This prophecy of the Messiah was written by Isaiah around seven hundred years before the first advent of Yeshua (Jesus). The prophecy actually begins in Isaiah 52:13; remember that chapters and verses are not inspired but were added for convenience in quoting and memorizing of the biblical text. So, chapter 53 should actually start from 52:13-15.

This is one of the four Servant Songs of Isaiah. The first song is Isaiah 42:1-9; the second is Isaiah 19:1-13; the third is Isaiah 50:4-11 and the fourth is Isaiah 52:13-53:12. This article will not be exhaustive so you may want to do your own study on these four Servant Songs of Isaiah as each one gives us further insight into the suffering Servant Messiah of Israel.

Today most Jews are not familiar with this chapter as it was removed from the Torah reading in the Synagogues sometime after the time of Yeshua. Today’s rabbis would say that Isaiah 53 is about Israel and not the Messiah. However, this would contradict their Talmud and all the ancient rabbis up to and even centuries after the time of Christ which all say this prophecy is of the Messiah and not a single ancient rabbi says this is about Israel. Also, the text uniformly uses the singular when referring to the servant and never as a corporate entity in this fourth Servant Song of Isaiah. The text also uses the singular pronoun and noun when referring to the Servant.

The passage begins with the last three verses of chapter 52, verses 13-15. God is speaking here and calls us to behold, take note of His Servant that will deal prudently and be exalted and extolled, verse thirteen. But many would be astonished at God’s Servant, as his visage would be marred more than any man and his form more than the sons of men, verse fourteen. This fits in to what Jesus went through with the flogging, the abuse of the soldiers with the crown of thorns, and all this even before the crucifixion. This is also mentioned in Isaiah 50:6 stating: I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pull out My beard; I did not hide My face from insults and spitting.

Isa 52:15 begins with a weird phrase stating that the Servant of God would sprinkle many nations. This is a strange phrase but it pictures the sprinkling of blood on and around the altar in the tabernacle, (Exo 29:16, 20; Lev.1:5, 11). In Leviticus 5:9, the blood is sprinkled as a sin offering, and in Lev 7:2 the blood is sprinkled as a trespass offering. In fact, all the animal sacrifices by Israel foreshadow the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus the Messiah on the cross as the only all sufficient sacrifice for our sins.

Isa 53:1-3 puts to the sword a common misconception that Messiah was good looking as shown in many paintings, iconographies and films that portray Jesus as handsome. Verse 2 says that, ‘he has no comeliness or form and when we see him there is no beauty that we would desire him.’ Verse three continues saying, ‘he was rejected of men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief and we hid our faces from him, despised and we esteemed him not.’ Which is exactly what Israel as a whole did to Jesus during his trial and crucifixion.

Isa 53:4 states, ‘He has borne our griefs, carried our sorrows, he was smitten, stricken of God, and afflicted.’ It is important to note that it is God that strikes him. The death of the Messiah was foreordained before the foundation of the world (I Peter 1:20); Grace given us in Christ Jesus before the world began (II Timothy 1:9). God is the one that punishes the Servant for the transgressions of others; God is the judge and since all have sinned and fall short of God’s standard or righteousness (Romans 3:23); He has provided this righteous Servant as the substitutionary atoning sacrifice in our stead (Romans 6:23).

 Isa 53:5 tells us that this Servant, ‘was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, chastised for our peace and by His stripes we are healed.’ This Servant would suffer for our transgressions and iniquities to bring us peace with the God of the Bible. The healing referred to in this verse is not that of a physical healing from the ailments of our mortal bodies, but rather a  spiritual healing from our transgression and iniquities because through the suffering, death, burial, and resurrection of this Righteous Servant we have been reconciled to a right relationship with God Almighty. The only physical aspect this could refer to is during the rapture where the dead in Christ will be resurrected and those in Christ who are alive will be translated and both the living and the dead in Christ will receive incorruptible immortal bodies without a sin nature (I Corinthians 15:51-54).

Isa 53:6-7 states that because we have all gone our own way and rebelled against the Living God that in order to come back to a right relationship with the God of Israel, He laid upon this Servant the iniquities of us all so He was oppressed and afflicted for our sakes. Yet even so he opened not his mouth to protest the charges against him (Mark 15:3-5; Matt 27:12-14; Luke 23:8-9.

 Isa 53:8-9 reaffirms that this Righteous Servant would have to suffer and die; ‘He was cut off from the land of the living and for My people was He stricken.’ Then it states that ‘He made his grave with the wicked and the rich in his death.’ Indeed, Jesus was crucified between two criminals but His body was claimed by a rich man – Joseph of Arimathea and Jesus body was laid in a brand new unused tomb by this rich man and with the help of Nicodemus (John 29:38-42; Mark 15:43-46). It also reaffirms the righteousness of this Servant in that ‘He had done no violence and neither was there any deceit in His mouth.’

 Isa 53:10 once again affirms that it was the LORD (YHWH) that was pleased to bruise and put this Servant to grief making him an offering for sin and that this Servant will bear much fruit from His death, burial, and resurrection as many will believe in Him and become His seed. They would become children of the Living God and the pleasure or delight of the LORD (YHWH) shall prosper in His hand. God has made this Servant’s sacrifice the propitiation for our sins, (Romans 3:25; I John 2:2, 4:10).

 Isa 53:11 says that what this Servant shall be satisfied with what He has gone through, the travail of His soul; His completed work on Calvary and the knowledge of Him, this Righteous Servant shall justify the many for He shall bear their iniquities. Indeed, this is the reason the Messiah came as stated in John 3:16-18.

 Isa 53:12 states the reward for this Servant been given a portion with the many and divide the spoil with the strong because He has poured out His soul unto death, numbered with the transgressors and he bare the sins of many (Acts 4:8-12; Hebrews 9:28; John 1:29; Romans 5:21 et al. Finally in the last part of verse twelve it states that He made intercession for the transgressors; which is pointing to the Messiahs role as our advocate (I John 2:1-2) and He makes intercession on our behalf (Romans 8:34).

 In summary, Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12 is referring to the death of the Messiah for our transgressions and does not refer to Israel. This was the view of all the ancient Rabbis up to the time of Jesus and was the dominant view of the Rabbis for up to a thousand years after the time of Jesus. The text also uses the individual pronouns “he,” and “him.” This prophecy is so specific in pointing to the death of the Servant for our transgressions that it matches exactly what happened to Jesus the Messiah in his judgement, suffering and death that it is indeed a foreshadowing of the cross.

 God bless and Shalom