Who Is the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53?

Part I - The Jewish Interpretation, Valid or Not?

(Isaiah 52:13-15)

 

 

I.            Introduction

 

The Book of Isaiah contain four passages commonly known as the Servant Songs:  (1) Isaiah 42:1-4, (2) Isaiah 49:1-6, (3) Isaiah 50:4-9, (4) Isaiah 52:13-53:12.  Three of these four Servant Songs (#1, #2, #4) explicitly use the Hebrew term , (avdi), My servant[1], while in #3 such terminology does not appear at all.  Yet, the description of the subject's characteristics in #3 is so strikingly similar to those of the one to which the other three passages refer as , (avdi), My servant, that it is included in the set of four.  These four Servant Songs are considered as passages of exceptional beauty (especially in the Hebrew language) and great religious depth.  According to the major Jewish commentaries, it is apparent that three of these Servant Songs also present some difficulties of interpretation since Jewish Sages do not always agree on the identity of the servant in them.  The only exception is the Fourth Servant Song (Is 52:13-53:12), commonly referred to as "Isaiah 53", where the Sages all agree on the identity of the servant being the righteous remnant of Israel, henceforth referred to as Israel.  Consequently, "Isaiah 53" is not Jewish messianic text.

 

By contrast, many Christians, particularly evangelical Christian missionaries, consider the Fourth Servant Song to be one of the most important Christian messianic prophecies, a so-called "proof texts", in the Bible.  The New Testament, with its many references to "Isaiah 53", provides for them a record of the fulfillment of the prophecy of a suffering and dying Messiah and his eventual return, triumph, and glory.  Curiously, though, this is all being believed even though the common reference terms used in the Hebrew Bible for the promised Messiah, such as David, son of David, or king, are conspicuously absent from the text.  Moreover, a suffering and dying Messiah is not part of the traditional Jewish messianic paradigm, which describes a Messiah that shows up only once, and one who will succeed in executing the messianic agenda, as it is described in the Hebrew Bible, during his reign as king of a unified Israel.

 

It is interesting to note that not all Christians hold this view on "Isaiah 53".  Some prominent Christian sources agree with the common Jewish perspective that the suffering servant in the Fourth Servant Song is collective Israel, the Jewish people.  Namely, Christian Bibles, such as the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Bible, The New Jerusalem Bible, and The Oxford Study Bible, identify Israel as the suffering servant of "Isaiah 53".

 

This essay subjects the Fourth Servant Song to a rigorous analysis, and the viability of the Jewish interpretation is tested by using the teachings of the Hebrew Bible and the historical record.  In a subsequent essay, the Christian interpretation will be subjected to a similar process.  To help with the analysis, a well-known and widely used methodology from the domain of research and discovery, the Scientific Method, has been adapted to suit the analysis, and is applied to the entire process of validation.

 

II.            What Is the Scientific Method?

 

In scientific and other disciplines,  researchers follow a process known as the Scientific Method, a methodology that usually involves four stages:

 

�     First is the Observation stage.  The study of any phenomenon must start with the collection of data (observations) and their systematic arrangement.

 

‚     Second is the Generalization stage.  Not all data related to an event can ever be observed, as this would involve an infinite number of observations of the occurrences of a particular phenomenon.  It is usually desired to draw conclusions without waiting for future occurrences.  Thus, it is assumed that the facts obtained in the previous stage constitute a fair sample, and that a generalized statement about them can be made.  This generalized statement is a tentative scientific law, which is yet unproved – a hypothesis.

 

ƒ     Third is the Verification stage.  If the hypothesis is a useful one, likely to become a valid scientific law, it will have a wider range of applications than that covered by the original observations.  It can be used as a model from which to predict expected occurrences in this broader realm.  This newly deduced information must then be tested in order to determine whether it is, in fact, correct.  If the confirmation agrees with the prediction, the hypothesis becomes firmly established as a rule or law.

 

„     Fourth and last is the Application stage.  Once the Verification stage has been completed and the hypothesis validated, the scientific law can be used to predict, with confidence, future results.  These results may then be used to expand the scope of the original observations.

