The
Suffering Servant: By The Verses
An
Introduction to Isaiah 53
Ø Introduction
Ø The
Christian Claim
Ø Who Does
Isaiah Identify as the Servant
Ø Who is Speaking
Ø Scriptural
Support for a National Servant
Ø Psalms of
Redemption
Ø Conclusion
I. Introduction
This
lecture is not intended as a comprehensive refutation of Evangelical Christian
claims made against the fifty third chapter of Isaiah. It is intended as a study of scripture, to
see if there is evidence within the Hebrew bible for the proper Jewish understanding
of this chapter. It will contrast the
prophecies found in Tanach regarding righteous
II.
The Christian Claim
The Christian clergy have used and identified the 53rd Chapter of Isaiah since at least the time of the first century church father Origen. Isaiah 53 is the nuclear weapon in the arsenal of the Christian missionary. In fact, many missionaries claim that one just need read Isaiah 53 and the reader will instantly believe. A casual search of the internet will lead you to more than 16,534 Christian websites that all claim that the suffering servant is Jesus. Make no mistake about it. This is their best attempt at showing that the truth of Christianity is in the Hebrew Scriptures. Come let us reason together as we examine the 53rd chapter of Isaiah.
ISAIAH
52:13-53:12 – The King James Version
www.blueletterbible.com/isa053.html
Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be
exalted and extolled, and be very high.
As many were astonished at thee; his visage was so marred more than any
man, and his form more than the sons of men:
So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at
him: for [that] which had not been told them shall they see; and [that] which
they had not heard shall they consider.
Who hath believed our report? and to whom is
the arm of the L-rd revealed? For 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. 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.
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried
our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of G-d, and
afflicted. But 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. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have
turned every one to his own way; and the L-rd hath laid on him the iniquity of
us all. 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.
He 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. And 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. Yet it pleased the L-rd
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 L-rd shall prosper in his hand. He 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.
Therefore 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.
A cursory reading of the verses seems to indicate a
singular servant who will suffer and die for the sins of the world. Indeed, the uninitiated reading from the
above Christian translation will most likely arrive at that conclusion. This is the only place in all
of the Hebrew bible that a prophecy of a messiah who is to die for the
sins of others is attempted. As seen
previously in other lectures, messianic prophecies never appear alone, and are
always spoken by more than one prophet, which makes this claim highly suspect. Indeed even if this is the case, the verses
speak nothing of the requirement to believe in Jesus’ atonement in order to
receive it. In fact, the Christian
notion that Jesus died to save people from their sins is based solely on
belief. There is no proof that this
actually happened. This verse is so important as a “proof text” for the messiahship of Jesus,
that Christian translators have been willing to change the original language to
make it better fit their concept, as we will see very soon.
III. Who does
Isaiah Identify as the Servant?
An
interesting thing occurs in the passages we are studying. Nowhere does Isaiah identify the
servant. How would we as readers find
out to whom Isaiah is referring?
If
I were to open a book to the middle and find the following lines of text …
“John
then grabbed the gun and shot Sally. The
noise was very loud and John knew he would be coming for him, so John hid the
body and threw the gun into the river where he would never find it.”
Who
is “he”? Who exactly will be coming
after John? How would one find out? It
would not be logical to open another book to find out who is coming after John. Should we keep reading on to find out the
identity of the “he” is in the sentence?
Possibly, but the most logical way is to back up a few chapters and find
out who is now chasing John, or even better, start the book from the beginning.
This
is what is occurring in Isaiah 53. The
chapter breaks that appear in modern bibles are not original, and do not appear
in the Hebrew text. As a matter of fact,
they are not even Jewish.
Isaiah 41:8-9
But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob who I have chosen, descendant of Abraham, my friend; You whom I have
called from its remotest parts, and said to you, you are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you.
Isaiah 42:1
Behold my servant, whom I shall
uphold; My chosen one, who My soul desired; I have placed My spirit upon him so
he can bring forth justice to the nations.
Isaiah 43:10
You are my witnesses,
declares Hashem, and my servant whom
I have chosen: that you may know and
believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no god formed, neither
shall there be after me.
Isaiah 44:1-2
But now listen, O Jacob my
servant, and
Isaiah 44:21
Remember these things O Jacob, and
Isaiah 45:4
For the sake of Jacob my
servant, and
Isaiah 48:20
Go forth out of Babylon, flee from the Kasdim
with a voice of singing declare, tell this, say it even to the ends of the
earth; say “Hashem has redeemed His
servant Jacob.”
Isaiah 49:3
And said to me, “You are my
servant,
It
is important as well to confirm the identity of the servant after Isaiah 53 to
see if indeed Isaiah changed the identity of the servant in the 53rd
chapter.
Isaiah 54:17
No weapon that is formed against you will prosper, and every tongue
that accuses you in judgment will condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants
of Hashem, and their vindication is from me, declares Hashem.
Isaiah 63:17
Why Hashem, do You let us stray from Your
paths, letting our heart become hardened from fearing You? Return to us for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of your heritage.
Isaiah 65:8-9
Thus says Hashem, “As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one
says, “Do not destroy it for there is benefit in it.” So will I act on behalf of My servants in order not to destroy all of them. And I will bring forth offspring from Jacob,
and an heir of My mountains from Judah, even My chosen
ones shall inherit it, and My Servants
shall dwell there.
Isaiah 66:14
You will see and your heart will exult, and your bones will
flourish like grass; the hand of Hashem will be known to His servants, and He will show anger to his enemies.
This message is confirmed by other prophets and the
psalmists.
Leviticus
25:42, Leviticus 25:55, Deut 32:36, Deut 32:43, Jeremiah 30:10, Jeremiah
46:27-28, Ezekiel 28:25, 1st Chronicles 16:13, Nehemiah 1:10-11, Psalm 79:10, Psalm
135:1 even the NT agrees! Luke 1:54
IV. Who is Speaking?
Now that Isaiah has clearly identified the servant,
we must look at the story in
context. When
examining a passage in the bible, it is near impossible to derive meaning from
the verse without knowing who the speaker is and who the audience is.
Let us examine a list of possible
speakers starting at Isaiah 53:1.
Isaiah 53:1
“Who would believe what we have heard? And to whom is the arm of the L-rd revealed.”
The sentence is a quote. Someone is speaking. Could it be the following?
Isaiah: It cannot be
Isaiah, Isaiah knows all about this report.
He has spoken about it since chapter 40.
Additionally, Isaiah died long before Jesus was even a concept. Isaiah could not be surprised by it,
especially if he saw it as a vision 700 years before. Additionally the question is asked in the
plural demanding that we look for a group rather than an Individual.
G-d: It cannot be
G-d, it is phrased in the plural, and G-d wouldn’t be surprised.
The Jewish
people: Perhaps.
As a matter of fact, this is the chief response given by apologists and
missionaries. However, It cannot be the
Jewish people, as Isaiah has pointed out the servant of G-d is the Jewish people.
According to Evangelical Christianity, the messiah was not revealed to the
Jewish people, who have had scales placed over their eyes, until “the time of
the gentiles” is fulfilled. For a
missionary to identify the Jewish people as the speaker in Isaiah 53, is to
refute the teachings of their own New Testament, that clearly teach that the
messiah was not revealed to the Jewish people. The use of the singular will be
dealt with shortly.
