Isaiah 53 Study Notes: The Suffering Servant
Speakers confess that they despised the LORD's Servant and wrongly thought God was striking Him down. Yet He was wounded for their sins, silent before accusers, killed and buried though innocent, and by God's will made an offering for guilt; then He lives on, makes many righteous, and prays for sinners.
General
According to 53:6, what has the LORD done with the iniquity of those who wandered away?
Answer: Placed it on the Servant for Him to carry
The speakers include everyone in their confession: all of them have wandered off like sheep, each turning to go his own direction (53:6). No one is left out. Paul makes the same point: no one is righteous, and every one has turned aside (Romans 3:10-12). This is what the Bible teaches about human sinfulness: every part of us is affected, and no one turns back to God on his own. Then comes the turning point of the verse: the LORD Himself put all their iniquity, meaning their guilt, on the Servant. God is the one acting here; He held back not even His own Son, handing Him over for us (Romans 8:32). Peter echoes the verse, saying believers had wandered but have now come back to the Shepherd of their souls (1 Peter 2:25).
- Isaiah 53:6 (BSB)“We all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.”The speakers confess that every one of them wandered off, and that the LORD put their iniquity on the Servant.
- Romans 3:10-12 (BSB)“As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.””Paul gathers Scripture to show that no one is righteous and all have turned away.
- Romans 8:32 (BSB)“He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?”God did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all.
- 1 Peter 2:25 (BSB)“For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”Peter echoes 53:6: believers had wandered like sheep but have now returned to their Shepherd.
Theological
What, according to 53:6, has the LORD done with the iniquity of His wandering people?
Answer: Placed it on the Servant for Him to carry
The confession is universal: all have strayed like sheep, each turning to his own direction (53:6). Paul gathers the Old Testament witness to the same total depravity: none is righteous, all have turned aside (Romans 3:10-12). Against this backdrop the LORD Himself acts, laying the iniquity of all these sinners on the Servant. The atonement originates in God’s own initiative: He withheld not even His Son but handed Him over for all of us (Romans 8:32). Peter’s echo of 53:6 shows the result: those who wandered have come back to the One who shepherds and watches over them (1 Peter 2:25).
- Isaiah 53:6 (BSB)“We all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.”The speakers confess that every one of them wandered off, and that the LORD put their iniquity on the Servant.
- Romans 3:10-12 (BSB)“As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.””Paul gathers Scripture to show that no one is righteous and all have turned away.
- Romans 8:32 (BSB)“He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?”God did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all.
- 1 Peter 2:25 (BSB)“For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”Peter echoes 53:6: believers had wandered like sheep but have now returned to their Shepherd.
General
Jesus said in Luke 22:37 that a line of 53:12 must find its fulfillment in Him. What did that line say?
Answer: That He would be counted among the lawbreakers
The LORD promises the Servant a share among the great and mighty, since He gave up His life to death and was counted among the lawbreakers, while He carried many people’s sin and prayed for the guilty (53:12). On the night before He died, Jesus quoted the line about being counted with the lawbreakers and said it must find its fulfillment in Him (Luke 22:37); the next day He was crucified between two criminals. Hebrews says Christ was offered a single time to carry many people’s sins (Hebrews 9:28), and Jesus said He came to pay with His life the ransom price for many people (Mark 10:45). His praying for sinners continues now: the risen Christ is at God’s right hand, speaking to God on behalf of His people (Romans 8:34). The verse joins His bearing of many people’s sin with His pleading for transgressors, and Reformed Christians see one saving work here: He prays for those whose sin He carried.
- Isaiah 53:12 (BSB)“Therefore I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He has poured out His life unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors. Yet He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.”The LORD gives the Servant a share with the great because He gave His life to death, was counted among sinners, carried the sin of many, and interceded for them.
- Luke 22:37 (BSB)“For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in Me: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about Me is reaching its fulfillment.””On the night before His death, Jesus says this line of 53:12 must be fulfilled in Him.
- Hebrews 9:28 (BSB)“so also Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him.”Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.