 

In this study of the Fourth Servant Song, the Observation stage consists of an iterative process that yields the desired fair sample of "data".  In the Generalization stage, this sample is used in formulating a hypothesis.  The validity of this hypothesis is then tested in the Verification stage, which involves a verse-by-verse analysis of the entire passage.  The Application stage of the Scientific Method cannot be adapted to this particular study, since the results obtained apply only to this specific situation and, unlike scientific research, cannot be generally applied to widen the scope of the study.

 

Clearly, when studying the Hebrew Bible, one is not dealing with observed data from natural or social phenomena that need to be subjected to complex and rigorous statistical testing and analysis for the purpose of research and discovery.  However, there is information ("data") contained within the Hebrew Bible, some of which is being misrepresented and misused by Christian apologists and missionaries in promoting their own interpretations.  In order to effectively deal with some of these claims, a rigorous approach to the processing of this "data" proves to be helpful.  The analysis that follows demonstrates how elements of the Scientific Method can be adapted and, along with a thorough knowledge and understanding of the Hebrew language and the Hebrew Bible, forms a powerful weapon with which to counter and successfully refute the claims made by Christian apologists and missionaries.

 

Due to its length and detail, the analysis of the Fourth Servant Song is divided into four segments, each of which is separately analyzed, and the results are cumulatively summarized in tabular form at the end of each respective segment.

 

III.            Segment 1 – Isaiah 52:13-15

 

1. The Hebrew Text with Jewish and Christian Translations

 

Side-by-side English renditions and the Hebrew text of the first portion of the Fourth Servant Song, Isaiah 52:13-15, are displayed in Table III.A-1.  The King James Version (KJV) translation identifies cross-referenced passages in the New Testament.  [The references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).  The corresponding passages quoted below the table are from the KJV.]

 

Table III.A-1 – Isaiah 52:13-15

 

 (1) Romans 15:21(KJV) - But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall

see: and they that have not heard shall understand.

 

There are two highlighted words in the Hebrew text, with their corresponding translations highlighted in the English renditions, which are specifically addressed in the analysis of the corresponding verses.

 

2. Formulating A Hypothesis on the Identity of the Servant

 

The overall goal of this study is to determine the identity of the servant, the subject in the Fourth Servant Song.

 

The opening verse, Isaiah 52:13, provides an opportunity to apply the first stage of the Scientific Method, Observation, i.e., to collect, record, and organize the "data" in a systematic manner that facilitates the preparation of a useful sample of "data" for the next stage.  This verse contains a reference to a servant, specifically, , (avdi), My servant.  Thus, the first data element in the sample is the fact that, speaking in the Name of G-d, Isaiah describes one of G-d's servants:

 

<      Data Element #1:  My Servant is a reference by G-d to one of His servants.

 

Given that this is a servant of G-d, what other "data" (observations) might be relevant?  A search of the Hebrew Bible for all instances of the expression , (avdi), My servant, that apply specifically to a servant of G-d, yields the results shown in Table III.B-1:

 

Table III.B-1 – Identified instances of , (avdi), My servant,  in the Hebrew Bible

 

 *  To facilitate correlation between Name of Servant and Reference, alternating highlighting

     is used when more than one name appears.

** Though not explicitly named, context unambiguously identifies Israel/Jacob as servant.

 

The information in Table III.B-1 is "raw data", and it shows there are many entities in the Hebrew Bible whom G-d called , (avdi), My servant.  An important aspect of the Observation stage is to organize the data so that a suitable sample is obtained.  This organization process may take several iterations before such a suitable sample is extracted from the "raw data".

 

Since the passage being studied is in the Book of Isaiah, the first logical iteration in the process is to focus on the "data" therein.  The recorded "data" for the Book of Isaiah indicate four explicitly identified, and possibly as many as four additional unidentified, entities being referred to as , (avdi), My servant.  However, this is still an inadequate sample of "data" to be used in the next stage of the Scientific Method, and a sharper focus is required.

