God’s Great Proof
A New Translation and Commentary
of Isaiah 53
By Richie Cooley
Licensed by:
Richie Cooley (2015)
Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 International
Email: hortonhearsahoo@shazzlemail.com
Background vector by: Royal Shots
Unless otherwise noted, Old Testament Scripture is taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Unless otherwise noted, New Testament Scripture is taken from the Analytical-Literal Translation of the New Testament: Third Edition. Copyright © 2007 by Gary F. Zeolla of Darkness to Light ministry. Previously copyrighted © 1999, 2001, 2005 by Gary Zeolla.
Table of Contents
The Concise Guide to Judaism by Rabbi Roy A. Rosenberg offers an overview of ancient Messianic sentiments among the Jews…
During the time of the Hasmonean monarchy…and thereafter in the days of Herod and the Roman governors of Judea, the hope grew among many Jews that a righteous ruler would come to replace the wicked and rapacious ones who held sway over the people…
…During the first or second century A.D. in addition to the hope for a victorious Messiah of the house of David, a belief arose that there was to be yet another Messiah, a descendant of one of the lost tribes of Israel, specifically Joseph, who would die in battle against the hordes of the wicked who would war against God and his people at the gates of Jerusalem. This Messiah, along with all the righteous, would be restored to life at the resurrection of the dead that would take place after the final victory of Israel over the enemies of God…
…The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls has revealed the messianic concept of the Essene sect. The Essenes appear to have expected the coming of a Prophet “like Moses” and the “Messiahs of Aaron and Israel”; that is, a royal figure of the line of David and a priestly figure who would be the supreme ruler. This concept of the three Messiahs helps modern scholars understand the beginnings of Christianity. Jesus was believed by his followers to have fulfilled all three roles. During his life he was the Prophet; through his death he served as the King (since some of the Essenes seem to have believed that the King would have to die); and as a result of his resurrection and expected return, he would be the Priest (since the heavenly Priest was expected to come down to earth as the ruler of the new age) [pgs. 231-233].
This succinctly highlights some of the different ideas about the Messiah before, during, and after the time of the Lord Jesus approximately 2,000 years ago. His life, death, and resurrection certainly fulfilled many expectations of what the coming righteous ruler would do. Of course there isn’t a direct parallel in any ancient commentary that predicted the life of Christ, and this is relative to modern day eschatology. Many contemporary students of prophecy put forth different theories about where the final Babylon is located or exactly what the mark of the beast will be or exactly where the Antichrist will come from. Our stabs are sanctified guesses at best and bad interpretations at worst; yet either way, the original Hebraic, Aramaic, and Grecian variables that have underpinned our imaginations will be justified by the unfolding of the precise providence of Almighty God.
Now although I’ve begun by quoting a Rabbi, I have no desire to turn this writing into a polemic against Judaica. My goal is rather to celebrate the beauty of the most glorious detailed prophecy without many references to contrary opinions and argumentation. Yet with that said, it might appear to some that Christians have largely hijacked a prophecy dealing with other subjects (such as the nation of Israel) and have used it without warrant. For these people I recommend the writings of Michael L. Brown, in particular the third volume from his series, Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus. He deals with the subject of Isaiah 53 at great length. A bit of apologetics pertinent to the “hijacking” idea is covered under heading 4.6…
For the last thousand years, religious Jews have often interpreted Isaiah 53 with reference to the people of Israel, but that has by no means been the consensus interpretation, and it is not the interpretation of the Talmudic rabbis. So, for example, the Targum interprets the passage with reference to the Messiah -- as a warring, victorious king, even to the point of completely twisting the meaning of key verses [Brown cites here Levey, Samson H. ‘The Messiah, an Aramaic Interpretation: The Messianic Exegesis of the Targum’ (Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College/Jewish Institute of Religion, 1974)] -- while the Talmud generally interprets the passage with reference to the Messiah, or key individuals (like Moses or Phineas), or the righteous…Note also that Sa′adiah Gaon, the influential ninth-century Rabbinic leader, interpreted Isaiah 53 with reference to Jeremiah. This means that virtually without exception, the earliest traditional Jewish sources -- and therefore the most authoritative Jewish sources -- interpret Isaiah 52:13-53:12 with reference to an individual, and in some cases, with reference to the Messiah…
While it is true that Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and Radak all interpreted the passage with reference to Israel, other equally prominent leaders, such as Moses ben Nachman (called Nachmanides or the Ramban), felt compelled to follow the weight of ancient tradition and embrace the individual, Messianic interpretation of the Talmudic rabbis (found in the Midrash, despite his belief that the plain sense of the text supported the national interpretation). Noteworthy also is the oft-quoted comment of Rabbi Moshe Alshech, writing in the sixteenth century, “Our rabbis with one voice accept and affirm the opinion that the prophet is speaking of the Messiah, and we shall ourselves also adhere to the same view.” This…is highly significant, since Alshech claims that all his contemporaries agreed with the Messianic reading of the text, despite the fact that Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and Radak had all come out against that reading…The Messianic interpretation is also found in the Zohar as well as in some later midrashic works…Thus, it is clear that there is substantial Jewish tradition -- spanning a period of up to two thousand years…
Most recently…Isaiah 53 has been applied to Menachem Schneerson (1902-1994), the Grand Rabbi of the Lubavitcher Hasidic movement. Obviously, his followers had no problem applying the prophecy to him as an individual (pgs. 49-50)…
Certainly anyone can see that Israel has undergone tremendous suffering throughout her history and has also been a source of blessing among the nations; the problem however with viewing the passage nationally or as speaking of a righteous remnant or even of a righteous prophet is the simple fact that the prophecy calls for someone who is truly sinless and who has ALL the sins of God’s people placed upon him sacrificially. Obviously no earthly person or group has ever fulfilled this prerequisite, and indeed, the greater the number of people that would be added to the group the less likely it is that an appearance of sinlessness could even be maintained.