The Gentile
Nations of the World: BINGO. We found out who exactly is speaking
in the first half of Isaiah 53. If we
look at Isaiah 52:15 we can see that it is the Kings of the nations who are
astonished and shocked that the remnant of Israel was right, and truly
represents G-d. They are shocked beyond
belief that righteous
With the speaker and the servant identified, Let’s read the chapter in context.
V. Scriptural Support for a National Servant
This is an interesting claim that the Jews make. When we examined the rest of the Hebrew bible
for verses that support vicarious atonement, or a suffering messiah, we found
nothing worth noting. Can we find verses
in the Hebrew bible to support this claim?
Let’s examine Isaiah 52:13-Isaiah 53:12 line by line and see if other
prophets indeed confirm these messages.
This time we will be working from a Jewish translation. The differences in translations can be
examined in our six part comprehensive study of this chapter entitled, Isaiah 53: The Fourth Servant
Song. The translations given will be
the correct translation of the Hebrew.
|
Isaiah 52:13 |
|
|
|
Behold My servant shall prosper` he shall be
exalted and lifted up' and he shall be very high. |
Are there verses in the bible that confirm this? Isaiah himself confirms this over and over.
Isaiah 45:25
In Hashem all
the offspring of
Isaiah 49:23
Kings will be
your foster fathers and queens your nursing mothers. With their faces to the ground they shall bow
down to you and lick the dust of your feet.
And you shall know that I am Hashem: for they who wait for me will not
be ashamed.
Isaiah 60:1-3
Arise, shine;
for your light has come, and the glory of Hashem has risen upon you.
For behold,
darkness will cover the earth, and deep darkness the peoples, but Hashem will
rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you. And nations will come to your light, and
kings to the brightness of your rising.
Isaiah 60:14-15
And the sons of
those who afflicted you, will come bowing to you, and all those who despised you will bow themselves at the soles of your feet, and they will
call you the city of
Isaiah 61:6-9
But you will be
called the priests of Hashem, you will be spoken of as ministers of our G-d. Instead
of the shame, you will have a double
portion, and instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their
portion. For I, Hashem, love justice, I
hate robbery with iniquity; and I will give them their recompense in truth, and
I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
Then their offspring will be known among the nations, and their
descendants in the midst of the peoples.
All who see them will recognize them, because they are the offspring whom
Hashem has blessed.
Isaiah 62:2-3
And the nations
will see your righteousness and all the kings your glory, and you
will be called by a new name which the mouth of Hashem will designate. You will also be a crown of beauty in the
hand of Hashem and a royal diadem in the hand of your G-d.
Isaiah 62:12
And they shall
call them The holy people, the redeemed of Hashem; and
they shall be called “Sought out”, a city not forsaken.
Jeremiah
23:2-3
Therefore thus
says Hashem, the G-d of
Ezekiel
28:25-26
Thus say
Hashem: When I shall have gathered the house of
Zephaniah 3:19-20
Behold, I am
going to deal at that time with all your oppressors; I will save the lame and
gather the outcasts, and I will turn their shame into praise and renown on
earth.
At that time I
will bring you in, even at that time when I gather you together; indeed I will
give you renown and praise among all the nations of the earth, when I
restore your fortunes before your eyes says Hashem.
Nahum 2:2
For Hashem will
restore the splendor of Jacob like the splendor of
Malachi 3:12
And all the
nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land says Hashem,
Master of Legions.
The word servant is singular? How
can it be
Isaiah 43:10
You are my witnesses,
declares Hashem, and my servant whom
I have chosen: that you may know and
believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no god formed,
neither shall there be after me.
You are my witnesses, *PLURAL*, and my servant *SINGULAR*….
Isaiah 52:4
For thus saith the Hashem: My
people went down aforetime into
The
Hebrew text is included below Isaiah 52:4 in order that you may see the
singular reference to
Exodus 1:10-12
Pharaoh says regarding the Jewish people: Come, let us deal wisely with him,
lest he increase, and if there will be a war, he will join our enemies and fight against us and go up from the
land. So they appointed task masters
over him to afflict him with
hard labor. And he built for
Pharaoh storage cities, Pithom
and Ramses.
But the more they afflicted him,
the more he spread out, so that they were in dread of the sons of
Exodus 4:22
And you shall
say unto Pharaoh, Thus says
Deuteronomy 32:8-13
When the most
High gave the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of man, He
set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of
Jeremiah 48:27
For, was
Jeremiah 50:19
And I shall
bring
Hosea 8:3
Hosea 11:1
When
Hosea 14:5-6
I will be like
the dew to
Psalm 130:8
And He will
redeem
Chapter 52 continues by
identifying some attributes of this servant.
|
Isaiah
52:14 |
|
|
|
Just as many were astonished at you,
saying, surely his visage was marred more than any man and his form more than
the sons of men. |
This verse makes an analogy, it
provides a visual picture of
Lamentations 4:8
Now their visage is blacker than soot, they are not
recognized in the streets; their skin has shriveled upon their bones, it has
become as dry as wood.
The next verse is critical in establishing the speaker. The Kings seem to be stunned and
shocked. They are referred to as
shutting their mouths. Let’s examine the
verse.
|
Isaiah 52:15 |
|
|
|
So will the many nations
exclaim about him, and kings will shut their mouths, for they will see what
had never been told to them, and will perceive things they had never heard. |
Are gentile
kings shown as being surprised that
Isaiah 41:11
Behold, all those
who were incensed against you shall be ashamed and confounded, those who
quarreled with you shall be as naught and lost.
Jeremiah 16:19
O Hashem, my
strength and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles
shall come to You from the ends of the earth and say,
“Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things of no benefit.”
Micah 7:15-16
According to
the days of your coming out of the
What else have these nations not heard?
Micah 5:14
And I will
execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the nations, such as they
have not heard.
Chapter 53 starts with a new speaker.
This is now a narrative told by the nations of the world. The nations of the world who are on the verge
of the messianic era, who now see that it was they who was oppressing Israel,
and not G-d as they had thought.
|
isaiah
53:1 |
|
|
|
Who would
believe what we have heard! For whom
has the arm of Hashem been revealed! |
The nations of the world are literally shocked and astonished that little
Exodus 3:20
So I will
stretch out My hand and strike
Exodus 6:6
Therefore say
to the people of
Exodus 14:31
Exodus 15:6
Your right hand, Hashem, is glorified with
strength; Your right
hand Hashem, smashes the enemy.
Exodus 15:12
You stretched
out your right hand – The earth
swallowed them.
Deuteronomy 4:34
Or has any god
ever miraculously come to take for himself a nation from amidst a nation; with
challenges, with signs, and with wonders, and with war, and with a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with greatly
awesome deeds, such as everything that Hashem, your G-d, did for you in
Deuteronomy
5:15
And remember
that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the L-rd your G-d
brought you out from there with a mighty hand and with a stretched
out arm; therefore the L-rd your G-d commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
Deuteronomy 7:19
The great tests
that your eyes saw, and the signs, the wonders, the strong hand, and the outstretched
arm with which Hashem your G-d, took you out – so
shall Hashem your G-d, do to all the
peoples before whom you fear.
