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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 LXX Isaiah 53:10

Hebrew Bible · Septuagint

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Summary

Isaiah 53 describes the servant’s suffering as something desired by God. The Greek Septuagint translation changes this to say that God wishes to “purify” the servant, removing the language that makes God appear violent or harsh.

Passages

Isaiah 53:10

Hebrew Bible
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

LXX Isaiah 53:10

Septuagint
9 And I will give the wicked for his burial, and the rich for his death; for he practiced no iniquity, nor was craft found in his mouth. 10 The Lord also wishes to cleanse him from his stroke. If you can give an offering for sin, your soul shall see a long-lived seed: the Lord also wishes to take away 11 from the labor of his soul, to show him light, and to form him with understanding; to justify the just one who serves many well; and he shall bear their sins.
100–1 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in LXX Isaiah

References

"... The Hebrew text insinuates that it was God who caused the servant to suffer. The translator may have disliked this idea, and hence banned it from his translation. Something similar has happened in verse 10 ... Whereas in the Hebrew it pleases God to crush the servant, the Greek softens the text by stating that God wants to purify him ..."
Mirjam van der Vorm-Croughs, The Old Greek of Isaiah: An Analysis of Its Pluses and Minuses, SCS 61 (Atlanta: SBL, 2014), 467.

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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Comments

  • Is it possible that the LXX preserves a better reading of the original Hebrew, rather than the much later Masoretic text?

    Zoran Sulc, February 2, 2025

  • The Septuagint pre-dates the Hebrew manuscripts, and the NT writers used the Septuagint 90% of the time when they quoted the Old Testament. Perhaps it should be the favored translation of this passage.

    Gracie Allan, October 18, 2026

Isaiah 53:10 and LXX Isaiah 53:10

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