Now as to the veracity of the text itself, the issue of the ancient validity of the book of Isaiah was forever settled when an entire scroll of the prophecy was found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Israel Museum website that hosts The Digital Dead Sea Scrolls project says…
The Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa) is one of the original seven Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in Qumran in 1947. It is the largest (734 cm) and best preserved of all the biblical scrolls, and the only one that is almost complete. The 54 columns contain all 66 chapters of the Hebrew version of the biblical Book of Isaiah. Dating from ca. 125 BCE, it is also one of the oldest of the Dead Sea Scrolls, some one thousand years older than the oldest manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible known to us before the scrolls’ discovery.
The version of the text is generally in agreement with the Masoretic or traditional version codified in medieval codices, such as the Aleppo Codex, but it contains many variant readings, alternative spellings, scribal errors, and corrections. Unlike most of the biblical scrolls from Qumran, it exhibits a very full orthography (spelling), revealing how Hebrew was pronounced in the Second Temple Period. Around twenty additional copies of the Book of Isaiah were also found at Qumran (one more copy was discovered further south at Wadi Muraba’at), as well as six pesharim (commentaries) based on the book; Isaiah is also frequently quoted in other scrolls (a literary and religious phenomenon also present in New Testament writings). The authoritative and scriptural status of the Book of Isaiah is consistent with the messianic beliefs of the community living at Qumran, since Isaiah is known for his prophecies of judgment and consolation, and his visions of the End of Days and the coming of the Kingdom of God (see “Works Cited” for the URL).
But even before the discovery of the great Isaiah scroll from B.C. times there was ample evidence that the prophecy genuinely predated the time of Jesus Christ by many years. Albert Barnes points out …
(1) It is quoted in the New Testament as part of the prophetic writings then well known (see Mat 8:17; Joh 12:38; Act 8:28-35; Rom 10:16; 1Pe 2:21-25). That the passage was in existence at the time when the New Testament was written, is manifest from these quotations. So far as the argument with the infidel is concerned, it is immaterial whether it was written 700 years before the events took place, or only fifty, or ten. It would still be prophecy, and it would still be incumbent on him to show how it came to be so accurately accomplished.
(2) It is quoted and translated by writers who undoubtedly lived before the Christian era. Thus, it is found in the Septuagint, and in the Chaldee [i.e., the Aramaic version] -- both of which can be demonstrated to have been made before Christ was born.
(3) There is not the slightest evidence that it has been interpolated or corrupted, or changed so as to adapt it to the Lord Jesus. It is the same in all copies, and in all versions.
Isaiah, who prophesied approximately 700 years before Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, was directed by the Holy Spirit to foretell what the Lamb of God would accomplish through his death and resurrection. Please join me as I attempt to survey some of the specifics of this splendid exhibition of divinity, a prophecy so precise and detailed that it could certainly be called God’s great proof.
Before getting started, let’s review a few notes that will help make sense of this booklet…
*The terms LORD, GOD, and Hashem are all ways to describe the personal name of God, often rendered as “Yahweh” or “Jehovah.”
*Unless otherwise stated, apart from Isaiah 52:13-53:12, which is my own, the Old Testament quotes are from the NASB and the New Testament are from the ALT3.
*The ALT3 distinguishes between singular and plural second person pronouns by means of an asterisk (*).
*This book mostly uses British spelling, except for the quoted material, which often employs American spelling.
*Divine pronouns are normally not capitalized, unless they appear that way in other Bible versions or quotes.
*Words that appear in brackets within quotes are not found in the original texts, and were added by the translators or are my personal comments, etc.
* In my translation, a word in parenthesis indicates that it is strongly implied in the text.
Behold, my servant will prosper; he will be raised and lifted up and be very high.
As you probably know, the chapter and verse divisions of the Bible were not in the original manuscripts but were added for convenience much later. It is pointed out by most conservative commentators that Isaiah 53 actually should begin a few verses earlier, i.e., with Isaiah 52:13-15. These three verses form a fitting summary of what will be covered in greater detail in the following chapter.
