TRV
Study This Verse
Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Isaiah 53:4–9. His four-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
In these verses we have,
I.A further account of the sufferings of Christ.
Much was said before, but more is said here, of the very low condition to which he abased and humbled himself, to which he became obedient even to the death of the cross.
1.He had griefs and sorrows; being acquainted with them, he kept up the acquaintance, and did not grow shy, no, not of such melancholy acquaintance. Were griefs and sorrows allotted him? He bore them, and blamed not his lot; he carried them, and did neither shrink from them, nor sink under them. The load was heavy and the way long, and yet he did not tire, but persevered to the end, till he said, It is finished.
2.He had blows and bruises; he was stricken, smitten, and afflicted. His sorrows bruised him; he felt pain and smart from them; they touched him in the most tender part, especially when God was dishonoured, and when he forsook him upon the cross. All along he was smitten with the tongue, when he was cavilled at and contradicted, put under the worst of characters, and had all manner of evil said against him. At last he was smitten with the hand, with blow after blow.
3.He had wounds and stripes. He was scourged, not under the merciful restriction of the Jewish law, which allowed not above forty stripes to be given to the worst of male factors, but according to the usage of the Romans. And his scourging, doubtless, was the more severe because Pilate intended it as an equivalent for his crucifixion, and yet it proved a preface to it. He was wounded in his hands, and feet, and side. Though it was so ordered that not a bone of him should be broken, yet he had scarcely in any part a whole skin (how fond soever we are to sleep in one, even when we are called out to suffer for him), but from the crown of his head, which was crowned with thorns, to the soles of his feet, which were nailed to the cross, nothing appeared but wounds and bruises.
4.He was wronged and abused (Isa 53:7): He was oppressed, injuriously treated and hardly dealt with. That was laid to his charge which he was perfectly innocent of, that laid upon him which he did not deserve, and in both he was oppressed and injured. He was afflicted both in mind and body; being oppressed, he laid it to heart, and, though, he was patient, was not stupid under it, but mingled his tears with those of the oppressed, that have no comforter, because on the side of the oppressors there is power, Ecc 4:1. Oppression is a sore affliction; it has made many a wise man mad (Ecc 7:7); but our Lord Jesus, though, when he was oppressed, he was afflicted, kept possession of his own soul. 5. he was judged and imprisoned, as is implied in his being taken from prison and judgment, Isa 53:8. God having made him sin for us, he was proceeded against as a malefactor; he was apprehended and taken into custody, and made a prisoner; he was judge, accused, tried, and condemned, according to the usual forms of law: God filed a process against him, judged him in pursuance of that process, and confined him in the prison of the grave, at the door of which a stone was rolled and sealed. 6. He was cut off by an untimely death from the land of the living, though he lived a most useful life, did so many good works, and they were all such that one would be apt to think it was for some of them that they stoned him. He was stricken to death, to the grave which he made with the wicked (for he was crucified between two thieves, as if he had been the worst of the three) and yet with the rich, for he was buried in a sepulchre that belonged to Joseph, an honourable counsellor. Though he died with the wicked, and according to the common course of dealing with criminals should have been buried with them in the place where he was crucified, yet God here foretold, and Providence so ordered it, that he should make his grave with the innocent, with the rich, as a mark of distinction put between him and those that really deserved to die, even in his sufferings.
II.A full account of the meaning of his sufferings.
It was a very great mystery that so excellent a person should suffer such hard things; and it is natural to ask with amazement, "How came it about? What evil had he done?" His enemies indeed looked upon him as suffering justly for his crimes; and, though they could lay nothing to his charge, they esteemed him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted, Isa 53:4. Because they hated him, and persecuted him, they thought that God did, that he was his enemy and fought against him; and therefore they were the more enraged against him, saying, God has forsaken him; persecute and take him, Psa 71:11. Those that are justly smitten are smitten of God, for by him princes decree justice; and so they looked upon him to be smitten, justly put to death as a blasphemer, a deceiver, and an enemy to Caesar. Those that saw him hanging on the cross enquired not into the merits of his cause, but took it for granted that he was guilty of every thing laid to his charge and that therefore vengeance suffered him not to live. Thus Job's friends esteemed him smitten of God, because there was something uncommon in his sufferings. It is true he was smitten of God, Isa 53:10 (or, as some read it, he was God's smitten and afflicted, the Son of God, though smitten and afflicted), but not in the sense in which they meant it; for, though he suffered all these things,
1.He never did any thing in the least to deserve this hard usage. Whereas he was charged with perverting the nation, and sowing sedition, it was utterly false; he had done no violence, but went about doing good. And, whereas he was called that deceiver, he never deserved that character; for there was no deceit in his mouth (Isa 53:9), to which the apostle refers, Pe1 2:22. He did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. He never offended either in word or deed, nor could any of his enemies take up that challenge of his, Which of you convinceth me of sin? The judge that condemned owned he found no fault in him, and the centurion that executed him professed that certainly he was a righteous man.
