Texts in Conversation
Isaiah 53 says the servant lifts up the illnesses of other people. The Aramaic translation in Targum Jonathan interprets this to say the servant prays about sin rather than carrying them, and forgiveness comes for his sake instead of his suffering.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Isaiah 53:4
Hebrew Bible
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.
Jonathan Isaiah 53:5
Targum
4 Although He will be in contempt, yet He will cut off the glory of all the wicked; they will be weak and wretched. Look, we are in contempt and not esteemed, like a man of pain and appointed to sickness, and as if He had removed the face of His Shekinah from us. 5 Therefore He will pray for our sins, and our iniquities will be forgiven for His sake; for we are considered crushed, smitten of the LORD, and afflicted. 6 He will build the house of the sanctuary, which was profaned on account of our sins; He was delivered over on account of our iniquities, and through His teaching peace will be multiplied upon us, and through the teaching of His words our sins will be forgiven us.
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Notes and References
“... The aspect of the messiah’s activity in Targum Jonathan to Isaiah 53 most congruent with the picture of the servant in Isaiah 53 is his intercession on behalf of Israel (Targum Jonathan Isaiah 53:4, 6, 11) and his teaching (Targum Jonathan Isaiah 53:5, 11), which lead to the forgiveness of Israel’s sins. But here too Targum Jonathan goes well beyond what the Hebrew text has to say, repeatedly insisting on the success of the intercession, which is implied but not emphasized in the Hebrew. Hebrew: Surely he has borne our griefs [literally, sicknesses] and carried our sorrows [literally, pains].... (Isaiah 53:4) Targum Jonathan: Then he will beseech concerning our sins and our iniquities for his sake will be forgiven.... Hebrew: ... Upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5) Targum Jonathan: ... And by his teaching his peace will increase upon us, and in that we attach ourselves to his words our sins will be forgiven us. ...”
Himmelfarb, Martha
Jewish Messiahs in a Christian Empire: A History of the Book of Zerubbabel
(pp. 95-96) Harvard University Press, 2017
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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