- Mark 10:45 (BSB)“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.””The Son of Man came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.
- Romans 8:34 (BSB)“Who is there to condemn us? For Christ Jesus, who died, and more than that was raised to life, is at the right hand of God—and He is interceding for us.”Christ, who died and was raised, is at God’s right hand interceding for us.
Theological
Which line of 53:12 did Jesus say in Luke 22:37 must find its fulfillment in Him?
Answer: That He would be counted among the lawbreakers
The LORD rewards the Servant with a portion among the great because He gave up His life to death and was counted among the lawless, though in fact He was bearing many people’s sin and pleading for the guilty (53:12). Jesus applies the line about being counted among the lawless directly to Himself on the eve of the cross: it must find its fulfillment in Him (Luke 22:37). Hebrews 9:28 echoes the bearing of many people’s sins in Christ’s once-for-all offering, and Mark 10:45 speaks of His life given as the ransom price for many. His intercession continues in His exalted ministry at God’s right hand (Romans 8:34). The verse sets His sin-bearing for many beside His intercession for transgressors, and Reformed theology sees here one saving work: He pleads for those whose sin He bore.
- Isaiah 53:12 (BSB)“Therefore I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He has poured out His life unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors. Yet He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.”The LORD gives the Servant a share with the great because He gave His life to death, was counted among sinners, carried the sin of many, and interceded for them.
- Luke 22:37 (BSB)“For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in Me: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about Me is reaching its fulfillment.””On the night before His death, Jesus says this line of 53:12 must be fulfilled in Him.
- Hebrews 9:28 (BSB)“so also Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him.”Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.
- Mark 10:45 (BSB)“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.””The Son of Man came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.
- Romans 8:34 (BSB)“Who is there to condemn us? For Christ Jesus, who died, and more than that was raised to life, is at the right hand of God—and He is interceding for us.”Christ, who died and was raised, is at God’s right hand interceding for us.
General
What does 53:9 say about where the Servant was buried?
Answer: Among evildoers, yet with a wealthy man when He died
The Servant was taken away by an unjust trial and judgment and removed from among the living, struck down because of the rebellion of God’s people (53:8). His grave was set among evildoers, and with a wealthy man when He died, though He had committed no violent act and told no lie (53:9). The Gospels fit this closely. Jesus was executed between two criminals (Luke 23:32-33), yet a rich man named Joseph of Arimathea placed His body in a new tomb he owned (Matthew 27:57-60). Peter quotes 53:9 to show Christ’s innocence: He never sinned and never spoke falsely (1 Peter 2:22).
- Isaiah 53:8-9 (BSB)“By oppression and judgment He was taken away, and who can recount His descendants? For He was cut off from the land of the living; He was stricken for the transgression of My people. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.”The Servant is taken away by an unjust judgment, cut off for His people’s transgression, and buried, though He was innocent.
- Luke 23:32-33 (BSB)“Two others, who were criminals, were also led away to be executed with Jesus. When they came to the place called The Skull, they crucified Him there, along with the criminals, one on His right and the other on His left.”Jesus was executed alongside two criminals, one on each side.
- Matthew 27:57-60 (BSB)“When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who himself was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. So Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut into the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance to the tomb and went away.”Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man, laid Jesus’ body in his own new tomb.
- 1 Peter 2:22 (BSB)““He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.””Peter quotes 53:9 to say Christ committed no sin and no deceit was found in Him.
Theological
How does 53:9 describe the Servant’s burial?
Answer: Among evildoers, yet with a wealthy man when He died
The Servant is taken away by oppressive judgment and cut off from among the living, struck because of His people’s rebellion (53:8). His burial is appointed among evildoers and yet with a wealthy man when He died, though He had committed no violent act and spoken nothing false (53:9). The burial combines the dishonor of a criminal’s death with an unexpected honor. The Gospel record fits it well: Jesus died between two criminals (Luke 23:32-33) and was laid in the new tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man (Matthew 27:57-60). Peter cites 53:9 to affirm Christ’s sinlessness (1 Peter 2:22), which is what makes His suffering substitutionary rather than deserved.