Deuteronomy
9:29
Yet they are
your people and your inheritance, which you brought out by your mighty power
and by your stretched out arm.
Deuteronomy 11:2-4
And know this
day; for I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have
not seen the chastisement of the L-rd your G-d, His greatness, His mighty
hand, and His stretched out arm, and His miracles, and His acts,
which he did in the midst of Egypt to Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and to all his
land; and what He did to the army of Egypt, to their horses, and to their
chariots; how He made the water of the Reed Sea flow over them as they pursued
after you, and how the L-rd has destroyed them till this day;
Deuteronomy
33:27
The eternal G-d
is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms; and he
shall thrust out the enemy from before you; and shall say, “Destroy them.”
1st Kings 8:41-42
Also a gentile
who is not of Your people Israel, but will come from a distant land, for Your Name’s
sake – for the will hear of Your great Name and Your strong hand and Your outstretched
arm – and will come and pray towards this Temple – may You hear from
Heaven, the foundation of Your abode, and act according to all that the gentile
calls out to You, so that all the peoples of the world may know Your Name, to
fear You as does Your people Israel, and to know that Your Name is proclaimed
upon this Temple that I have built.
2nd
Kings 17:36
But the L-rd,
who brought you up from the
Isaiah 51:5
My
righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and my arms shall judge the
people; the islands shall wait upon me, and on my arm shall they trust.
Isaiah 51:9
Awake, awake,
put on strength, O arm of the L-rd; awake, as in days of old, in the
generations of old. Are you not he who cut Rahab in
pieces, and wounded the crocodile?
Isaiah 62:8
Hashem has
sworn by His right hand and by His powerful arm: “I will no longer
give your grain as food for your enemies; and the sons of strangers will not
drink your wine for which you have toiled.
Isaiah 63:12
Who caused His
splendorous arm to go at Moses’ right side?
Ezekiel 20:33-34
As I live, says
the L-rd G-d, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm,
and with fury poured out, will I rule over you; I will take you out from the
nations and gather you from the lands to which you were scattered, with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with outpoured
wrath.
Daniel 9:15
And now, O L-rd
our G-d, Who took Your people out of the
Finally, I have left one reference out of canonical order for closer
examination as it appears just three verses before the chapter in
question. It specifies EXACTLY
who the arm of the L-rd has been revealed.
Isaiah 52:10
Hashem has
bared His holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; all ends of the earth will see the
salvation of our G-d!
The nations of the world will witness first hand the redemption of
This sets the stage for the rest of the chapter. The next several verses will give imagery to
describe how the nations viewed
|
Isaiah 53:2 |
|
|
|
Formerly he grew like a sapling or like a root from arid ground;
he had neither form nor grandeur; we saw him, but without such visage that we
could desire him. |
The imagery of a sapling or plant is given. This plant is growing out of arid land. This picture of
Deuteronomy 32:9-10
For Hashem’s
portion in His people, Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of a wilderness.
Ezekiel 16:5-7
No eye pitied
you to do any one of these things for you, to show you compassion; you were
cast out upon the open field because of the loathsomeness of your being, on the
day you were born. Then I passed you and
saw you wallowing in your blood, and I said to you, “In your blood you shall
live”; I said to you, “In your blood shall you live.” I made you as numerous as the plants of the field.
Jeremiah 2:2
Go and call out
in the ears of
Hosea 13:4
I knew you in
the desert' in a land of deprivation.
Hosea 14:5-6
I will be like
the dew to
Psalm 80:8
You removed
a vine from
Jeremiah 12:2
You have
planted them, indeed, they
have taken root; they grow, indeed, they bring forth fruit;
you are near in their mouth, and far from their inwards.
The next verse continues to develop the theme of a broken and lowly
servant.
|
ISAIAH 53:3 |
|
|
|
He was despised and isolated from men, a man of pains and accustomed
to illness. As one from whom we would
hide our faces; he was despised, and we had no regard for him. |
|
ISAIAH 53:4 |
|
|
|
But it truth, it was
our ills that he bore, and our pains that he carried. – but we had
regarded him diseased, stricken by G-d and afflicted. |
Little imagery is necessary to show that the Jewish people have been
despised, rejected, and familiar with pain and disease. Let’s review the Prophets for other visions
of
Isaiah 49:13
Sing a glad
song, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth; O mountains
break out in glad song; for Hashem will have comforted his people and will have
compassion on his afflicted.
Isaiah 51:21
Therefore, hear
this now, O afflicted one, drunk,
but not from wine.
Isaiah 52:4
For thus saith the Hashem: My people
went down aforetime into
Isaiah 54:11
O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not
comforted, behold I will set your stones in antimony, and your foundations I
will lay in sapphires.
Isaiah 54:14-15
In
righteousness you will be established, you will be far from oppression, for you will not fear; and
from terror, for it will not come
near you. If anyone fiercely assails
you, it will not be from
Isaiah 60:14-15
The sons of
them that afflicted you shall come
bending unto you, and they that despised you shall bow themselves at the soles
of your feet, and they shall call you the city of
Ezekiel 16:5
No eye
looked upon you with pity
to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open
field, for you were abhorred on the
day that you were born.
Ezekiel 34:28-29
And they will
no longer be prey to the nations,
and the beasts of the earth will not devour them, but they live securely and no
one will make them afraid. And I will
establish for them a renowned planting place, and they will not again be
victims of famine in the land, and they
will not endure the insults of nations anymore.
Ezekiel 35:5-6
Because you have everlasting enmity and have delivered the sons of
Jeremiah
2:14
Is
The nations of the world thought that G-d had afflicted
|
Isaiah
53:5 |
|
|
|
But he was pained because of our rebellious sins and oppressed
through our iniquities; the chastisement upon him was for our benefit, and
through his wounds we were healed. |
The servant
|
Isaiah
53:6 |
|
|
|
We have all strayed like sheep, each of us turning his own way,
and Hashem inflicted upon him the inequity of us all. |
Righteous
Statements of the nations about
Jeremiah 30:17
For I will
restore you to health, and I will heal you of your wounds declares Hashem,
because they have called you an outcast, saying, “It is
Jeremiah 50:7
All who came
upon them devoured them, and their adversaries have said: “We are not guilty,
inasmuch they have sinned against Hashem who is the habitation of
righteousness, even against Hashem, the hope of their fathers.”
Psalm 94:5&7
They crush your
people, O Hashem, and afflict Your heritage.
And they have
said: “Hashem does not see, nor does the G-d of Jacob take heed.”
Isaiah 17:12-14
Alas, the
uproar of many peoples, who roar like the roaring of the seas, and the rumbling
of nations, who rush on like the rumbling of the mighty waters. The nations rumble on like the rumbling of
many waters and He will rebuke them and they will flee far away, and be chased
like chaff in the mountains before the wind, or like whirling dust before a
gale. At night, behold there is
terror. Before morning they are no
more. Such will be the portion of those
who plunder us, and the lot of those who pillage us.
Isaiah 40:2
Speak tenderly
to
Jeremiah 10:25
Pour out thy
wrath upon the nations that do not know You, and upon
the families who do not call upon Your name. For they have devoured Jacob, they have
devoured him and consumed him, and have laid
waste his habitation.