 

It stands to reason that, since the passage being studied is one of the four Servant Songs, the next iteration in the process should focus the search for useful "data" on the general area in the Book of Isaiah that contains these passages, namely, Chapters 41-54.  Table III.B-1 shows 13 instances of , (avdi), My servant, present in this segment in the Book of Isaiah.  Of these 13 instances, on eight occasions only one entity is explicitly identified as , (avdi), My servant, namely, Israel; on one occasion , (avdi), My servant, can be positively identified as Israel from the context; while the remaining four instances, including the two from the Fourth Servant Song, do not have an explicit reference to an entity.  The passages in which the servant is explicitly identified as Israel are:

 

Isaiah 41:8-9 - (8) But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham My friend. (9) You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called you from its farthest corners, and said to you, “you are My servant; I have chosen you and I [will] not cast you away". 

 

Isaiah 44:1-2,21 - (1) Yet hear now, O Jacob My servant, and Israel, whom I have chosen. Thus says the L-rd your Maker, and He who formed you from the womb shall help you. (2) Fear not, My servant Jacob, and Jeshurun whom I have chosen.   (21) Remember these, O Jacob and Israel, for you are My servant; I have formed you; you are My servant, O Israel, you shall not be forgotten of Me. 

 

Isaiah 45:4 - For the sake of My servant Jacob, and Israel My chosen one, I called to you by your name

 

Isaiah 49:3 - And [G-d] said to me: "you are My servant, O Israel in whom I will be glorified!"

 

These eight instances and the one case (Is 43:10) where the context provides a positive identification, combine to form a useful sample of "data", which makes up another data element:

 

<      Data Element #2: Nine instances located within the part of the Book of Isaiah that includes the four Servant Songs – Isaiah 41:8,9, 43:10, 44:1,2,21(2x), 45:4, 49:3 – positively identify the servant as Israel.

 

Finally, the subject in the two adjacent chapters to the Fourth Servant Song, namely, Isaiah 52 [through verse 12] and Isaiah 54, is indisputably the restored and redeemed nation of Israel.  This constitutes yet another data element from this general area of the Book of Isaiah: 

 

<      Data Element #3: Israel is the subject of the two chapters which surround the Fourth Servant Song.

 

Data Elements 1, 2, &3 comprise the set of "data" (or observations) with which it is now possible to proceed to the Generalization stage of the Scientific Method and formulate a hypothesis concerning the identity of the servant in Isaiah's Fourth Servant Song. 

 

Y      Hypothesis: Israel is the servant in the Fourth Servant Song.

 

This preliminary identification must now be tested, which is done, on a segment-by-segment basis, in the Verification stage of the Scientific Method with a verse-by-verse analysis of the entire Fourth Servant Song.

 

3. Analysis of Isaiah 52:13-15

 

Here starts the Verification stage of the Scientific Method.  The preliminary identification of the servant as Israel has been postulated, and now it must be tested, using evidence from the Hebrew Bible as well as from the historical record, to validate whether Israel = servant "fits" into the context.  A correct interpretation of the text is facilitated by knowing who the "speakers" are as one proceeds through the Fourth Servant Song.  In the opening passage, Isaiah 52:13-15, it is G-d speaking through Isaiah, who conveys His message. 

 

The verses are presented in the two English renditions shown in Table III.A-1.

 

Isaiah 52:13

 

Isaiah 52:13 - Behold, My servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up, and he shall be very high.

 

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

 

The two renditions are reasonably similar.  Isaiah prophesies that G-d's servant, Israel, will be exalted, an event that will cause much surprise among the (Gentile) nations. 

 

That the servant is spoken of in the singular is not an issue here in terms of whether the servant can only be a single individual or may be a compound entity, such as a nation.  For example, as can be seen from the context and poetic motif surrounding "Isaiah 53", the prophet refers to the servant (singular), , (avdi), My servant, as G-d's witnesses (plural), , (eidai), My witnesses, and he uses verbs that are conjugated in the 2^nd-person plural form, , (teid'u v'ta'aminu li, v'tavinu), you will know and believe me, and understand:

 

Isaiah 43:10 – "You are my witnesses", says the L-rd, "and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you will know and believe Me, and understand that I am He; before Me no god was formed and after Me none shall be."