- Isaiah 53:8-9 (BSB)“By oppression and judgment He was taken away, and who can recount His descendants? For He was cut off from the land of the living; He was stricken for the transgression of My people. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.”The Servant is taken away by an unjust judgment, cut off for His people’s transgression, and buried, though He was innocent.
- Luke 23:32-33 (BSB)“Two others, who were criminals, were also led away to be executed with Jesus. When they came to the place called The Skull, they crucified Him there, along with the criminals, one on His right and the other on His left.”Jesus was executed alongside two criminals, one on each side.
- Matthew 27:57-60 (BSB)“When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who himself was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. So Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut into the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance to the tomb and went away.”Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man, laid Jesus’ body in his own new tomb.
- 1 Peter 2:22 (BSB)““He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.””Peter quotes 53:9 to say Christ committed no sin and no deceit was found in Him.
General
True or False: 53:10-11 speaks of the Servant living on and seeing descendants after His life is made an offering for sin.
Answer: True
This is true. The song has just described the Servant’s death and burial (53:8-9). Yet 53:10-11 says that once His life becomes the guilt offering, the Servant will have descendants and enjoy lengthened days, and after His anguish He will see light and be satisfied, while the LORD’s purpose prospers in His hand. A dead man cannot do these things, so the promise points beyond death. Christians, Reformed teachers among them, have long read this as a promise of the Servant’s resurrection. Jesus taught that Scripture said the Christ would suffer and then rise again (Luke 24:46), and Paul says Christ died, was buried, and was raised, just as the Scriptures foretold (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
- Isaiah 53:10-11 (BSB)“Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush Him and to cause Him to suffer; and when His soul is made a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. After the anguish of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities.”After His soul is made an offering, the Servant is promised descendants, lengthened days, and satisfaction after His anguish.
- Luke 24:46 (BSB)“And He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,”Jesus says it was written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.
- 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (BSB)“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,”Paul says Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
Theological
True or False: 53:10-11 speaks of the Servant living on and seeing descendants after His life is made an offering for sin.
Answer: True
This is true. Having narrated the Servant’s death and burial (53:8-9), the song promises that when His life becomes the guilt offering, the Servant will have descendants and lengthened days, and after His soul’s anguish He will behold light and be satisfied (53:10-11). Since these blessings follow His death, they imply life beyond it, and Reformed interpreters, with the church broadly, see the resurrection here. The New Testament confirms that Scripture foretold the Christ’s suffering and resurrection (Luke 24:46; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4), though it does not quote these particular lines; the offspring are fairly understood as the many who are made righteous through Him (53:11).
- Isaiah 53:10-11 (BSB)“Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush Him and to cause Him to suffer; and when His soul is made a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. After the anguish of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities.”After His soul is made an offering, the Servant is promised descendants, lengthened days, and satisfaction after His anguish.
- Luke 24:46 (BSB)“And He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,”Jesus says it was written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.
- 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (BSB)“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,”Paul says Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
General
According to 53:10, whose will was it that the Servant be crushed and made to suffer?
Answer: The LORD Himself, as His own settled purpose
The verse says plainly that the LORD willed that the Servant be crushed and made to suffer (53:10). His suffering was not an accident or a defeat. It was God’s plan. Peter preached the same about Jesus: He was handed over according to the plan God had fixed and foreknew, and yet Peter charged his hearers with killing Him through lawless men (Acts 2:23). In prayer the early believers said that Herod, Pilate, and the others had done what God had already decided would happen (Acts 4:27-28). God rules over all, and people remain responsible for their sin. The verse also calls the Servant’s life a guilt offering. In the Law, a guilt offering was a sacrifice brought for wrongdoing so that the priest could make atonement, which means covering sin and restoring the person to God, and the person was forgiven (Leviticus 5:17-18).