2.He conducted himself under his sufferings so as to make it appear that he did not suffer as an evil-doer; for, though he was oppressed and afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth (Isa 53:7), no, not so much as to plead his own innocency, but freely offered himself to suffer and die for us, and objected nothing against it. This takes away the scandal of the cross, that he voluntarily submitted to it, for great and holy ends. By his wisdom he could have evaded the sentence, and by his power have resisted the execution; but thus it was written, and thus it behoved him to suffer. This commandment he received from his Father, and therefore he was led as a lamb to the slaughter, without any difficulty or reluctance (he is the Lamb of God); and as a sheep is dumb before the shearers, nay, before the butchers, so he opened not his mouth, which denotes not only his exemplary patience under affliction (Psa 39:9), and his meekness under reproach (Psa 38:13), but his cheerful compliance with his Father's will. Not my will, but thine be done. Lo, I come. By this will we are sanctified, his making his own soul, his own life, an offering for our sin.
3.It was for our good, and in our stead, that Jesus Christ suffered. This is asserted here plainly and fully, and in a very great variety of emphatical expressions.
(1.)It is certain that we are all guilty before God. We have all sinned, and have come short of the glory of God (Isa 53:6): All we like sheep have gone astray, one as well as another. The whole race of mankind lies under the stain of original corruption, and every particular person stands charged with many actual transgressions. We have all gone astray from God our rightful owner, alienated ourselves from him, from the ends he designed us to move towards and the way he appointed us to move in. We have gone astray like sheep, which are apt to wander, and are unapt, when they have gone astray, to find the way home again. That is our true character; we are bent to backslide from God, but altogether unable of ourselves to return to him. This is mentioned not only as our infelicity (that we go astray from the green pastures and expose ourselves to the beasts of prey), but as our iniquity. We affront God in going astray from him, for we turn aside every one to his own way, and thereby set up ourselves, and our own will, in competition with God and his will, which is the malignity of sin. Instead of walking obediently in God's way, we have turned wilfully and stubbornly to our own way, the way of our own heart, the way that our own corrupt appetites and passions lead us to. We have set up for ourselves, to be our own masters, our own carvers, to do what we will and have what we will. Some think it intimates our own evil way, in distinction from the evil way of others. Sinners have their own iniquity, their beloved sin, which does most easily beset them, their own evil way, that they are particularly fond of and bless themselves in.
(2.)Our sins are our sorrows and our griefs (Isa 53:4), or, as it may be read, our sicknesses and our wounds: the Septuagint reads it, our sins; and so the apostle, Pe1 2:24. Our original corruptions are the sickness and disease of the soul, an habitual indisposition; our actual transgressions are the wounds of the soul, which put conscience to pain, if it be not seared and senseless. Or our sins are called our griefs and sorrows because all our griefs and sorrows are owing to our sins and our sins deserve all our griefs and sorrows, even those that are most extreme and everlasting.
(3.)Our Lord Jesus was appointed and did undertake to make satisfaction for our sins and so to save us from the penal consequences of them.
[1.]He was appointed to do it, by the will of his Father; for the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. God chose him to be the Saviour of poor sinners and would have him to save them in this way, by bearing their sins and the punishment of them; not the idem - the same that we should have suffered, but the tantundem - that which was more than equivalent for the maintaining of the honour of the holiness and justice of God in the government of the world. Observe here, First, In what way we are saved from the ruin to which by sin we had become liable - by laying our sins on Christ, as the sins of the offerer were laid upon the sacrifice and those of all Israel upon the head of the scape-goat. Our sins were made to meet upon him (so the margin reads it); the sins of all that he was to save, from every place and every age, met upon him, and he was met with for them. They were made to fall upon him (so some read it) as those rushed upon him that came with swords and staves to take him. The laying of our sins upon Christ implies the taking of them off from us; we shall not fall under the curse of the law if we submit to the grace of the gospel. They were laid upon Christ when he was made sin (that is, a sin-offering) for us, and redeemed us from the curse of the law by being made a curse for us; thus he put himself into a capacity to make those easy that come to him heavily laden under the burden of sin. See Psa 40:6-12. Secondly, By whom this was appointed. It was the Lord that laid our iniquities on Christ; he contrived this way of reconciliation and salvation, and he accepted of the vicarious satisfaction Christ was to make. Christ was delivered to death by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. None but God had power to lay our sins upon Christ, both because the sin was committed against him and to him the satisfaction was to be made, and because Christ, on whom the iniquity was to be laid, was his own Son, the Son of his love, and his holy child Jesus, who himself knew no sin. Thirdly, For whom this atonement was to be made. It was the iniquity of us all that was laid on Christ; for in Christ there is a sufficiency of merit for the salvation of all, and a serious offer made of that salvation to all, which excludes none that do not exclude themselves. It intimates that this is the one only way of salvation. All that are justified are justified by having their sins laid on Jesus Christ, and, though they were ever so many, he is able to bear the weight of them all.