Zephaniah 2:10
This they will
have in return for their pride, because they have taunted and become
arrogant against the people of Hashem Master of Legions.
Zephaniah 3:19
Behold, I am
going to deal at that time with all your oppressors. I
will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will turn their shame into
praise and renown in all the earth.
Psalm 79:1-7
O G-d, the
nations have invaded Your inheritance, they have
defiled Your holy
Psalm 83:1-4
O G-d, do not remain quiet, do not be silent, do not be still. For behold, Your
enemies make an uproar, and those who hate You have exalted themselves. They make shrewd plans against Your treasured people.
They have said: “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation, that the name
of
Psalm 94:3-5
How long shall
the wicked, O L-rd, how long shall the wicked exult? They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly,
all who do wickedness vaunt themselves. They crush Your
people, O L-rd, and afflict Your heritage.
One final
verse in this section sums up the whole theme of Isaiah 53 up to this
point. The nations of the world have
dealt poorly with
Zechariah 1:15
But I am very
angry with the nations who are at ease, for while I was only a little angry,
they furthered the disaster.
Verse seven gives us the reaction of the servant to this suffering. It is not what we would expect.
|
Isaiah
53:7 |
|
|
|
He was persecuted and afflicted, but he did not open his mouth;
like a sheep being led to the slaughter, or a ewe that is silent before her
shearers, he did not open his mouth. |
Once again we find
Ezekiel 34:15-16
I will feed My sheep and I will lead them to rest,
declares Hashem. I will seek the
lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken, and strengthen the
sick, but the fat and the strong I will destroy, I will destroy, I will feed them with judgment.
Psalm 44:12-21
You have given
us as sheep to the slaughter, and
have scattered us among the nations.
You sell Your people for no great gain, and
have not put their price high. You have
made us a reproach to our neighbors, a scoffing and derision to those around
us. You have made us a byword among the
nations, a laughingstock among the peoples.
All day long my dishonor is before me, and my humiliation is
overwhelming me. Because
of the voice of him who reproaches and reviles, because of the presence of the
enemy and the avenger. All this
has come upon us, but we have not forgotten You, and
we have not dealt falsely with your covenant.
Our heart was not turned back, and our steps have not deviated from Your way, yet You have crushed us on a place of jackals, and
covered us with the shadow of death. If
we had forgotten the name of our G-d, or extended our hands to a strange god,
would not G-d find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart. But for Your sake we are killed all day
long. We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
Isaiah 26:16
Hashem, when in trouble they sought you, they prayed to you a silent
prayer when your chastening was upon them.
Psalm
79:13
So we your people and sheep of your pasture will
give you thanks for ever; we will tell your praise to all generations.
Jeremiah 12:3
But you, O L-rd, know me; you have seen me, and tested my heart toward
you; pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare
them for the day of slaughter.
Jeremiah 23:1-3
Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep
of my pasture! says the L-rd.
Therefore thus says the L-rd G-d of
Jeremiah 50:6-7
My people has been lost sheep; their
shepherds have caused them to go stray, they have turned them away on the
mountains; they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their
resting place. All
who found them have devoured them; and their adversaries said, “We
are not guilty, because they have sinned against the L-rd, the habitation of
justice, against the L-rd, the hope of their fathers.”
Jeremiah 50:17
Verse 8 presents a problem which we will examine in more detail. The Christian bibles provide us here with a
gross mistranslation of the Hebrew. This
is covered in detail in Isaiah
53, The Fourth Servant Song.
|
Isaiah
53:8 |
|
|
|
Now that
he has been released from captivity, who could have imagined such a
generation? For he had been removed
from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people a plague
befell them. |
The nations
are still reacting with stunned disbelief, they say, “Who could have imagined
such a generation. This generation is
righteous
We will just look at one aspect of this verse for now. What is the land of the living? We find in almost every place the phrase
appears, it refers only to the physical 
is the Jewish way to refer to Eretz
You will notice that DEATH refers to exile, in the passages below, and
the land of the living is a metaphor for the physical
Psalm 44:20
Though you have crushed us in the place of jackals, and
covered us with the shadow of death.
Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no
evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me.
Jeremiah 2:6
And they did not say, Where is the L-rd who brought us up out of the land
of Egypt, who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of
pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land
that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?
Jeremiah 13:16-19
Give glory to the L-rd your G-d, before he causes darkness, and before
your feet stumble upon the mountains of twilights, and, while you look for
light, he turns it into the shadow of death, and makes it a
thick darkness. But if you will not hear
it, my soul shall weep in secret for your pride; and my eye shall weep
bitterly, and run down with tears, because the L-rd’s flock is carried away
captive. Say to the king and to the queen, Humble
yourselves, sit down; for your glorious crown has fallen from your head. The cities of the
Jeremiah 43:3
But Baruch the son of Neriah sets you on
against us, to deliver us to the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put
us to death, and carry us away captives to
Psalm 116:3
The cords of death surrounded me, and the pains of grave
seized me. I found trouble and sorrow.
Psalm 116:8-9
For you have saved my soul from death, my eyes from tears,
and my feet from falling.
I walk before
Hashem in the land of the living.
Psalm 52:7
Likewise, G-d
will shatter you for eternity, He will break you and
tear you from your dwelling place, and uproot you from the land of the living.
Psalm 142:6
I have cried
out to You, Hashem; I have said, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”
In the
following segment from Ezekiel, a young Pharaoh from 
with the word
Ezekiel
32:23
Their graves
are set in the sides of the pit, and her company is around her grave; all of
them slain, fallen by the sword, who struck terror in the land of the living.
Ezekiel
32:34
There is Elam
and all her multitude around her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword,
who have gone down uncircumcised into the nether world, who struck terror in the
land of the living; 
and they
have carried their shame with those who go down to the pit.
Ezekiel
32:25
They have set
her a bed in the midst of the slain with all her multitude; her graves are
around him; all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; though the terror of
them was spread in the land of the living, yet they have carried their shame with those
who went down to the pit; he is put in the midst of those who were slain.
Ezekiel
32:26
There is Meshech, Tubal, and all her
multitude; her graves are around him; all of them uncircumcised, slain by the
sword, though they struck terror in the land of the living.
Ezekiel
32:27
And shall they
not lie with the fallen mighty of the uncircumcised, who
have gone down to Sheol with their weapons of war,
their swords laid under their heads, and their iniquities having come upon
their bones? For the terror of the mighty was in the land of the living.
Ezekiel
32:32
For I have
struck my terror in the land of the living; and he shall be laid in the midst of the
uncircumcised with those who were slain by the sword, Pharaoh and all his
multitude, says the L-rd G-d.
|
Isaiah
53:9 |
|
|
|
He submitted himself to his grave like the wicked men; and the
wealthy in their deaths, although he had done no violence, neither was their
any deceit in his mouth. |
The servant
Ezekiel 37:11-13
Then He said to
me, son of man, these bones are the whole house of
Zephaniah 3:13-20
The remnant of
Jeremiah 50:20
In those days,
and in that time, says the L-rd, the iniquity of
Ezekiel 34:10-13
Thus says the L-rd
G-d: Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will
require my flock at their hand, and I will put an end to their feeding the
sheep; nor shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will save my
flock from their mouth, so that they may not be food for them. For thus says the L-rd G-d: Behold, I will
search my sheep, and seek them out.