- Isaiah 53:10 (BSB)“Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush Him and to cause Him to suffer; and when His soul is made a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.”The verse says the Servant’s suffering was the LORD’s will, that His soul is made a guilt offering, and that the LORD’s purpose will succeed through Him.
- Acts 2:23 (BSB)“He was delivered up by God’s set plan and foreknowledge, and you, by the hands of the lawless, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross.”Peter says Jesus was delivered up by God’s set plan and foreknowledge, yet charges his hearers with putting Him to death through lawless men.
- Acts 4:27-28 (BSB)“In fact, this is the very city where Herod and Pontius Pilate conspired with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed. They carried out what Your hand and will had decided beforehand would happen.”The believers pray that Herod, Pilate, Gentiles, and Israel did what God’s hand and will had decided beforehand.
- Leviticus 5:17-18 (BSB)“If someone sins and violates any of the LORD’s commandments even though he was unaware, he is guilty and shall bear his punishment. He is to bring to the priest an unblemished ram of proper value from the flock as a guilt offering. Then the priest will make atonement on his behalf for the wrong he has committed in ignorance, and he will be forgiven.”In the Law, a guilt offering was brought so the priest could make atonement and the guilty person be forgiven.
Theological
Whose will does 53:10 identify as lying behind the Servant’s being crushed?
Answer: The LORD Himself, as His own settled purpose
The text attributes the Servant’s suffering to the LORD’s own will: it was His will that the Servant be crushed and made to suffer (53:10). The cross is the outworking of God’s sovereign decree, yet without removing human guilt. Peter holds both together: Jesus was handed over according to God’s fixed plan and foreknowledge, while Peter charges his hearers with killing Him through lawless men (Acts 2:23); the church confesses that Herod, Pilate, the Gentiles, and Israel did what God’s power and purpose had decided beforehand (Acts 4:27-28). God ordains the event while the sinners who carry it out remain fully accountable. The Servant’s soul becomes the guilt offering, the sacrifice by which the priest made atonement and the guilty were forgiven (Leviticus 5:17-18); His death is the sacrifice that removes the guilt of others.
- Isaiah 53:10 (BSB)“Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush Him and to cause Him to suffer; and when His soul is made a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.”The verse says the Servant’s suffering was the LORD’s will, that His soul is made a guilt offering, and that the LORD’s purpose will succeed through Him.
- Acts 2:23 (BSB)“He was delivered up by God’s set plan and foreknowledge, and you, by the hands of the lawless, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross.”Peter says Jesus was delivered up by God’s set plan and foreknowledge, yet charges his hearers with putting Him to death through lawless men.
- Acts 4:27-28 (BSB)“In fact, this is the very city where Herod and Pontius Pilate conspired with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed. They carried out what Your hand and will had decided beforehand would happen.”The believers pray that Herod, Pilate, Gentiles, and Israel did what God’s hand and will had decided beforehand.
- Leviticus 5:17-18 (BSB)“If someone sins and violates any of the LORD’s commandments even though he was unaware, he is guilty and shall bear his punishment. He is to bring to the priest an unblemished ram of proper value from the flock as a guilt offering. Then the priest will make atonement on his behalf for the wrong he has committed in ignorance, and he will be forgiven.”In the Law, a guilt offering was brought so the priest could make atonement and the guilty person be forgiven.
General
What do 53:2-3 say about the Servant’s appearance and how people received Him?
Answer: Nothing about Him drew people, and He was scorned and shunned
The speakers describe the Servant growing up before the LORD like a small, tender plant sprouting from dry ground (53:2), an image many readers connect with the shoot from Jesse’s stump in 11:1. Nothing in His appearance made people want Him, and He was looked down on and turned away, a man who knew sorrow and grief. People hid their faces from Him, and the speakers admit that they themselves did not value Him (53:3). John says the same of Jesus: the world failed to know Him, and His own people turned Him away (John 1:10-11). Jesus Himself said Scripture had foretold that He would suffer and be rejected (Mark 9:12).
- Isaiah 53:2-3 (BSB)“He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no stately form or majesty to attract us, no beauty that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.”The speakers describe the Servant’s humble beginnings, His lack of outward appeal, and the scorn He met.