[2.]He undertook to do it. God laid upon him our iniquity; but did he consent to it? Yes, he did; for some think that the true reading of the next words (Isa 53:7) is, It was exacted, and he answered; divine justice demanded satisfaction for our sins, and he engaged to make the satisfaction. He became our surety, not as originally bound with us, but as bail to the action: "Upon me be the curse, my Father." And therefore, when he was seized, he stipulated with those into whose hands he surrendered himself that that should be his disciples' discharge: If you seek me, let these go their way, Joh 18:8. By his own voluntary undertaking he made himself responsible for our debt, and it is well for us that he was responsible. Thus he restored that which he took not away.
(4.)Having undertaken our debt, he underwent the penalty. Solomon says: He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it. Christ, being surety for us, did smart for it.
[1.]He bore our griefs and carried our sorrows, Isa 53:4. He not only submitted to the common infirmities of human nature, and the common calamities of human life, which sin had introduced, but he underwent the extremities of grief, when he said, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful. He made the sorrows of this present time heavy to himself, that he might make them light and easy for us. Sin is the wormwood and the fall in the affliction and the misery. Christ bore our sins, and so bore our griefs, bore them off us, that we should never be pressed above measure. This is quoted (Mat 8:17) with application to the compassion Christ had for the sick that came to him to be cured and the power he put forth to cure them.
[2.]He did this by suffering for our sins (Isa 53:5): He was wounded for our transgressions, to make atonement for them and to purchase for us the pardon of them. Our sins were the thorns in his head, the nails in his hands and feet, the spear in his side. Wounds and bruises were the consequences of sin, what we deserved and what we had brought upon ourselves, Isa 1:6. That these wounds and bruises, though they are painful, may not be mortal, Christ was wounded for our transgressions, was tormented or pained (the word is used for the pains of a woman in travail) for our revolts and rebellions. He was bruised, or crushed, for our iniquities; they were the procuring cause of his death. To the same purport is Isa 53:8, for the transgression of my people was he smitten, the stroke was upon him that should have been upon us; and so some read it, He was cut off for the iniquity of my people, unto whom the stroke belonged, or was due. He was delivered to death for our offences, Rom 4:25. Hence it is said to be according to the scriptures, according to this scripture, that Christ died for our sins, Co1 15:3. Some read this, by the transgressions of my people; that is, by the wicked hands of the Jews, who were, in profession, God's people, he was stricken, was crucified and slain, Act 2:23. But, doubtless, we are to take it in the former sense, which is abundantly confirmed by the angel's prediction of the Messiah's undertaking, solemnly delivered to Daniel, that he shall finish transgression, make an end of sin, and make reconciliation for iniquity, Dan 9:24.
(5.)The consequence of this to us is our peace and healing, Isa 53:5.
[1.]Hereby we have peace: The chastisement of our peace was upon him; he, by submitting to these chastisements, slew the enmity, and settled an amity, between God and man; he made peace by the blood of his cross. Whereas by sin we had become odious to God's holiness and obnoxious to his justice, through Christ God is reconciled to us, and not only forgives our sins and saves us from ruin, but takes us into friendship and fellowship with himself, and thereby peace (that is, all good) comes unto us, Col 1:20. He is our peace, Eph 2:14. Christ was in pain that we might be at ease; he gave satisfaction to the justice of God that we might have satisfaction in our own minds, might be of good cheer, knowing that through him our sins are forgiven us.
[2.]Hereby we have healing; for by his stripes we are healed. Sin is not only a crime, for which we were condemned to die and which Christ purchased for us the pardon of, but it is a disease, which tends directly to the death of our souls and which Christ provided for the cure of. By his stripes (that is, the sufferings he underwent) he purchased for us the Spirit and grace of God to mortify our corruptions, which are the distempers of our souls, and to put our souls in a good state of health, that they may be fit to serve God and prepared to enjoy him. And by the doctrine of Christ's cross, and the powerful arguments it furnishes us with against sin, the dominion of sin is broken in us and we are fortified against that which feeds the disease.
