Isaiah

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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 53:12 and Philippians 2:7

Hebrew Bible · New Testament

Summary

Isaiah 53 describes God’s servant who is despised, abased, and gives himself over to death, then is highly exalted. Paul uses this language to tell the Philippians that Jesus became a servant, humbled himself to death, and was highly exalted by God.

Passages

Isaiah 53:12

Hebrew Bible

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.”

740–450 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Isaiah

Philippians 2:7

New Testament

5 You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had, 6 who, though he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with Godas something to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature. 8 He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross! 9 As a result God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name,

56–63 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Philippians

References

... If Philippians 2.6-9 offers an exegetical reflection on the fourth Servant Song, this is of great importance for the place of Jesus’ resurrection within the thought of the hymn. Within Second Temple Judaism the Servant’s exaltation, although interpreted in a variety of ways, was widely regarded as involving resurrection from the dead, and the fourth Song thus became an important focus point of theological reflection on the resurrection in the Second Temple period (e.g. Wisdom of Solomon 2.12–5.13; Daniel 12.2-3). In harmony with this particular line of ancient Jewish interpretation and in combination with a messianic reading of the passage, Paul in his allusions to the fourth Servant Song elsewhere in his letters explicitly correlates Jesus’ resurrection with the exaltation of the Servant (Romans 4.24-5; 8.34; 1 Corinthians 15.3-5). That Philippians 2.9-11 is an exception seems highly unlikely. Philippians 2.7 ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσεν ("he emptied himself") cf. Isaiah 53.12, "he emptied out his soul unto death"; Philippians 2.7 μορφὴν δούλου ("form of a servant") cf. Isaiah 52.13, 53.11, "my servant" (Aquila, δούλου μου); Philippians 2.8 ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτόν ("he abased himself") cf. Isaiah 53.4, "abased"; Philippians 2.8 μέχρι θανάτου ("unto death") cf. Isaiah 53.12, "unto death"; Philippians 2.9 αὐτὸν ὑπερύψωσεν ("he highly exalted him") cf. Isaiah 52.13, "he will be exalted and lifted up and highly exalted" ...

James Ware, “‘The Word of Life’: Resurrection and Mission in Philippians,” in Paul as Missionary: Identity, Activity, Theology, and Practice, ed. Trevor J. Burke and Brian S. Rosner (London: T&T Clark International, 2011), 215–216.

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

Isaiah66 chapters

Compare Isaiah 53:12 and Philippians 2:7

Summary

Passages

Isaiah 53:12

Philippians 2:7

References

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