- Isaiah 11:1 (BSB)“Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.”Isaiah earlier pictured the coming King as a shoot springing from the stump of Jesse.
- John 1:10-11 (BSB)“He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.”John says the world did not recognize Him and His own people did not receive Him.
- Mark 9:12 (BSB)“He replied, “Elijah does indeed come first, and he restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected?”Jesus says it is written that He must suffer many things and be rejected.
Theological
How do 53:2-3 describe the Servant’s outward form and His reception?
Answer: Nothing about Him drew people, and He was scorned and shunned
The Servant grows up before the LORD as a tender shoot from parched ground (53:2), and many readers hear an echo of the shoot from Jesse’s stump in 11:1, the promised King rising from apparent barrenness. He has no outward splendor to commend Him; He is scorned, shunned, and familiar with sorrow, and the confessing community includes itself among those who held Him in no regard (53:3). The Gospels show the same rejection: the world He made did not know Him, and His own people rejected Him (John 1:10-11). Jesus taught that His own suffering and rejection were written beforehand (Mark 9:12).
- Isaiah 53:2-3 (BSB)“He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no stately form or majesty to attract us, no beauty that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.”The speakers describe the Servant’s humble beginnings, His lack of outward appeal, and the scorn He met.
- Isaiah 11:1 (BSB)“Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.”Isaiah earlier pictured the coming King as a shoot springing from the stump of Jesse.
- John 1:10-11 (BSB)“He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.”John says the world did not recognize Him and His own people did not receive Him.
- Mark 9:12 (BSB)“He replied, “Elijah does indeed come first, and he restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected?”Jesus says it is written that He must suffer many things and be rejected.
General
In 53:11, what does the LORD say His righteous Servant will do for many?
Answer: Declare them righteous and carry their iniquities
In 53:11-12 the LORD speaks again, calling the Servant My righteous Servant. By His knowledge the Servant will bring justification to many, meaning they will be declared right with God, and He will carry their iniquities (53:11). The two belong together: those He makes righteous are the very ones whose sins He bears. Paul explains that one man’s obedience makes many people righteous (Romans 5:19), and that God made the sinless Christ to be sin for our sake so that we could have God’s righteousness by being joined to Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). Reformed Christians see here an atonement that actually accomplishes what it aims at: the Servant’s death secures the justification of the many for whom He died. Jesus came to rescue His own people from sin (Matthew 1:21), as the good shepherd who gives His life for His flock (John 10:11).
- Isaiah 53:11 (BSB)“After the anguish of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities.”The LORD says His righteous Servant will make many righteous and carry their iniquities.
- Romans 5:19 (BSB)“For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.”Through the obedience of one man the many will be made righteous.
- 2 Corinthians 5:21 (BSB)“God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”God made the sinless One to be sin for us so that in Him we might become God’s righteousness.
- Matthew 1:21 (BSB)“She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.””The angel says Jesus will save His people from their sins.
- John 10:11 (BSB)“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”Jesus, the good shepherd, lays down His life for the sheep.
Theological
What does the LORD promise in 53:11 that His righteous Servant will accomplish for the many?
Answer: Declare them righteous and carry their iniquities
The LORD resumes speaking in 53:11-12. By His knowledge the righteous Servant makes many righteous and carries their iniquities (53:11): the righteous One brings many into a right standing with God precisely by carrying their guilt. Paul states the exchange in Romans 5:19, where one man’s obedience brings righteousness to the many, and in 2 Corinthians 5:21, where the sinless One is made sin for our sake so that we could become God’s righteousness in Him. Reformed theology sees in these verses an atonement that truly accomplishes what it was meant to do: the many whose iniquities the Servant bears are the same many He justifies, and so Reformed teachers speak of definite atonement. It accords with the promise that Jesus will rescue His own people from sin (Matthew 1:21) and gives His life for His flock (John 10:11).