(6.)The consequence of this to Christ was his resurrection and advancement to perpetual honour. This makes the offence of the cross perfectly to cease; he yielded himself to die as a sacrifice, as a lamb, and, to make it evident that the sacrifice he offered of himself was accepted, we are told here, Isa 53:8,
[1.]That he was discharged: He was taken from prison and from judgment; whereas he was imprisoned in the grave under a judicial process, lay there under an arrest for our debt, and judgment seemed to be given against him, he was by an express order from heaven taken out of the prison of the grave, an angel was sent on purpose to roll away the stone and set him at liberty, by which the judgment given against him was reversed and taken off; this redounds not only to his honour, but to our comfort; for, being delivered for our offences, he was raised again for our justification. That discharge of the bail amounted to a release of the debt.
[2.]That he was preferred: Who shall declare his generation? his age, or continuance (so the word signifies), the time of his life? He rose to die no more; death had no more dominion over him. He that was dead is alive, and lives for evermore; and who can describe that immortality to which he rose, or number the years and ages of it? And he is advanced to this eternal life because for the transgression of his people he became obedient to death. We may take it as denoting the time of his usefulness, as David is said to serve his generation, and so to answer the end of living. Who can declare how great a blessing Christ by his death and resurrection will be to the world? Some by his generation understand his spiritual seed: Who can count the vast numbers of converts that shall by the gospel be begotten to him, like the dew of the morning?
When thus exalted he shall live to see
A numberless believing progeny
Of his adopted sons; the godlike race
Exceed the stars that heav'n's high arches grace.
- Sir R. Blackmore
Of this generation of his let us pray, as Moses did for Israel, The Lord God of our fathers make them a thousand times so many more as they are, and bless them as he has promised them, Deu 1:11.
Historical interpretation
Four Centuries of Reception
12 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them. When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. [Isaiah 53:4]
For Christ is of those who are humble-minded, and not of those who exalt themselves over His flock. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Sceptre of the majesty of God, did not come in the pomp of pride or arrogance, although He might have done so, but in a lowly condition, as the Holy Spirit had declared regarding Him. For He says, "Lord, who has believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? We have declared [our message] in His presence: He is, as it were, a child, and like a root in thirsty ground; He has no form nor glory, yea, we saw Him, and He had no form nor comeliness; but His form was without eminence, yea, deficient in comparison with the [ordinary] form of men. He is a man exposed to stripes and suffering, and acquainted with the endurance of grief: for His countenance was turned away; He was despised, and not esteemed. He bears our iniquities, and is in sorrow for our sakes; yet we supposed that [on His own account] He was exposed to labour, and stripes, and affliction. But He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we were healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray; [every] man has wandered in his own way; and the Lord has delivered Him up for our sins, while He in the midst of His sufferings opens not His mouth. He was brought as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before her shearer is dumb, so He opens not His mouth. In His humiliation His judgment was taken away; who shall declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth. For the transgressions of my people was He brought down to death. And I will give the wicked for His sepulchre, and the rich for His death, because He did no iniquity, neither was guile found in His mouth. And the Lord is pleased to purify him by stripes. If you make an offering for sin, your soul shall see a long-lived seed. And the Lord is pleased to relieve Him of the affliction of His soul, to show Him light, and to form Him with understanding, to justify the Just One who ministers well to many; and He Himself shall carry their sins. On this account He shall inherit many, and shall divide the spoil of the strong; because His soul was delivered to death, and He was reckoned among the transgressors, and He bare the sins of many, and for their sins was He delivered." [Isaiah 53:1-12] And again He says, "I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All that see me have derided me; they have spoken with their lips; they have wagged their head, [saying] He hoped in God, let Him deliver Him, let Him save Him, since He delights in Him." [Psalm 22:6-8] You see, beloved, what is the example which has been given us; for if the Lord thus humbled Himself, what shall we do who have through Him come under the yoke of His grace?
Now the Greeks are accustomed to use for “carry” a word that also signifies “to take away.” … Whatever were the cures that Jesus effected, he is mine.
Therefore, when it is said that he was “troubled in spirit,” that “he was sorrowful in soul,” that “he was wounded in body,” he places before us designations of susceptibilities proper to our constitution, in order to show that he was made man in the world and had his conversation with [people], yet without sin.
How could one say that the body of the Lord [Christ] is void of soul and understanding? For perturbation and grief and distress are not the properties either of a flesh void of a soul or of a soul void of understanding; nor are they the sign of the nature of immutable divinity or the index of a mere phantasm; nor do they mark the defect of human moral weakness. But the Word exhibited in himself the exercise of the affections and susceptibilities proper to us, having endued himself with our passibility, even as it is written, that “he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” For perturbation and grief and distress are disorders of soul; and toil, and sleep and the body’s liability to wounding are infirmities of the flesh.
