looked the other way when the Gestapo took them in the night. Christian Churches near train tracks would sing a little louder to drown out the voices of Jews when box cars full of them were being sent to the Death Camps and many Jews would walk silently like sheep to the gas chambers to their death.
But we also see that things do not line up because Israel cannot redeem Herself.
Concerning Isa.53:5 “The meaning of ‘He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities’ is, that since the Messiah bears our iniquities, which produce the effect of His being bruised, it follows that whoso will not admit that the Messiah thus suffers for our iniquities must endure and suffer for them himself,” –Rabbi Elijah de Vidas
“When the Holy One, blessed be He, wishes the recovery of the children of the world, He afflicts one righteous person from their midst, and for His sake all are healed. How is this known? It is written, ‘He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities… and with His stripes we are healed.’ Isaiah 53:5” - Zohar Part III, fol.218a, Amsterdam edition
“What is His name?” The Rabbis said: His name is “the leper scholar,” as it is written, surely he hath borne our grief, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him a leper, smitten of G-D, and afflicted.” –Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b
This is what is said about Yeshua Messiah’s death and resurrection in reference to Isa.53:9-10; Mt.27:57-66; 28:1, 2, 5-6a; Ps.16:10-11; 21:4:
“When Pilate upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing amongst us, had condemned Him to be crucified, those who had in the first place come to love Him did not give up their affection for Him. On the third day He appeared to them restored to life, for the prophets of G-D had prophesied these and countless other marvelous things about Him.” –Josephus, Jewish Antiquities XVIII, 63-64
“And since in the time of those (rulers) many followers of the Wonder-worker aforementioned he had appeared and spoken to the people of their Master, that He was alive, although he was dead, and ‘He will free you from your bondage,’ many of the multitude hearkened to the preaching and took heed to their injunctions.” –Josephus, The Jewish War Part 2, 221f
Dealing with Isa.53:4 Rabbi Moshe Alshekh says, “Rabbis with one voice, accept and affirm the opinion that the prophet is speaking of King Messiah.”
Concerning Isa.53:10b,11-12; Mt.28:5,7,16-20; Mk.16:19; Hos.5:15a; Prov.30:4, this quote is very fitting: “The Holy One, blessed be He, said: I no longer have a dwelling-place in this land; I will withdraw My Shechinah from it and ascend to My former habitation; so it is written, ‘I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their guilt, and seek My face.’ At that time the Holy One, blessed be He, wept and said, Woe is Me! What have I done? I caused My Shechinah to dwell below on earth for the sake of Israel; but now that they have sinned, I have returned to My former habitation. Heaven (forbid) that I become a laughter to the nations and a byword to human beings!” –Midrash Rabbah Lamentations 4
Here are some other details in Isaiah 53 that was fulfilled by Yeshua Messiah:
So we see Judaism at large prior to the death and resurrection of Yeshua supported a Messianic atoning death and resurrection of an individual who would be the Messiah.
Some confusion has risen regarding multiple Messiahs. Specifically two; Messiah ben Joseph: The Suffering Messiah and Messiah ben David: The Kingly Messiah. We must recognize that the description of these Messiah refers to one person, not two, and that person is Yeshua who came first as Messiah ben Joseph: The Suffering Messiah and will return as Messiah ben David: The Kingly Messiah.
Isaiah 53
1Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt 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.
11He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
This is by far the most controversial chapter in the whole Tanak. So much so it has been removed from the Annual Haftarah Reading Cycle. Reading it has been discouraged by the Jewish establishment at large on account that it so uncannily parallels the Passion of Jesus (Yeshua) that the Christians and Messianics talk so much about. Jews have been asked to read Isaiah 53 without knowing what they were reading. When asked where they thought it came from they said the Christian New Testament. So an anti-missionary, reactionary, doctrinal, pad answer has been formulated to answer those who have read this on their own. They say Isaiah 53’s Suffering Servant is Israel itself. However, even when this answer is given to pacify curious Jewish readers, when one reads it again with this answer in mind, inconsistencies cannot help but arise.
Unfortunately Isaiah 53 has been used in ruthless debates between Christian and Jews during the Middle Ages.
“The Jews were caught in a very uncomfortable position: if they lost the argument, they could be forced to convert to Christianity, but if they held their ground and refuse to accept the Christian interpretation, they could be banished or subjected to other forms of persecution.” – “Jesus and the Holocaust” – Joel Marcus
As a Torah Observant Jewish Rabbi and a Believer in Yeshua as Israel’s Messiah I do undoubtedly believe that Isaiah 53 is a prophecy in the Tanak about Yeshua’s atoning death on the Roman Cross. But is the Jewish interpretation all together wrong? Many prophecies are actually twofold in interpretation and does not violate or nullify one another.
