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Isaiah

About this book
Chapter 53

1 Who would have believed what we just heard? When was the Lord’s power revealed through him? 2 He sprouted up like a twig before God, like a root out of parched soil; he had no stately form or majesty that might catch our attention, no special appearance that we should want to follow him.⁠ 3 He was despised and rejected by people,⁠ one who experienced pain and was acquainted with illness; people hid their faces from him; he was despised, and we considered him insignificant. 4 But he lifted up our illnesses, he carried our pain;⁠ even though we thought he was being punished, attacked by God, and afflicted for something he had done.⁠ 5 He was wounded because of our rebellious deeds, crushed because of our sins; he endured punishment that made us well; because of his wounds we have been healed.⁠ 6 All of us had wandered off like sheep; each of us had strayed off on his own path, but the Lord caused the sin of all of us to attack him. 7 He was treated harshly and afflicted, but he did not even open his mouth.⁠ Like a lamb led to the slaughtering block,⁠ like a sheep silent before her shearers, he did not even open his mouth.⁠ 8 He was led away after an unjust trial—but who even cared? Indeed, he was cut off from the land of the living; because of the rebellion of his own people he was wounded. 9 They intended to bury him with criminals, but he ended up in a rich man’s tomb because he had committed no violent deeds, nor had he spoken deceitfully. 10 Though the Lord desired to crush him and make him ill,⁠ once restitution is made, he will see descendants and enjoy long life,⁠ and the Lord’s purpose will be accomplished through him.⁠ 11 Having suffered, he will reflect on his work, he will be satisfied when he understands what he has done.⁠ “My servant will acquit many, for he carried their sins.⁠ 12 So I will assign him a portion with the multitudes, he will divide the spoils of victory with the powerful, because he willingly submitted to death⁠ and was numbered with the rebels, when he lifted up the sin of many and intervened on behalf of the rebels.”⁠

Texts in conversation

Compare Isaiah 53:10 and Jonathan Isaiah 53:10

Hebrew Bible · Targum

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Summary

Isaiah 53 describes a servant who suffers unjustly and is rewarded with honor. The Aramaic translation in the Targum reinterprets this figure as a victorious messiah who builds the temple, leads God’s kingdom, and teaches how to obey the Torah.

Passages

Isaiah 53:10

Hebrew Bible
8 He was led away after an unjust trial—but who even cared? Indeed, he was cut off from the land of the living; because of the rebellion of his own people he was wounded. 9 They intended to bury him with criminals, but he ended up in a rich man’s tomb because he had committed no violent deeds, nor had he spoken deceitfully. 10 Though the Lord desired to crush him and make him ill, once restitution is made, he will see descendants and enjoy long life, and the Lord’s purpose will be accomplished through him. 11 Having suffered, he will reflect on his work, he will be satisfied when he understands what he has done. “My servant will acquit many, for he carried their sins.
740–450 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Isaiah

Jonathan Isaiah 53:10

Targum
8 He will pray, and He will be answered; yes, before He opens His mouth He will be heard. He will deliver over the mighty of the nations like a lamb to the slaughter, and like a sheep that is dumb before her shearers; none will open his mouth in His presence or speak a word. 9 He will gather our captives from affliction and pain, and who will be able to recount the wonderful works that will be done for us in His days? He will remove the rule of the nations from the land of Israel; the sins that my people have committed have come upon them. 10 And He will deliver the wicked into hell, and the riches of treasures that they got by violence to the death of Abaddon, so that those who commit sin will not remain, and that they should not speak folly with their mouth. 11 And it was the pleasure of the LORD to refine and purify the remnant of His people, in order to cleanse their souls from sin, that they might see the kingdom of their Messiah, that their sons and daughters might multiply and prolong their days, and that those who keep the Torah of the LORD might prosper through His pleasure.
200–300 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Jonathan Isaiah

References

"... This Targum has proven to be valuable for NT study, particularly in Jesus research. Chilton notes special interest in the Messiah (an idea largely shaped in the period between the two wars with Rome) and the regathering of the Jewish exiles. Isaiah 53 (or 52:13-53:12 to be precise) is interpreted messianically. But the Messiah is not a suffering Servant; he is a glorious and conquering hero. For example, whereas the Hebrew of 53:9 reads, "they made [the Servant's] grave with the wicked," Targum Isaiah reads, '[the Servant] will hand over the wicked to Gehenna.' This Messiah will build the Sanctuary (53:5) and God will establish his kingdom (53:10) ..."
Craig A. Evans, Ancient Texts for New Testament Studies: A Guide to the Background Literature (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2005), 195.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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