We did not reckon him to be much or wonder who he was then. He was, however, the Savior of our souls, the healer and purifier of all sin. Therefore it continues, “He bore our sins … though we reckoned him struck down by God and humiliated,” as Aquila has it.… We like babes had this opinion of him while he suffered these things for us, so as to save us from all disgrace … he was wounded and became a curse for us … he became a peace offering … who was through all his life a sin offering in word and deed.
[To bishops.] For as yours is the burden, so you receive as your fruit the supply of food and other necessities. For you imitate Christ the Lord; and as he “bore the sins of us all on the tree” at his crucifixion, the innocent for those who deserved punishment, so also you ought to bear the sins of the people your own. For concerning our Savior it is said in Isaiah, “He bears our sins and is afflicted for us.” … For do not you imagine that the office of a bishop is an easy or light burden.
“He was made flesh” seems to be equivalent to that in which it is said that he was made sin or a curse for us, not that the Lord was transmuted into either of these—for how could he? But because by taking them on him he “took away our iniquities and bore our infirmities.”
Let him be understood now not as the Word of God and wisdom but as servant and boy.… And here there will be the greater miracle that his appearance will be inglorious among people, not in that it means a foulness of form but that he came in lowliness and poverty.… “He will wash many nations,” cleansing them with his blood and consecrating for service in the baptism of God.…He did not have beauty or glory. His form was base and lacking before [humanity], or as the Hebrew has it, despised and least among people.… How then can it be said in the psalms, “Gird your side with your sword, O most powerful, with your beauty and fairness”? This puzzle can be easily solved. He was despised and base when he hung on the cross and was made for us a curse and carried out sins and said to the Father, “God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” But he was glorious and fair in appearance when, at his passion, the earth trembled, rocks were split and the elements were terrified at the sun’s fleeing and the eternal night.
(Chapter 53, verses 1 and following) Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground: he has no form or comeliness; and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and we hid, as it were, our faces from him; he was despised, and we did not esteem him. Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. LXX: But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. A man in distress, and knowing how to bear infirmity, because his face is turned away, despised and not esteemed. He carries our sins, and grieves for us, and we have reckoned him to be in pain, and in affliction. After the words of the Father, by which he had announced to the world that his son would come; and before the scandal of the cross, about which he was going to say: His appearance will be inglorious, and his form unlike that of other men, he had foretold the glory of the resurrection: He will be exalted and lifted up, and will be greatly exalted: so that, by the humility of the cross, he might anticipate the glory of the resurrection. The choir of prophets responded that they had fulfilled their duty, and had proclaimed to all the power and strength of his arm, as much as they could. But concerning what he says: Who has believed our report, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? he signifies the rarity of those who believe among the Jews. And what follows: It shall spring up as a root before him; for which the LXX translated, We have announced it as a little one before him: for root, Symmachus interpreted as a branch, in order to show that the man who proceeded from the virgin womb was assumed. Of whom he infers: As a root from a thirsty land. For the thirsty one, the Eagle was interpreted as a sign, in order to demonstrate the privilege of virginity, that he was created from the earth without any human seed. This is the one about whom we read above: A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots (Isaiah 11:1), in order to signify his birth and ascent into the world. But he did not have appearance or glory; his form was ignoble and lacking compared to the sons of men, or as it is said in Hebrew, despised and the last of men, as it is said in the Psalms: Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your glory and majesty (Psalm 45:4). What is easily solved. He was despised and ignoble when he hung on the cross, and became a curse for us, bearing our sins. And he said to the Father: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46). But he was famous and beautiful in appearance, when the earth trembled at his passion, rocks were split, and with the sun fleeing, the elements feared eternal night. Of whom the bride also says in the Song of Songs: My beloved is white and ruddy, chosen from thousands (Song of Solomon 5:10). Candidus, in the fullness and purity of virtues, ruddy in passion, about which we will read later: Who is this that comes from Edom, his garments yellowish; chosen from thousands for resurrection; so that the one who was the firstborn of all creation might be the firstborn from the dead. And he brings forth this: a man in sorrow and knowing how to bear weakness, a man of sorrows, and knowing weakness, a true human body, and a true soul, who, knowing how to bear weaknesses, overcame them all by divinity. And his hidden and despised appearance, so that the divine power might be concealed in a human body. Regarding which it has been said above: You are a hidden God, and we did not know. He truly carried our weaknesses and sins, and he grieves for us, not just in appearance, that is, to seem so, as the ancient and new heresies suspect; but he truly was crucified. He truly suffered, saying in the Gospel: My soul is sorrowful even unto death (Matthew 26:38). And: Now is my soul troubled (John XII, 27). And we thought him to be unclean, or in pain, as the Seventy translated, for which Aquila and Symmachus translated as a leper, Theodotion, as scourged. Which in other words is understood as leprosy in Hebrew idiom, according to what is written in the Psalms: And the scourge shall not come near your tent (Ps. XC, 10). And the sense is: We thought him to be struck by God for his sins, who was humiliated for us and crucified with thieves. Regarding what Symmachus translated as Ἐν ἁφῇ ὄντα, which means 'in lepra'; Aquila rendered it as ἁφημένον, meaning 'leprosum': many, not understanding, think it was left out, and others read καθήμενον, meaning 'sitting'. At the beginning of the chapter, where it is said according to the Septuagint: 'Lord, who has believed our report?': and the arm of the Lord, to whom it is revealed (Rom. X), which testimony the apostle Paul also uses in Romans, explaining about the passion of the Lord: 'Lord' is not in the Hebrew, but for the understanding of the person to whom it is said, it was added.