As a shepherd seeks out his flock in the day when he is among his
sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will rescue
them from all the places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and
dark day. And I will bring them out
from among the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and I will bring
them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of
Ezekiel
34:19-34
And as for
my sheep, they eat that which
you have trampled with your feet; and they drink that which you have fouled
with your feet. Therefore thus says the L-rd
G-d to them; Behold, I will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean
cattle. Because you have thrust with
side and with shoulder, and pushed all the weak ones with your horns, till you
have scattered them abroad; therefore I will save my flock, and they shall no
more be a prey; and I will judge between one lamb and another. And I will set up one shepherd over them, and
he shall feed them, my servant David shall feed them, and he shall be their
shepherd.
24. And I, the L-rd,
will be their G-d, and my servant David will be a prince among them; I, the L-rd,
have spoken it.
Ezekiel
34:28-31
And they
shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beast of the land devour them; but they
shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid. And I will raise up for them a plantation of
renown, and they shall not be consumed any more with hunger in the land, nor
suffer any more the insults of the nations.
Thus shall they know that I, the L-rd, their G-d, am with them, and that
they, the house of
Micah 2:12
I will surely
assemble, O Jacob, all of you; I will surely gather the remnant of
Micah 5:7
And the
remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations in the midst of many peoples like a lion among the beasts of
the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep; which, if it
goes through, treads down, and tears in pieces, and no one can save.
Verse 10 provides us with a contract.
If the servant acts in a specific way, there will be reward given. Does it make sense for an immortal being to
inherit long life? Physical
offspring? The object here is
|
Isaiah
53:10 |
|
|
|
Hashem desired to oppress him and He afflicted him; if his soul
would acknowledge guilt, he would see offspring and live long days and the
desire of Hashem would succeed in his hand. |
If
Jeremiah 3:13-17
Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have
transgressed against the L-rd your G-d, and have scattered your ways to
strangers under every green tree, and you have not obeyed my voice, says the L-rd.
Turn, O faithless children, says the L-rd; for I have taken you to myself; and
I will take you, from a city one, and from a family two, and I will bring you to Zion; And I will
give you shepherds according to my heart, who shall feed you with
knowledge and understanding. And it shall
come to pass, when you multiply and increase in the land, in those days,
says the L-rd, they shall say no more, The ark of the
covenant of the L-rd. It shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it;
nor shall they miss it; nor shall that be done any more. At that time they shall
call
Jeremiah 30:16-20
Therefore all those who devour you shall
be devoured; and all your adversaries, every one of them, shall go to captivity; and
those who plunder you shall be plundered, and all those who prey upon you will
I give for a prey. For I will
restore health to you, and I will heal your wounds, says the L-rd;
because they called you an outcast, saying, “This is
Ezekiel 37:21-28
And say to them, Thus says the L-rd G-d: Behold, I
will take the people of Israel from among the nations, where they
have gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own
land; And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of
Israel; and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall be no more two
nations, nor shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all. Nor shall they defile themselves any more
with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their
transgressions; but I will save them in all their dwelling places, where they
have sinned, and will cleanse them; so shall they be my people, and I will be
their G-d. And David my servant shall be
king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd; they shall also follow
my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have
given to Jacob my servant, where your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell
in it, they and their children, and their grandchildren for ever; and
my servant David shall be their prince for ever. And I will make a covenant of peace with
them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will place them, and
multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for
evermore. My tabernacle also shall be
with them; and I will be their G-d, and they shall be my people. And the nations shall know that I, the L-rd,
sanctify
Proverbs 3:1-2
My son, forget not my Torah; but let your
heart keep my commandments; For length of days, and
long life, and peace, shall they add to you.
Deuteronomy 17:19-20
And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his
life; that he may learn to fear the L-rd his G-d, to keep
all the words of this Torah and these statutes, to do
them; That his heart be not lifted up above his brothers, and that he turn
not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left; to the end
that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and
his children, in the midst of Israel.
Deuteronomy 28:11
And Hashem will
make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your body and in the fruit of
your beast.
Deuteronomy 30:19-20
I call heaven
and earth as witnesses! Before you I
have placed life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life! So that
you and your seed will survive.
If you choose to love Hashem your G-d and obey Him,
and to attach yourself to Him.
This is the sole means of survival and long life when you dwell
in the land that G-d swore to your fathers…
Isaiah 65:20
No longer will
there be an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live
out his days; for the youth will die at the age of one hundred, and one who
does not reach the age of one hundred will be thought of as accursed.
Jeremiah 23:3
Then I Myself shall gather the remnant of My flock out of all the
nations where I have driven them, and shall bring them back to their pasture,
and they will be fruitful and multiply.
Zechariah 8:4
Thus says
Hashem Master of Legions, Old men and old women will again sit in the streets
of
Zechariah 10:8
I will whistle
for them to gather them together, for I have redeemed them, and they will multiply
exceedingly.
The speaker here indicates that the servant will indeed accept the
contract. The servant will accept the
purpose of his suffering. With his
knowledge the servant will justify G-d to the multitude. The nations will then learn Torah, and accept
the teachings of righteous
|
Isaiah
53:11 |
|
|
|
He would see the
purpose and be satisfied with his soul’s distress. With his knowledge My servant will
vindicate the Righteous One to the multitudes, it is
their inequities that he will carry. |
Isaiah 11:9
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy
mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the L-rd, as the
waters cover the sea.
Jeremiah 3:14-15
Turn, O faithless children, says the L-rd; for I have taken you to
myself; and I will take you, from a city one, and from a family two, and
I will bring you to
And I will give you shepherds according to my heart, who
shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
Micah 4:2
And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go
up to the mountain of Hashem, and to the house of the G-d of Jacob; and he will
teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for
Torah shall go forth from Zion, and the word of Hashem from Jerusalem.
Malachi 2:6-7
The Torah of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity
was not found in his lips; he walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he
turned many away from iniquity.
For the priest’s lips should guard
knowledge, and they should seek the Torah from his mouth;
for he is a messenger of the L-rd of hosts.
Exodus 19:5-6
Now, then, if
you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you
shall be My special treasures among all the peoples, for
all the earth is Mine. And you shall be
to
Isaiah 42:6
I the L-rd have
called you in righteousness, and will hold your hand, and will keep you, and
give you for a covenant of the people, for a light to the nations;
Isaiah 49:3&6
And he said to
me: “You are My servant,
I will also
make you a light unto the nations so that My
salvation may reach the ends of the earth.
Isaiah 55:5
…nations that
knew you not shall run to you because Hashem your G-d, the holy one of
Isaiah 60:3
And the nations
shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your
rising.
Isaiah 61:6
But you shall
be named the Priests of the L-rd; men shall call you the Ministers of
our G-d; you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their riches you
shall glory.
Isaiah 62:12
And they shall
call them “the holy people”, “the redeemed of Hashem”, and you will be called,
“sought out, a city not forsaken”
Jeremiah 16:19-20
Hashem, my strength, my stronghold and my refuge on the day of
distress. To you, nations
will come from the ends of the earth and say, “It was all falsehood that our
ancestors inherited, futility that has no purpose.” Can man make gods for himself? They are
non-gods.