“Most modern scholars would admit that there is evidence to support both interpretations. On the one hand, the Servant seems in our passage to have a mission to Israel, and that suggests that he is an individual separate from Israel. On the other hand, elsewhere in this section of Isaiah the Lord’s Servant is explicitly identified as Israel (Isa.44:1).” – “Jesus and the Holocaust” – Joel Marcus
And as a Torah Observant Jewish Rabbi who believes Yeshua is Messiah and who holds to the identity, customs and culture of the people of Israel, I believe both.
Many Passages can speak of Yeshua and the Jewish people, especially in light of past pogroms, the Inquisition, the Holocaust and current anti-Semitism and terrorism against Jews and Jewish communities.
Look at the possible double meaning of Isaiah 53:3 and 7.
“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.”
Many Europeans were fed propaganda to hate Jew and many despised them and turned their faces away from them and looked the other way when the Gestapo took them in the night. Christian Churches near train tracks would sing a little louder to drown out the voices of Jews when box cars full of them were being sent to the Death Camps and many Jews would walk silently like sheep to the gas chambers to their death.
But we also see that things do not line up because Israel cannot redeem Herself.
Concerning Isa.53:5 “The meaning of ‘He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities’ is, that since the Messiah bears our iniquities, which produce the effect of His being bruised, it follows that whoso will not admit that the Messiah thus suffers for our iniquities must endure and suffer for them himself,” –Rabbi Elijah de Vidas
“When the Holy One, blessed be He, wishes the recovery of the children of the world, He afflicts one righteous person from their midst, and for His sake all are healed. How is this known? It is written, ‘He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities… and with His stripes we are healed.’ Isaiah 53:5” - Zohar Part III, fol.218a, Amsterdam edition
“What is His name?” The Rabbis said: His name is “the leper scholar,” as it is written, surely he hath borne our grief, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him a leper, smitten of G-D, and afflicted.” –Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b
This is what is said about Yeshua Messiah’s death and resurrection in reference to Isa.53:9-10; Mt.27:57-66; 28:1, 2, 5-6a; Ps.16:10-11; 21:4:
“When Pilate upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing amongst us, had condemned Him to be crucified, those who had in the first place come to love Him did not give up their affection for Him. On the third day He appeared to them restored to life, for the prophets of G-D had prophesied these and countless other marvelous things about Him.” –Josephus, Jewish Antiquities XVIII, 63-64
“And since in the time of those (rulers) many followers of the Wonder-worker aforementioned he had appeared and spoken to the people of their Master, that He was alive, although he was dead, and ‘He will free you from your bondage,’ many of the multitude hearkened to the preaching and took heed to their injunctions.” –Josephus, The Jewish War Part 2, 221f
Dealing with Isa.53:4 Rabbi Moshe Alshekh says, “Rabbis with one voice, accept and affirm the opinion that the prophet is speaking of King Messiah.”
Concerning Isa.53:10b,11-12; Mt.28:5,7,16-20; Mk.16:19; Hos.5:15a; Prov.30:4, this quote is very fitting: “The Holy One, blessed be He, said: I no longer have a dwelling-place in this land; I will withdraw My Shechinah from it and ascend to My former habitation; so it is written, ‘I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their guilt, and seek My face.’ At that time the Holy One, blessed be He, wept and said, Woe is Me! What have I done? I caused My Shechinah to dwell below on earth for the sake of Israel; but now that they have sinned, I have returned to My former habitation. Heaven (forbid) that I become a laughter to the nations and a byword to human beings!” –Midrash Rabbah Lamentations 4
Here are some other details in Isaiah 53 that was fulfilled by Yeshua Messiah:
- The Messiah will make a blood atonement: Is.53:5; I Pt.1:2
- The Messiah will be widely rejected: Isa.53:1,3; Jn.12:37,38
- The Messiah will bear our sins and sorrows: Isa.53:4,5; Rom.4:25; I Pt.2:24,25
- The Messiah will be our substitute: Isa.53:6,8; Mk.15:4-5; Jn.10:11; 19:30
- The Messiah will be buried in a rich man’s tomb: Isa.53:9; Mt.27:57-60; Jn.19:38-42
- The Messiah will save us who believe in Him: Isa.53:10-11; Jn.3:16; Acts 16:31
- The Messiah will die with transgressors: Isa.53:12; Mk.15:27,28; Lk.22:37
- In accordance with Isa.53:10a; Dan.9:26; Lev.17:11; and Heb.9:22b: “He will give Himself and His life over unto death, and His blood will atone for His people.” –Luchoth Habberith 242a
So we see Judaism at large prior to the death and resurrection of Yeshua supported a Messianic atoning death and resurrection of an individual who would be the Messiah.
Some confusion has risen regarding multiple Messiahs. Specifically two; Messiah ben Joseph: The Suffering Messiah and Messiah ben David: The Kingly Messiah. We must recognize that the description of these Messiah refers to one person, not two, and that person is Yeshua who came first as Messiah ben Joseph: The Suffering Messiah and will return as Messiah ben David: The Kingly Messiah.