“But not what I will, but what you will, Father,” It is not as if the Father’s will was one thing and the Son’s another. [Christ is referring to] the utterance of our weaknesses, however faithful, which our Head transformed into himself, when also he bore our sins.
And next he teaches the forms of dishonor and shame, “A man being in sorrow.” He points out the nature that received the suffering, for his body was nailed to the cross, but his divinity made the passion its own. “And he was familiar with sickness.” This was said about his humanity. For to be courageous and philosophical touches not divine but human nature. “For his face was turned away. It was not valued or appreciated.” The three translators render it this way, “And like a hiding of the face from him, he was made nothing and not appreciated.” That is, he hid the divine energy and chose suffering and did not seek vengeance on others. For as he was on the cross he said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” This teaches us the reasons for the passion: “He bore our sicknesses and suffered for us.” Symmachus translated, “Indeed, he personally has taken on our sicknesses and endured our pains.” We deserved death for those sins we had committed, and having received this penalty, he received death on our behalf.
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Summary
Isaiah 53:4 presents a profound prophetic revelation within the Servant Songs, unveiling the astonishing truth that the suffering of God's chosen Servant was not a consequence of His own sin, but a vicarious bearing of humanity's deepest pains and spiritual burdens. It sharply contrasts the Servant's true redemptive mission with the widespread misconception of His contemporaries, who erroneously attributed His affliction to divine judgment for His own perceived transgressions, rather than recognizing His compassionate, substitutionary work on behalf of a fallen world.
Context
Literary Context
This verse serves as a pivotal theological declaration within the fourth and most extensive of Isaiah's "Servant Songs" (Isaiah 52:13–53:12), a literary unit that profoundly shapes the biblical understanding of atonement. Following the Servant's initial introduction as one who will be "raised and lifted up and highly exalted" despite His disfigurement (Isaiah 52:13-15), Isaiah 53 shifts dramatically to explain the reason for His suffering. Verse 4 initiates the core theological argument: His suffering is not for Himself, but for "our griefs" and "our sorrows," setting the profound stage for the explicit declaration of substitutionary atonement that follows in Isaiah 53:5. The preceding verses, by highlighting the Servant's shocking appearance and the kings' astonishment, prepare the reader for the radical revelation of His true purpose as a suffering redeemer.
Historical & Cultural Context
Penned during a period of significant national distress, likely encompassing the Assyrian and Babylonian exilic eras, Isaiah's prophecies frequently addressed a people grappling with suffering, divine judgment, and the question of God's faithfulness. In the ancient Near East, a prevalent cultural and theological belief system, often reflected in wisdom literature such as the Book of Job, posited a direct and immediate correlation between suffering and sin: great affliction was almost universally interpreted as a clear sign of divine punishment for personal wrongdoing. This deeply ingrained cultural lens is crucial for understanding the people's profound misinterpretation of the Servant's suffering in Isaiah 53:4, where they "did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted," assuming His pain was a direct consequence of His own unrighteousness, rather than a voluntary, redemptive act for others.
Key Themes
Isaiah 53:4 powerfully introduces and develops several foundational theological themes that resonate throughout biblical theology. The most prominent is Substitutionary Atonement, which posits that the Servant takes upon Himself the burdens and consequences that rightfully belong to others, bearing "our griefs" and "our sorrows." This concept is utterly central to understanding the redemptive plan of God for humanity. Another critical theme is Misunderstanding and Rejection, as the verse explicitly states that people "did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted," demonstrating their failure to grasp the true nature of His suffering. This highlights the pervasive human tendency to misinterpret divine purpose and the profound spiritual blindness that often accompanies the rejection of God's chosen one, a theme powerfully echoed in the New Testament's portrayal of Jesus' rejection by His own people (e.g., John 1:10-11).
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
From the root meaning "to be sick," this term encompasses sickness, disease, infirmity, or malady. It extends beyond mere emotional sorrow to include physical ailments, weakness, and the debilitating effects of sin on the human condition. The Servant's "bearing" of these griefs implies not just sympathy or empathy, but a tangible taking on of the suffering itself, including its physical manifestations and the spiritual sickness that underlies them, demonstrating a comprehensive assumption of human brokenness.