- Isaiah 53:11 (BSB)“After the anguish of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities.”The LORD says His righteous Servant will make many righteous and carry their iniquities.
- Romans 5:19 (BSB)“For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.”Through the obedience of one man the many will be made righteous.
- 2 Corinthians 5:21 (BSB)“God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”God made the sinless One to be sin for us so that in Him we might become God’s righteousness.
- Matthew 1:21 (BSB)“She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.””The angel says Jesus will save His people from their sins.
- John 10:11 (BSB)“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”Jesus, the good shepherd, lays down His life for the sheep.
General
In 53:7, how does the Servant respond while He is oppressed and afflicted?
Answer: He stays silent and makes no protest or defense
The Servant is mistreated and humbled, yet He keeps silent. He is compared to a lamb taken to be killed and a sheep that makes no sound while it is sheared (53:7). He does not defend Himself or fight back. Jesus did exactly this: before the chief priests, the elders, and Pilate He answered none of the charges, and the governor was amazed (Matthew 27:12-14). Peter says that when Jesus was insulted He did not insult back, and while suffering He threatened no one, but trusted Himself to God, who judges justly (1 Peter 2:22-23). When an Ethiopian official read 53:7-8 and asked whom the prophet meant, Philip began with that very passage and proclaimed Jesus to him (Acts 8:32-35).
- Isaiah 53:7 (BSB)“He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.”The Servant endures oppression in silence, compared to a lamb and a sheep that make no sound.
- Acts 8:32-35 (BSB)“The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so He did not open His mouth. In His humiliation He was deprived of justice. Who can recount His descendants? For His life was removed from the earth.” “Tell me,” said the eunuch, “who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with this very Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.”The Ethiopian official reads 53:7-8 and asks whom it is about; Philip starts from it and tells him about Jesus.
- 1 Peter 2:22-23 (BSB)““He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.” When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.”Peter says Christ did not retaliate or threaten when He suffered but entrusted Himself to the just Judge.
- Matthew 27:12-14 (BSB)“And when He was accused by the chief priests and elders, He gave no answer. Then Pilate asked Him, “Do You not hear how many charges they are bringing against You?” But Jesus gave no answer, not even to a single charge, much to the governor’s amazement.”Jesus answered none of the charges brought against Him, and Pilate was amazed.
Theological
What does 53:7 emphasize about the Servant’s conduct under oppression?
Answer: He stays silent and makes no protest or defense
Though oppressed and afflicted, the Servant submits without protest, likened to a lamb brought for slaughter and a ewe that makes no sound as she is sheared (53:7). His silence is not weakness but willing submission. The Gospels record its fulfillment when Jesus answered nothing to the charges before the chief priests, the elders, and Pilate (Matthew 27:12-14), and Peter holds up His refusal to retaliate or threaten, entrusting Himself to the righteous Judge (1 Peter 2:22-23). In Acts the Ethiopian official reads 53:7-8 and asks whether the prophet speaks of himself or another; Philip begins from this very text and proclaims Jesus (Acts 8:32-35), the New Testament’s own identification of the Servant.
- Isaiah 53:7 (BSB)“He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.”The Servant endures oppression in silence, compared to a lamb and a sheep that make no sound.
- Acts 8:32-35 (BSB)“The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so He did not open His mouth. In His humiliation He was deprived of justice. Who can recount His descendants? For His life was removed from the earth.” “Tell me,” said the eunuch, “who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with this very Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.”The Ethiopian official reads 53:7-8 and asks whom it is about; Philip starts from it and tells him about Jesus.
- 1 Peter 2:22-23 (BSB)““He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.” When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.”Peter says Christ did not retaliate or threaten when He suffered but entrusted Himself to the just Judge.
- Matthew 27:12-14 (BSB)“And when He was accused by the chief priests and elders, He gave no answer. Then Pilate asked Him, “Do You not hear how many charges they are bringing against You?” But Jesus gave no answer, not even to a single charge, much to the governor’s amazement.”Jesus answered none of the charges brought against Him, and Pilate was amazed.