 

Similarly, in the 52^nd and 54^th chapters, the prophet uses both singular and plural terms when he refers to Israel (e.g., Is 52:1-3, Is 54:1).  This characteristic is not unique to Isaiah's style, it is rather common in the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Hos 11:1-2,5).

 

Y      Question:           Does Israel (as G-d's servant) "fit" into Isaiah 52:13?

Y      Answer:              YES!

 

Isaiah 52:14

 

Isaiah 52:14 - As many wondered about you, "How marred his appearance is from that of a man, and his features from that of people!"

 

Isaiah 52:14(KJV) - As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:

 

The two renditions are quite similar, though the Jewish version is clearer on who is speaking, and of whom this is being spoken.  It is worth noting that in several Christian renditions a subtle contextual change in this verse is effected by switching the pronoun from you  to him, something that is acknowledged via a footnote by some (e.g., NIV, RSV).

 

In the previous verse, Isaiah 52:13, Isaiah prophesies that, in the end, Israel will prosper and take its rightful place in G-d's plan.  In Isaiah 52:14, the prophet foretells that this event will cause much surprise and astonishment among the (Gentile) nations, since they habitually looked down upon the Jewish people.  Still being the narrator here and speaking for G-d, Isaiah quotes what the (Gentile) nations will be saying about Israel in their astonishment.  The dismayed (Gentile) nations will see a people, thought to be disfigured and "sub-human", being exalted and successful, a people who have G-d with them and not against them (e.g., Is 52:9-10).  Isaiah reassures his people, Israel, that those who had such visions of them will be stunned when they see that Israel is the one who will be exalted in the end.

 

Y      Question:           Does Israel (as G-d's servant) "fit" into Isaiah 52:14?

Y      Answer:              YES!

 

Isaiah 52:15

 

Isaiah 52:15 - So shall he cause many nations to be startled; kings shall shut their mouths because of him, because that which had not been told to them they saw, and that which they had not heard they perceived.

 

Isaiah 52:15(KJV) - 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.

 

Except for the discrepancy between the Jewish and KJV renditions of the Hebrew term  (yazeh) as shall he cause … to be startled and shall he sprinkle, respectively, the two renditions are similar.  However, since this is a significant discrepancy, it requires further analysis.

 

Table III.C-1 shows all 21 instances (in nine different forms, with and without prepositions) of conjugated verbs in the Hebrew Bible which derive from the root verb  (nazah), which could take on any of the following meanings: [to] sprinkle, [to] shake, [to] drip.

 

Table III.C-1 – Applications of verbs that may derive from the root  (nazah)

 

 

As Table III.C-1 shows, in all but one of the 21 instances of the verb, the matter that was, or was to be, sprinkled is explicitly specified in the respective passages.  Rather than go through all 21 cases, the two instances in which the word in question,  (yazeh), is applied are considered in detail.  The two renditions of the passage for the first of these two cases (#7 in the table) are:

 

Leviticus 16:14 - And he shall take of the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the Ark cover on the eastern side; and in front of the Ark cover shall he sprinkle [ (yazeh)] with his finger from the blood seven times.

 

Leviticus 16:14(KJV) - And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.

 

Both renditions not only state that the blood from a slaughtered bull is to be sprinkled, but also that it is to be sprinkled with the (Priest's) finger upon the cover of the Ark.  Considering Isaiah 52:15, with Leviticus 16:14 as the "model", it seems that the KJV rendition points to the servant who will be doing the sprinkling, but there is no mention of what will be sprinkled nor where and how this will be done.

 

Which is the correct translation?  The first clue is found in the "data" shown in Table III.C-1, where it appears that item #8 does not fit into the rest of the collection.  Noting that, in general, the act of sprinkling is a direct result of a shaking motion by the agent who does the sprinkling, it is reasonable to posit that nothing is being sprinkled in the case of Isaiah 52:15.  Rather, that the appearance of this entity, , (avdi), My servant, will cause those who are present to shake or tremble, perhaps from fear, a common reaction to being startled or surprised.  After all, the term in question,  (yazeh), is a verb in the hiph'il stem (a causative [active] form of the pa'al/qal stem), which means that it reflects an outcome caused by the action of an external agent.