This word signifies acute pain, anguish, or affliction. While chŏlîy often points to the condition of sickness or infirmity, makʼôb emphasizes the sharp, piercing sensation of suffering, encompassing both physical agony and deep emotional distress. The pairing of "griefs" and "sorrows" creates a comprehensive picture of the totality of human suffering—physical, psychological, and spiritual—that the Servant willingly shouldered, highlighting the depth of His vicarious experience.
This verb means "to think, regard, value, compute, or impute." In this context, it highlights the human perspective and judgment concerning the Servant's suffering. The people "esteemed" or "considered" Him to be divinely punished, implying a miscalculation, a false imputation of guilt, or a profound misunderstanding. Their assessment was based on superficial observation and prevailing cultural assumptions regarding suffering, rather than divine revelation, leading them to fundamentally misunderstand His true identity and redemptive purpose.
Verse Breakdown
"Surely he hath borne our griefs,"
The emphatic adverb "Surely" (Hebrew: ʼâkên, H403) underscores the absolute certainty and profound truth of the statement, contrasting it with human misperception. The "he" refers to the Suffering Servant, who has actively "borne" (Hebrew: nâsâʼ, H5375) or lifted up and carried away "our griefs." This signifies a powerful substitutionary act where He takes upon Himself the burdens of human sickness, infirmity, and the spiritual maladies that plague humanity, implying both an assumption of the burden and its removal from those for whom He acts.
"and carried our sorrows:"
This clause functions as a powerful synonymous parallel to the first, reinforcing the Servant's vicarious suffering and the comprehensive nature of His work. The word "carried" (Hebrew: çâbal, H5445) emphasizes the heavy load and the arduous labor involved in bearing these burdens, suggesting a laborious and costly endeavor. "Our sorrows" (Hebrew: makʼôb, H4341) refers to the deep pain, anguish, and affliction that are the direct consequence of sin and the fallen human condition. The Servant is depicted as one who physically and spiritually transports these burdens away from humanity, enduring them Himself.
"yet we did esteem him stricken,"
This phrase introduces a sharp contrast, indicated by "yet," between the Servant's true redemptive work and the human perception of it. "We did esteem him" (Hebrew: châshab, H2803) reveals the judgmental and mistaken conclusion of the onlookers. They "considered" or "imputed" His suffering to be a result of Him being "stricken" (Hebrew: nâgaʻ, H5060), meaning physically afflicted or touched by a plague or blow, implying a direct and punitive divine judgment.
"smitten of God,"
This phrase explicitly articulates the core human misconception: they believed His suffering was a direct act of divine punishment. "Smitten" (Hebrew: nâkâh, H5221) denotes a severe blow, often with destructive or fatal intent, suggesting a divinely inflicted wound. The addition "of God" (Hebrew: ʼĕlôhîym, H430) makes it unequivocally clear that the people saw God Himself as the author of the Servant's suffering, punishing Him for His own sins, rather than recognizing that God was orchestrating a redemptive sacrifice for humanity.
"and afflicted."
This final clause reiterates the Servant's state of profound suffering and reinforces the human perception of it. "Afflicted" (Hebrew: ʻânâh, H6031) means to be humbled, oppressed, or subjected to severe hardship and distress. It completes the picture of a person undergoing intense, divinely imposed suffering, in stark opposition to the truth revealed in the first part of the verse, which asserts His innocent, vicarious suffering.
Literary Devices
Isaiah 53:4 masterfully employs several literary devices to convey its profound and paradoxical message. The most prominent is Parallelism, specifically synonymous parallelism, evident in the pairing of "borne our griefs" and "carried our sorrows." This repetition with slightly different, yet complementary, wording emphasizes the comprehensive and exhaustive nature of the Servant's burden-bearing work, underscoring that no aspect of human suffering is left untouched. A powerful Contrast or Antithesis is established between the Servant's actual, redemptive role (bearing humanity's burdens) and the human perception of His suffering (being "stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted"). This stark opposition highlights the profound spiritual blindness and misunderstanding of the onlookers. Furthermore, there is a deep and poignant Irony at play: the very one who is suffering for the sins of humanity is perceived by humanity as suffering because of His own sins, inflicted by God. This dramatic irony underscores the spiritual blindness of those who witnessed His affliction. The entire passage functions as a profound Prophecy and Foreshadowing, pointing centuries ahead to the person and work of Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection perfectly embody the Servant's suffering and redemptive purpose.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Isaiah 53:4 is a foundational text for understanding the doctrine of substitutionary atonement, revealing with stunning clarity that the Servant's suffering was not punitive for His own sake, but entirely redemptive for humanity's. It establishes the profound principle that God's chosen one would willingly bear the consequences of human sin and suffering, thereby providing healing, peace, and reconciliation. This verse sets the stage for the explicit declaration in the very next verse that the Servant was "wounded for our transgressions" and "bruised for our iniquities," making it unequivocally clear that His suffering was entirely vicarious and purposeful. The New Testament writers consistently draw upon this magnificent prophecy to explain the profound meaning of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, affirming that He is the ultimate and perfect fulfillment of the Suffering Servant. His bearing of our griefs and sorrows encompasses both the removal of physical infirmity and, more profoundly, spiritual deliverance from the crushing burden and guilt of sin.