General
John 12:38 quotes 53:1. What does John use it to explain?
Answer: Why many refused to believe in Jesus despite His signs
The song now shifts to a group speaking as we. They ask who has believed their report, and to whom the LORD’s arm, a picture of His power to save (52:10), has been revealed (53:1). The question expects the answer: very few. John quotes this verse to explain why, even after Jesus had done so many signs before their eyes, people still refused to put their faith in Him (John 12:37-38). Paul quotes it too, for those who did not welcome the good news (Romans 10:16). Seeing God’s saving power in the Servant is not something people reach on their own. It comes as God reveals it, through hearing the message about Christ (Romans 10:17).
- Isaiah 53:1 (BSB)“Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?”The speakers ask who has believed what they report and to whom the LORD’s saving power has been shown.
- Isaiah 52:10 (BSB)“The LORD has bared His holy arm in the sight of all the nations; all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.”Just before, the LORD’s holy arm was bared before all nations to bring salvation.
- John 12:37-38 (BSB)“Although Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still did not believe in Him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?””John quotes 53:1 to explain why people did not believe in Jesus even after many signs.
- Romans 10:16-17 (BSB)“But not all of them welcomed the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”Paul quotes 53:1 for those who did not welcome the good news, and adds that faith comes by hearing the word of Christ.
Theological
To what does John apply 53:1 in John 12:37-38?
Answer: Why many refused to believe in Jesus despite His signs
The speakers of 53:1-6 introduce the Servant with a lament over unbelief: who has believed what they heard, and who has been shown the LORD’s arm, His saving power displayed in 52:10? John cites 53:1 as fulfilled in the unbelief that persisted despite Jesus’ many signs (John 12:37-38), and Paul cites it of those in Israel who did not welcome the gospel (Romans 10:16). The second question implies that recognizing the Servant depends on God’s revealing His arm; faith does not arise from within but comes through hearing the message about Christ (Romans 10:17).
- Isaiah 53:1 (BSB)“Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?”The speakers ask who has believed what they report and to whom the LORD’s saving power has been shown.
- Isaiah 52:10 (BSB)“The LORD has bared His holy arm in the sight of all the nations; all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.”Just before, the LORD’s holy arm was bared before all nations to bring salvation.
- John 12:37-38 (BSB)“Although Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still did not believe in Him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?””John quotes 53:1 to explain why people did not believe in Jesus even after many signs.
- Romans 10:16-17 (BSB)“But not all of them welcomed the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”Paul quotes 53:1 for those who did not welcome the good news, and adds that faith comes by hearing the word of Christ.
General
True or False: In 53:4, the speakers admit that they had assumed God was striking the Servant down.
Answer: True
This is true. The speakers confess that the Servant took up their weaknesses and carried their sorrows, yet at the time they thought He was being struck and afflicted by God (53:4), as if He were suffering for His own wrongs. At the cross the mockers spoke the same way, taunting Jesus that God should rescue Him if He wanted Him (Matthew 27:43). Matthew applies 53:4 to Jesus’ ministry of healing: after He drove out spirits and cured every sick person, Matthew says this fulfilled Isaiah’s words (Matthew 8:16-17). His healings were signs that He had come to deal with the whole burden of human brokenness, which reaches its root in sin (53:5-6).
- Isaiah 53:4 (BSB)“Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.”The speakers say the Servant carried their weaknesses and sorrows, though they assumed God was punishing Him.
- Matthew 27:43 (BSB)“He trusts in God. Let God deliver Him now if He wants Him. For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’””At the cross the mockers taunted Jesus as if God had abandoned Him.
- Matthew 8:16-17 (BSB)“When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to Jesus, and He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.””Matthew says Jesus’ healing of the sick fulfilled what was spoken through Isaiah in 53:4.
Theological
True or False: In 53:4, the speakers admit that they had assumed God was striking the Servant down.