Zechariah 8:13
And it will
come to pass that as you were a curse among the gentiles, O house of
Zechariah 8:23
Thus said Hashem, Master of Legions: In those days it will happen
that ten men, of all the different languages of the nations, will take
hold, they will take hold of the corner of the garment of a Jewish man, saying,
“Let us go with you, for we have heard that G-d is with you!”
Habakkuk
2:14
For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the
glory of the L-rd, as the waters cover the sea.
Notice that it is the knowledge of the servant that brings righteousness
to the nations, and not “the blood”. The
Torah will go forth from
The chapter ends with the promise of inheritance, and a portion not only
of
|
Isaiah
53:12 |
|
|
|
Therefore, I will assign him a portion from the multitudes and
he will divide the mighty as spoils – in return for having exposed his soul
to death and being counted among the wicked, for he bore the sin of the
multitudes, and prayed for the wicked. |
Isaiah 60:5-16
Then you shall
see, and be filled with light, and your heart shall fear, and be enlarged;
because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the
nations shall come to you. The multitude of camels shall encompass you, the
camel colts of Midian and Ephah;
all those from
Isaiah
61:5-6
And foreigners
shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of strangers shall be
your plowmen and tend your vineyards.
But you shall be named the Priests of the L-rd; men shall call
you the Ministers of our G-d; you shall eat the wealth of the nations,
and in their riches you shall glory.
Zechariah 14:14
And
Psalm 2:8
Ask of me, and I shall give you the nations for your
inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession.
The nation of
VI. Psalms of
Redemption
In closing, I
would like to take some time to present a number of Psalms. The redemption of
Tanach - Psalms Chapter 35 – David
appeals for help against friends turned traitors; so to
1. A Psalm of
David. Contend, O L-rd, with those who contend with me; fight against those who
fight against me.
2. Take hold
of shield and buckler, and stand up for my help.
3. Draw out
also the spear and javelin against those who persecute me; say to my soul, I am
your salvation.
4. Let
those who seek after my soul be confounded and put to shame, let those who
scheme evil against me be turned back and brought to confusion.
5. Let them be
as chaff before the wind; and let the angel of the L-rd chase them.
6. Let their
way be dark and slippery; and let the angel of the L-rd pursue them.
7. For
without cause they hid for me their net; without cause they dug a pit for my
soul.
8. Let destruction come upon him unawares; and let his net that
he hid catch himself; into ruin let him fall.
9. And my soul
shall be joyful in the L-rd; it shall rejoice in his salvation.
10. All my
bones shall say, L-rd, who is like to you, who rescues the poor from him who
is too strong for him; the poor and needy from him who robs him.
11. False
witnesses rise up; they ask me of things that I know not.
12. They repay
me evil for good; a bereavement to my soul.
13. But as for
me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I afflicted my soul with
fasting; and as for my prayer may it return to my own bosom.
14. I
behaved as though he had been my friend or brother; I bowed down heavily,
as one who mourns for his mother.
15. But
when I stumbled they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together; Wretches
whom I knew not tear me in pieces without ceasing.
16. Like
profane men, scornful mockers, they gnashed at me with their teeth.
17. L-rd, how
long will you look on? Rescue my soul from their destructions, my only one from
the lions.
18. I will
give you thanks in the great congregation; I will praise you among a great
many people.
19. Let not
those who are my enemies wrongfully rejoice over me; nor let those who hate
me without cause wink their eye.
20. For they
do not speak peace; but they plot deceitful schemes against those who are quiet
in the land.
21. They
opened their mouth wide against me, and said, Aha,
aha! Our eye has seen it!
22. This you
have seen, O L-rd; do not be silent; O L-rd, do not be far from me.
23. Bestir
yourself, and awake to my judgment, to my cause, my G-d and my L-rd.
24. Judge me,
O L-rd my G-d, according to your righteousness; and do not let them rejoice
over me.
25. Do not let
them say in their hearts, Aha, we have our heart’s
desire! Do not let them say, We have swallowed him
up!
26. Let
those who rejoice at my calamity be ashamed and brought to confusion; let
those who magnify themselves against me be clothed with shame and dishonor.
27. Let those
who favor my righteous cause shout for joy, and be glad; let them say
continually, Let the L-rd be magnified, who delights
in the prosperity of his servant.
28. And my
tongue shall speak of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long.
Tanach - Psalms Chapter 69 – A vivid prophetic
portrayal of
1. To
the chief Musician, according to Shoshannim, A Psalm
of David.
2. Save me, O G-d; for the
waters have come up to my soul.
3. I sink in deep mire,
where there is no standing; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps
over me.
4. I am weary of my
crying; my throat is parched; my eyes fail while I wait for my G-d.
5. Those who hate me
without cause are more than the hairs of my head; those who would destroy me,
who are my enemies wrongfully, are mighty. What I did not steal, must I
restore?
6. O G-d, you know my
folly; and my sins are not hidden from you.
7. Let not those who wait
on you, O L-rd G-d of hosts, be ashamed for my sake; let not those who seek you
be ashamed for my sake, O G-d of
8. Because for your
sake I have suffered insult; shame has covered my face. (visage)
9. I have become a
stranger to my brothers, and an alien to my mother’s children.
10. For
zeal for your house has consumed me; and the taunts of those who taunted you
have fallen upon me.
11. When I wept, and
chastened my soul with fasting, that became a reproach to me.
12. I made sackcloth my
clothing; and I became a proverb to them.
13. Those who sit in the
gate speak against me; and I am the song of the drunkards.
14. But as for me, let my
prayer be to you, O L-rd, in an acceptable time; O G-d, in the greatness of
your loving kindness answer me, in the truth of your salvation.
15. Rescue me from the
mire, and do not let me sink; let me be saved from those who hate me,
and from the deep waters.
16. Do not let the flood
of water sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit shut her mouth
over me.
17. Answer me, O L-rd; for
your loving kindness is good; turn to me according to the multitude of your
mercies.
18. And do not hide
your face from your servant; for I am in trouble; answer me quickly.
19. Draw near to my soul,
and redeem it; ransom me because of my enemies.
20. You know my reproach,
and my shame, and my dishonor; my adversaries are all before you.
21. Insults have broken my
heart; and I am in despair; and I looked for some to take pity, but there
was none; and for comforters, but I found none.
22. And they gave me
poison in my food; and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
23. Let their table become
a snare before them; and when they are at peace, let it be a trap.
24. Let
their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins shake
continually.
25. Pour out your
indignation upon them, and let your wrathful anger take hold of them.
26. Let their habitation
be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents.
27. For they persecute
him whom you have struck; and they tell of the grief of those whom you have
wounded.
28. Add iniquity to
their iniquity; and let them not be admitted into your righteousness.
29. Let them be blotted
out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.
30. But I am afflicted
and in pain; let your salvation, O G-d, set me on high.
31. I will praise the
name of G-d with a song, and I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
32. And it shall please
the L-rd better than an ox or a bull that has horns and hoofs.
33. The humble shall see
this, and be glad; and let your hearts revive, you who seek G-d.
34. For the L-rd hears the
poor, and does not despise his prisoners.
