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LXX Isaiah

Septuagint

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Chapter 53

1 Lord, who has believed our report? and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?⁠ 2 We brought a report as of a child before him; he is as a root in a thirsty land: he has no form nor glory; and we saw him, but he had no form nor beauty. 3 But his form was ignoble, and inferior to that of all men; he was a man in suffering, and acquainted with the bearing of sickness, for his face is turned from us: he was dishonored, and not esteemed. 4 He bears our sins,⁠ and is pained for us:⁠ yet we accounted him to be in trouble, and in suffering, and in affliction. 5 But he was wounded on account of our sins, and was bruised because of our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and by his bruises we were healed. 6 All we as sheep have gone astray; every one has gone astray in his way; and the Lord gave him up for our sins. 7 And he, because of his affliction, does not open his mouth: he was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he does not open his mouth. 8 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken away from the earth: because of the iniquities of my people he was led to death. 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. 12 Therefore he shall inherit many, and he shall divide the captured goods of the mighty; because his soul was delivered to death: and he was numbered among the transgressors; and he bore the sins of many, and was delivered because of their iniquities.

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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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  • 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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