Answer: True
This is true. The confession turns on a misjudgment: the Servant was bearing their infirmities and sorrows, yet they reckoned that God Himself was striking and afflicting Him (53:4), as though His suffering were divine punishment for His own sin. The mockers at Golgotha voiced the same verdict (Matthew 27:43). Matthew applies 53:4 to Jesus’ healing ministry, in which He drove out spirits and cured every sick person (Matthew 8:16-17). Those healings were signs of the Servant’s mission to undo the effects of the fall, whose root, as 53:5-6 goes on to show, is sin.
- Isaiah 53:4 (BSB)“Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.”The speakers say the Servant carried their weaknesses and sorrows, though they assumed God was punishing Him.
- Matthew 27:43 (BSB)“He trusts in God. Let God deliver Him now if He wants Him. For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’””At the cross the mockers taunted Jesus as if God had abandoned Him.
- Matthew 8:16-17 (BSB)“When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to Jesus, and He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.””Matthew says Jesus’ healing of the sick fulfilled what was spoken through Isaiah in 53:4.
General
According to 53:5, why was the Servant wounded and crushed?
Answer: For the wrongs of others, not for any of His own
The speakers now see what they missed: the Servant was wounded because of their rebellion and crushed because of their sins. The punishment that won them peace with God fell on Him, and His wounds brought them healing (53:5). This is substitution, one person taking another’s place, and it is penal substitution because what He took was the penalty their sins deserved. Peter applies the verse directly: Christ carried our sins on the cross so that, finished with sin, we would live for what is right, and the healing he means is rescue from sin (1 Peter 2:24). Matthew applies the nearby words of 53:4 to Jesus’ healing of the sick (Matthew 8:16-17), signs of the Servant’s work, while Peter shows that the deepest healing of 53:5 is from sin itself. Paul says Jesus was handed over because of our trespasses (Romans 4:25) and became a curse in our place (Galatians 3:13).
- Isaiah 53:5 (BSB)“But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”The speakers confess that the Servant suffered because of their sins and that His punishment brought them peace and healing.
- 1 Peter 2:24 (BSB)“He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. “By His stripes you are healed.””Peter says Christ bore our sins in His body on the cross and applies the healing of 53:5 to believers.
- Matthew 8:16-17 (BSB)“When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to Jesus, and He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.””Matthew says Jesus’ healing of the sick fulfilled the words of 53:4.
- Romans 4:25 (BSB)“He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification.”Jesus was handed over to death because of our trespasses.
- Galatians 3:13 (BSB)“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.””Christ redeemed us from the law’s curse by becoming a curse for us.
Theological
What does 53:5 give as the reason for the Servant’s being wounded and crushed?
Answer: For the wrongs of others, not for any of His own
The Servant suffers not for His own sins but for the transgressions and iniquities of the speakers; the punishment that won their peace with God was laid on Him, and His wounds are their healing (53:5). This is substitutionary atonement in its penal form: the Servant stands in the place of sinners (substitution) and bears the punishment their sin deserves (penal). Peter reads the verse exactly this way, identifying the healing as the fruit of Christ’s bearing of our sins on the tree (1 Peter 2:24). Matthew applies 53:4 to Jesus’ healings of the sick (Matthew 8:16-17), signs of the Servant’s mission, while Peter locates the deepest healing of 53:5 in deliverance from sin. Paul likewise says Jesus was delivered over because of our trespasses (Romans 4:25) and redeemed us by being made a curse in our place (Galatians 3:13).
- Isaiah 53:5 (BSB)“But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”The speakers confess that the Servant suffered because of their sins and that His punishment brought them peace and healing.
- 1 Peter 2:24 (BSB)“He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. “By His stripes you are healed.””Peter says Christ bore our sins in His body on the cross and applies the healing of 53:5 to believers.
- Matthew 8:16-17 (BSB)“When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to Jesus, and He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.””Matthew says Jesus’ healing of the sick fulfilled the words of 53:4.
- Romans 4:25 (BSB)“He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification.”Jesus was handed over to death because of our trespasses.
- Galatians 3:13 (BSB)“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.””Christ redeemed us from the law’s curse by becoming a curse for us.