35. Let the heaven and
earth praise him, the seas, and every thing that moves in it.
36. For G-d will save
37. And the seed of his
servants shall inherit it; and those who love his name shall dwell in it.
Tanach - Psalms Chapter 74 – From the agony of exile,
the Jew prays that G-d will deliver His nation, thereby causing His sovereignty
to be acknowledged by the entire world.
1. A Maskil
of Asaph. O G-d, why have you cast us off for ever? Why does your anger
smoke against the sheep of your pasture?
2. Remember your
congregation, which you have purchased of old; the tribe of your inheritance,
which you have redeemed; this
3. Lift up your feet to
the perpetual desolations; the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary.
4. Your enemies roar in
the midst of your congregations; they set up their own signs for signs.
5. They are known as
swingers of axes in the thick forest.
6. But now they break down
its carved work altogether with axes and hammers.
7. They have burned with
fire your sanctuary, they have defiled the dwelling
place of your name.
8. They said in their
hearts, Let us destroy them together; they have burned up all the meeting
places of G-d in the land.
9. We do not see our
signs; there is no prophet any longer; nor is there among us any who knows how
long.
10. O G-d, how long shall
the adversary taunt? Shall the enemy blaspheme your name for ever?
11. (K) Why
do you withdraw your hand, your right hand? Take it out of your bosom!
12. For G-d is my King of
old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.
13. You parted the sea by
your strength; you broke the heads of the crocodiles in the waters.
14. You crushed the heads
of Leviathan, and gave him for food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
15. You cleaved open
springs and brooks; you dried up ever flowing streams.
16. The day is yours, the
night also is yours; you have prepared the light and the sun.
17. You have set all the
borders of the earth; you have made summer and winter.
18. Remember this, how the
enemy has insulted, O L-rd, and how a base people have blasphemed your name.
19. O do
not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild beasts; do not forget the
congregation of your poor for ever.
20. Look upon the
covenant; for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of
cruelty.
21. O let not the
oppressed return ashamed; let the poor and needy praise your name.
22. Arise, O G-d, plead
your own cause; remember how the villain insults you daily.
23. Do not forget the
voice of your enemies; the tumult of those who rise up against you increases
continually.
Tanach - Psalms Chapter 79 – A prayer that
1. A Psalm of Asaph. O G-d,
nations have come into your inheritance; your holy temple have they
defiled; they have laid
2. The dead bodies of
your servants have they given to be food to the birds of the sky, the flesh
of your pious ones to the beasts of the earth.
3. Their blood have they
shed like water around
4. We have become a
taunt to our neighbors, a scorn and derision to those who are around us.
5. How long, L-rd? Will
you be angry for ever? Shall your jealousy burn like fire?
6. Pour out your wrath
on the nations that have not known you, and on the kingdoms that have not
called upon your name.
7. For they have
devoured Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling place.
8. O do
not remember against us our former iniquities; let your tender mercies
speedily come to meet us; for we are brought very low.
9. Help us, O G-d of our
salvation, for the glory of your name; and save us, and forgive our sins, for
your name’s sake.
10. (K) Why should the
nations say, Where is their G-d? let the revenging
of the blood of your servants which is shed be made manifest among
the nations, and before our eyes.
11. Let the groans of the
prisoner come before you; according to the greatness of your power preserve
those who are appointed to die;
12. And render to our
neighbors sevenfold into their bosom their insult, with which they have
insulted you, O L-rd.
13. So we your people
and sheep of your pasture will give you thanks for ever; we will tell
your praise to all generations.
Tanach - Psalms Chapter 83 - The historical enmity of the nations
against
1. A Song Psalm of Asaph.
2. Do not keep silent, O G-d;
do not hold your peace and be still, O G-d.
3. For, behold, your
enemies make a tumult; and those who hate you have lifted up the head.
4. They have taken
crafty counsel against your people, and consulted against your hidden ones.
5. They have said,
Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of
6. For they conspire
together with one accord; they make an alliance against you:
7. The tents of
8. Gebal,
and Ammon, and Amalek; the
Philistines with the inhabitants of
9.
10. Do to them as you did
to the Midianites; as you did to Sisera,
as you did to Jabin at the brook of Kishon;
11. Who perished at Ein-Dor; they became like dung on the earth.
12. Make their nobles like
Oreb, and like Zeeb; and
all their princes like Zebah, and Zalmunna;
13. Who said, Let us take
possession for ourselves of the pastures of G-d.
14. O my G-d, make them like whirling tumbleweed, like chaff before the
wind.
15. As
the fire burns a wood, and as the flame sets the mountains on fire;
16. So pursue them with
your tempest, and terrify them with your storm.
17. Fill their faces with
shame; that they may seek your name, O L-rd.
18. Let them be put to
shame and dismayed for ever; and let them be put to shame, and perish,
19. That men may know that
you alone, whose name is Hashem, is the most high over
all the earth.
Tanach - Psalms Chapter 89 – Throughout its exile,
1. A Maskil
of Ethan the Ezrahite.
2. I will sing of the
constant love of the L-rd for ever; with my mouth I will make known your
faithfulness to all generations.
3. For I have said, the
world is built by love; your faithfulness shall you establish in the very
heavens.
4. I have made a covenant
with my chosen, I have sworn to David my servant,
5. Your seed I will
establish for ever, and build up your throne to all generations. Selah.
6. And the heavens shall
praise your wonders, O L-rd; your faithfulness also in the congregation of the
holy ones.
7. For who in the skies
can be compared to the L-rd? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to
the L-rd?
8. G-d is greatly feared
in the assembly of the holy ones, and held in reverence by all those who are
around him.
9. O L-rd G-d of hosts,
who is strong like you, O L-rd? Or to your faithfulness
around you?
10. You rule the raging of
the sea; when its waves arise, you still them.
11. You have trampled down
Rahab like carrion; you have scattered your
enemies with your strong arm.
12. The heavens are yours,
the earth also is yours; you have founded the world and all that is in it.
13. The north and the
south you have created them; Tabor and Hermon shall
rejoice in your name.
14. You have a mighty
arm; strong is your hand, and high is your right hand.
15. Righteousness and
justice are the foundation of your throne; love and truth shall go before you.
16. Happy is the people
who know the joyful sound; they shall walk, O L-rd, in the light of your
countenance.
17. In your name shall
they rejoice all the day; and in your righteousness shall they be exalted.
18. (K) For
you are the glory of their strength; and in your favor our horn shall be exalted.
19. For
our shield belongs to the L-rd; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.
20. Then you spoke in a
vision to your pious one, and said, I have laid help upon one who is mighty; I
have exalted one chosen from the people.
21. I have found David my
servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him,
22. With whom my hand
shall be established; my arm also shall strengthen him.
23. The enemy shall not
exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him.
24. And I will beat
down his enemies before his face, and strike down those who hate him.
25. But my faithfulness
and my loving kindness shall be with him; and in my name shall his horn be
exalted.
26. I will set his hand
also on the sea, and his right hand on the rivers.
27. He shall cry to me, You are my father, my G-d, and the rock of my salvation.
28. Also I will make him
my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.
29. (K) I will keep my
truth with him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him.
30. His seed also I will
make to endure for ever, and his throne like the days of heaven.