To begin, the “servant” of Hashem is mentioned throughout the redemptive section of Isaiah. Sometimes it is used of Israel and her Messiah collectively, and sometimes the term is just used in reference to the latter. A popular passage that speaks of this singular “servant” is Isaiah 42…
Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold [Or hold fast]; My chosen one [in whom] My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations [Or Gentiles]. He will not cry out or raise [His voice], nor make His voice heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not be disheartened or crushed until He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law [Or instruction]. -- verses 1-4
The servant’s power would be through Hashem’s Spirit. He wouldn’t come to “rally the troops.” He wouldn’t come to spread political dissension and rebellion. He would be as far from a boisterous, rabble-rousing savage as could be imagined. He would rather be a tender-hearted salvager, even sustaining the broken and the people of little-faith. Saul looked for the strong; Christ chose the weak. I wish modern Christians would recall these attributes of our Lord. First of all even fundamental churches are too quick to anoint people based solely on financial success. Second of all, our warfare is not carnal; with the darkness of these days growing there are many quotes from conservatives being posted calling for sedition and rebellion against the government. Many are pointing to blood-thirsty adages by men like Thomas Jefferson or showcasing the resistance of Dietrich Bonhoeffer; that will never be the way of Jesus Christ this side of his physical return to earth (unless you think you are one of the few described in Revelation 11). Some elements of American Christianity are on a crash course with the government, as is evident by the military’s Jade Helm 15 operations. A lot of the fault lies with these Christians. We are NEVER called to rebel through violence, nor to acquire semi-automatic bullet launchers. We can preach, peacefully non-comply, or run; nothing else.
It is amazing that Isaiah predicts the mere possibility that a pacifist who would eventually be “crushed” could “establish justice in the earth” and bring “his law” to the nations. These assertions seem completely contradictory. How can someone who proverbially whispers in the street establish universal justice? How could someone meek and calm cause the nations to submit to the rule of his law? Only Jesus Christ provides the answer to such paradoxes. Anyway, so much for what Isaiah meant by Hashem’s “servant.”
Isaiah begins his great prophecy about this redemptive bond-slave by saying that he will “prosper.” The Hebrew term can just as well mean to “act wisely,” thus W.E. Vine writes that “these might be combined in a fuller rendering, ‘shall deal wisely, with consequent prosperity’” (pg. 165). One definition stresses the cause (i.e. acting wisely) and the other stresses the effect (prospering through acting wisely). I chose to stress the effect in my translation because it seemed to facilitate the general idea in this verse of being promoted. The servant was going to be very successful; he was going to be lifted to great heights. Most of the time this verb in the Hebrew Bible appears in a certain stem (the hiphil); one of the few times it is used otherwise is worth noting…
Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right, and brought them close to him. But Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, crossing his hands [Or consciously directing], although [Lit when]Manasseh was the firstborn. -- Genesis 48:12-14
“Crossing his hands” is the same term in the Hebrew that is rendered “prosper” above. The NASB provides the alternative “consciously directing,” and I suppose this is akin to the idea of “acting wisely.” In the passage from Genesis the patriarch Joseph is bringing his two sons to his elderly father Jacob to be blessed before he dies. Because Jacob is old Joseph is worried that the wrong son will be blessed, for the elder was supposed to receive the birthright privileges. Despite Joseph’s attempt to place the elder directly at Jacob’s right hand of blessing, Jacob disregards the normal birth-order by crossing his hands, blessing rather the latter born.
Whenever Jacob performed this surprising move his arms would have had to cross over. It’s interesting that Isaiah would later use this term when describing the exaltation of the Messiah. It’s doubtless that the Messiah hanging high on a cross isn’t Isaiah’s general focus in these verses, for the context speaks of his true exaltation and not of his awesome humiliation; nevertheless, artistically and spiritually the cross can be seen. It is where we traded places with our Saviour, where God reached down and placed his hand of blessing upon his sinful sons and daughters while removing it from His Only Begotten Son, touching him with our curse.
The idea behind crucifixion was two-fold. First, it was obviously very painful and humiliating. Second, it was a display for on-lookers, a bold warning for the rest of the citizenry not to commit similar crimes. Although crucifixion wouldn’t be practiced until later among the nations, displaying a criminal or defeated foe through hanging them up high is found throughout the pages of the Bible. Perhaps the most famous example was the law instituted through Moses…
If a man has committed a sin worthy of death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God [Lit the curse of God]), so that you do not defile your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance. -- Deuteronomy 21:22-23
And there are many other examples, such as the death of King Saul…
They put his weapons in the temple [Lit house] of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. -- 1 Samuel 31:10
To our ears “hanging” and “crucifying” are two different things, but to the Biblical writers they were practically the same…
But answering, Peter and the apostles said, “It is necessary to be obeying God rather than people! The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you* murdered, having hanged [Him] on a tree [or, a cross]. This One God has exalted to His right hand [as] Prince and Savior, to give repentance [i.e., a change of mind and desire leading to a chan