 

Another clue to understanding this term comes in the form of a personal name in the Hebrew Bible, that is derived from the root verb  (nazah).  The name  (yizziyah) appears at Ezra 10:25 among the names of someone's sons.  As is commonplace with many Hebrew names, this name combines one of G-d's titles with a verb or noun that describes some action or attribute associated with the Creator.  In the case of  (yizziyah), that would be either Sprinkled by G-d or Shaken/Startled by G-d.  Since there is no reference to what was being sprinkled, the more likely meaning of this name would be either Shaken by G-d or Startled by G-d.

 

There is also a way, albeit somewhat of a stretch in a literal interpretation of this verse, to associate the verb  (yazeh) in Isaiah 52:15 with the act of sprinkling.  The fact that no mention is made of a physical matter that will be sprinkled, such as blood, oil, or water, could suggest the notion of an intangible substance, such as knowledge and wisdom, that will be "sprinkled".  With this interpretation in mind, the meaning of name  (yizziyah) could also include Sprinkled by G-d.

 

Consequently, the Jewish rendition of  (yazeh) in Isaiah 52:15 as, "… shall he cause … to be startled …", or any number of commonly found variations of it, turns out to be the contextually proper translation.  Although the KJV and most other Christian Bibles mistranslate this term, some Christian translations either agree with the Jewish rendition (e.g., AMP ["startle"], RSV ["startle"], Darby ["astonish"]), or acknowledge it via a footnote (e.g., NIV ["sprinkle"; footnote: Hebrew; Septuagint so will many nations marvel at him], NLT ["startle"; footnote: Or cleanse], NKJV ["sprinkle"; footnote: Or startle]).

 

The intensity of the surprise these (Gentile) nations will experience will not only startle them, but it will cause them to be dumbfounded.  They will observe events that were previously beyond their imagination, and their shock upon witnessing the exaltation of Israel is foretold in the Hebrew Bible:

 

Isaiah 41:11 –  Behold, all those who were incensed against you shall be ashamed and confounded; they who quarreled with you shall be as naught, and be lost.

 

Jeremiah 16:19-20 – (19) O L-rd, 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 shall say:  "Only lies have our fathers handed down to us, emptiness in which there is no benefit."  (20) Can a man make gods for himself, and they are no gods?

 

Micah 7:15-16 – (15) As in the days of your coming out of the land of Egypt will I show him wonders.  (16) Nations shall see and be ashamed of all of their might; they shall lay a hand upon their mouth, their ears shall become deaf.

 

In sharp contrast to the reaction of the (Gentile) nations, the prophets never foretell that the Jewish people will ever proclaim shock or will need to admit a mistake to the (Gentile) nations.  In fact, just the opposite is prophesied in the Hebrew Bible:

 

Zechariah 8:13,23 - (13) And it shall come to pass that, [just] as you were a curse among the nations, O House of Judah and House of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing;  fear not, may your hands be strengthened!

(23) So said the L-rd of hosts: "In those days, when ten men of all the languages of the nations shall take hold of the garment of a Jewish man, saying: 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that G-d is with you'."

 

The Hebrew Bible makes it very clear who made the mistake.  The mistaken ones are the (Gentile) nations, not the Jewish people!

 

Y      Question:           Does Israel (as G-d's servant) "fit" into Isaiah 52:15?

Y      Answer:              YES!

 

4. Interim Summary – Isaiah 52:13-15

 

Using the Scientific Method, the following hypothesis was formulated:

 

Y      Hypothesis: Israel is the servant in the Fourth Servant Song.

 

In Sec III.C, the hypothesis was tested on the opening three-verse segment of the Fourth Servant Song.  The contextual consistency of these three verses with the teachings of the Hebrew Bible verified that the identification of Israel as the servant fits this opening passage.  As has been demonstrated here and elsewhere, a thorough knowledge and understanding of the Hebrew language and of the Hebrew Bible are necessary, not optional, resources when attempting to develop a correct interpretation of any passage in the Hebrew Scriptures.

 

The results of the analysis of Isaiah 52:13-15 are summarized in Table III.D-1.

 

Table III.D-1 – Summary of results from Validation stage: Isaiah 52:13-15