Reflection and Application
Isaiah 53:4 offers profound comfort and a truly transformative perspective on human suffering. It assures us that Jesus, the Suffering Servant, intimately understands and has personally carried the full weight of human griefs and sorrows—encompassing physical ailments, emotional anguish, and the spiritual burden of sin. When we experience pain, sickness, deep distress, or the crushing weight of guilt, we are not alone; Christ has already borne these very burdens in His own body and soul. This liberating truth invites us to bring our brokenness, our anxieties, our physical infirmities, and our deepest spiritual needs directly to Him, trusting in His compassionate understanding and His sovereign power to bring healing, rest, and ultimate deliverance. Beyond comfort, this verse challenges us to move past superficial judgments and embrace the radical, self-giving nature of Christ's love. It calls us to respond with profound gratitude and to live lives that reflect the selfless love we have received, recognizing that our salvation came at an immeasurable, vicarious cost.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Who is the "he" in Isaiah 53:4, and why is this significant?
In Christian theology, the "he" in Isaiah 53:4, and throughout the Servant Songs of Isaiah, is consistently understood to be a prophetic reference to Jesus Christ. This identification is profoundly significant because it reveals that Jesus' suffering was not accidental, a consequence of His own sin, or merely the fate of a martyr, but a divinely ordained, purposeful act of substitutionary atonement, foretold centuries before His birth. He is the unique individual who perfectly fulfills the role of the Suffering Servant, bearing the sins and sorrows of humanity. The New Testament explicitly applies these prophecies to Jesus, such as when Matthew quotes Isaiah 53:4 in relation to Jesus' healing ministry, affirming His role as the one who takes away our infirmities.
Does "borne our griefs" and "carried our sorrows" imply physical healing for all believers?
While Isaiah 53:4 certainly encompasses physical suffering and its removal, as evidenced by Matthew 8:17 applying it to Jesus' healing ministry, its primary and ultimate scope is the bearing of the spiritual sickness, pain, and consequences caused by sin. The Hebrew words for "griefs" (chŏlîy) and "sorrows" (makʼôb) include physical infirmity, but also broader concepts of spiritual malady, anguish, and the pervasive effects of the Fall on humanity. Jesus' atoning work provides holistic redemption, addressing both the physical and spiritual dimensions of human suffering. While it does not guarantee immediate physical healing for every ailment in this present life, it assures ultimate healing and complete freedom from all suffering in eternity, and empowers believers to find strength, comfort, and purpose in Him amidst present struggles and infirmities.
What does it mean that people "did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted"?
This phrase highlights the profound misunderstanding and tragic rejection of the Servant by His contemporaries. In ancient cultures, severe suffering was often interpreted as direct evidence of divine punishment for personal sin (as vividly seen in the Book of Job). Therefore, when people saw the Servant suffering intensely, they wrongly concluded that God Himself was striking Him down due to His own wickedness or perceived transgressions. This stands in stark contrast to the truth revealed in the first part of the verse—that He was suffering for others, not for Himself. It underscores the spiritual blindness of those who failed to recognize His true identity and redemptive mission, tragically misinterpreting His voluntary, substitutionary sacrifice as punitive divine judgment.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Isaiah 53:4 finds its ultimate and glorious fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. He is the Suffering Servant, uniquely qualified and perfectly willing to "bear our griefs" and "carry our sorrows." His entire earthly ministry, from His compassionate healing of the sick and afflicted (as recorded in Matthew 8:17) to His agonizing journey to the cross, was a direct and powerful embodiment of this prophecy. On the cross, Jesus truly became "stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted," not for His own sins, but as the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). He bore the full weight of humanity's spiritual sickness, emotional anguish, and the just wrath of God against sin, becoming a curse for us to redeem us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13). His suffering was entirely vicarious, a substitutionary act of infinite love that purchased our peace and healing, demonstrating that through His stripes, we are healed (1 Peter 2:24). Thus, Isaiah 53:4 is not merely a historical observation but a profound theological truth that anchors the very core of the Gospel: Christ suffered for us, so that we might have eternal life, peace, and healing.