31. If his children
forsake my Torah, and do not walk in my judgments;
32. If they break my
statutes, and do not keep my commandments;
33. Then I will punish
their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with plague/disastor.
34. Nevertheless my loving
kindness I will not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.
35. My covenant I will not
break, nor alter the word which was issued from my lips.
36. Once have I sworn by
my holiness that I will not lie to David.
37. His seed shall endure
for ever, and his throne like the sun before me.
38. It shall be
established for ever like the moon, and like a faithful witness in heaven.
Selah.
39. But you have cast off
and rejected, you have been angry with your anointed.
40. You have renounced the
covenant of your servant; you have profaned his crown to the ground.
41. You have broken down
all his hedges; you have brought his fortresses to ruin.
42. All who pass by the way plunder him; he is a taunt to his
neighbors.
43. You have exalted the
right hand of his adversaries; you have made all his enemies rejoice.
44. You have turned back
the edge of his sword, and have not made him stand in the battle.
45. You have made his
brightness cease, and cast his throne down to the ground.
46. The days of his youth
you have shortened; you have covered him with shame. Selah.
47. How long, L-rd, will
you hide yourself for ever? Shall your wrath burn like fire?
48. Remember how short my
time is; for what nothingness you have created all the sons of men!
49. Who is the man who
lives, and shall not see death? Shall he save his soul from the power of the
gravel? Selah.
50. L-rd, where are your
former oaths of loving kindness, which you swore to David in your faithfulness?
51. Remember, L-rd, the
disgrace of your servants; how I carry in my bosom the insults of all the many
peoples;
52. With
which your enemies have insulted, O L-rd; with which they have insulted the
footsteps of your anointed.
53. Blessed be the L-rd for
evermore. Amen, and Amen.
Tanach - Psalms Chapter 13 – Exile is like a long,
dark, seemingly endless night.
1. To
the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
2. How long will you
forget me, O L-rd? For ever? How long will you hide
your face from me?
3. How long shall I take
counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long shall my enemy
be exalted over me?
4. Look and answer me, O L-rd
my G-d; lighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;
5. Lest my enemy say, I
have prevailed against him; and those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
6. But I have trusted in
your loving kindness; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to
the L-rd, because he has dealt bountifully with me.
Tanach - Psalms Chapter 39 – Suffering makes man aware
of human fraility and transience. One should pray for the ability to devote
oneself to Torah and mitzvot.
1. (K) To
the chief Musician, to Jeduthun, A Psalm of David.
2. I said, I will take
heed to my ways, so that I should not sin with my tongue; I will muzzle my
mouth, while the wicked man is before me.
3. I was dumb with
silence, I held my peace, had no comfort, and my pain was stirred up.
4. My heart was hot within
me; while I was musing the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue,
5. L-rd, let me know my
end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.
6. Behold, you have made
my days like handbreadths; and my age is nothing before you; truly every man at
his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.
7. Surely every man walks
in a vain show; surely they are disquieted in vain; he heaps up riches, and
does not know who shall gather them.
8. And now, L-rd, for what
do I wait? My hope is in you.
9. Save me from all my
transgressions; do not make me the scorn of the villain.
10. I am dumb, I do not open my mouth; because it is you who did it.
11. Remove your
stroke/plague away from me; I am consumed by the blow of your hand.
12. When you, with
rebukes, chastise man for iniquity, you make his beauty consume away like a
moth; surely every man is vanity. Selah.
13. Hear my prayer, O L-rd,
and give ear to my cry; do not keep silence at my tears; for I am a stranger
with you, and a sojourner, like all my fathers were.
14. Look away from me,
that I may recover brightness, before I depart and be no more.
Tanach - Psalms Chapter 44 – Vividly portraying the
recurring oppressions and persecutions of exile, Israel pleads for strength to
endure until it is redeemed.
1. To
the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Maskil.
2. We have heard with our
ears, O G-d; our fathers have told us, what deeds you performed in their days,
in the times of old;
3. How you drove out
the nations with your hand, but planted them; how you afflicted the
people, and cast them out.
4. For they did not get
the land in possession by their own sword, nor did their own arm save them; but
your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your countenance, because
you did favorably accept them.
5. You are my King, O G-d;
command deliverance for Jacob.
6. Through you we will
push down our enemies; through your name we will trample down those who rise up
against us.
7. For I will not trust in
my bow, nor shall my sword save me.
8. But you have saved us
from our enemies, and have put to shame those who hate us.
9. In G-d we have gloried
all the day long, and we praise your name for ever. Selah.
10. But you have cast off,
and put us to shame; and you do not go forth with our armies.
11. You make us turn back
from the enemy; and those who hate us take plunder for themselves.
12. You have given us
like sheep to be eaten; and have scattered us among the nations.
13. You sell your
people for nothing, and you do not ask for a high price.
14. You make us a taunt
to our neighbors, a scorn and a derision to those who
are around us.
15. You make us a
byword among the nations, a shaking of the head among the people.
16. My confusion is before
me all day, and the shame of my face has covered me,
17. Because of the voice
of him who taunts and blasphemes; because of the enemy and avenger.
18. All this has come upon
us; yet we have not forgotten you, nor have we been false to your covenant.
19. Our heart is not
turned back, nor have our steps departed from your way;
20. Though you have
crushed us in the place of jackals, and covered us with the shadow of death.
21. If we had forgotten
the name of our G-d, or stretched out our hands to a strange god;
22. Would not G-d search
this out? For he knows the secrets of the heart.
23. But for your sake
we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
24. Awake, why do you
sleep, O L-rd? Arise, do not cast us off for ever.
25. Why do you hide your
face, and forget our affliction and our oppression?
26. For
our soul is bowed down to the dust; our belly cleaves to the earth.
27. Arise for our help,
and redeem us for the sake of your loving kindness.
VII.
Conclusion
To understand any
particular chapter in the Hebrew bible takes hours of reading and
understanding. It requires a knowledge
of the Hebrew language, or access to someone who can help you with the
language, or at the very least, an accurate translation. In this presentation we looked at over 600
verses, just to gain an understanding of the 15 verses contained in Isaiah 53.
When a missionary
approaches you, and offers you an explanation of the chapter, the missionary
usually shares his understanding of the verse in under five minutes. The missionary then proceeds to ask you for a
decision on this chapter, based on his explanation. You must reject this approach every
time. It is not important what the
missionary tells you it means, nor is it important what I say it means. We must go back to the source and find out
what it means throughout the Hebrew bible.
Research what is being told to you, ask questions to your Rabbi, and to
others who are very familiar with the text.
See if those answers are consistent with what our sages have taught
through the millennia.
I encourage you to
continue your research on this chapter.
The Messiah Truth Project has a six part presentation on Isaiah 53. You can find the presentations at the
websites linked below.
www.messiahtruth.com/isa53a.html à Isaiah 52:13-15
www.messiahtruth.com/isa53b.html à Isaiah 53:1-4
www.messiahtruth.com/isa53c.html à Isaiah 53:5-8
www.messiahtruth.com/isa53d.html à Isaiah 53:9-12
www.messiahtruth.com/isa53e.html à Examination of Christian claims
www.messiahtruth.com/isa53f.html à Refutation of Christian claims
