Who Is the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53?

Rashi reads the servant of Isaiah 53 as the house of Jacob, one man standing for all Israel. Ibn Ezra reads “a man of sorrows” as the servant of the Lord, or the whole nation of the Israelites, and he says the sorrows are the troubles of the exile. Acts 8:35Acts 8:35 · King James VersionThen Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.Acts 8:35 · King James VersionOpen source says Philip began at the same scripture and preached Jesus. The Christian claim is that the servant is Jesus, and Jesus is God.

Key Points

• Isaiah 52:13Isaiah 52:13 · King James VersionBehold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.Isaiah 52:13 · King James VersionOpen source says, “Behold, my servant shall deal prudently,” and Isaiah 53 says he was wounded for our transgressions and the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all.
• Isaiah 41:8Isaiah 41:8 · King James VersionBut thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.Isaiah 41:8 · King James VersionOpen source says, “thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen.” Isaiah 49:3Isaiah 49:3 · King James VersionAnd said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.Isaiah 49:3 · King James VersionOpen source says, “Thou art my servant, O Israel.” Those lines do name Israel.
• Rashi on Isaiah 53:3 says the prophet mentions all Israel as one man, and that “Behold My servant shall prosper” was said concerning the house of Jacob. (12)
• Ibn Ezra on “a man of sorrows” says, “The servant of the Lord, or the whole nation of the Israelites,” and that the sorrows are “the troubles which Israel has to suffer during the exile.” (13)
• Acts 8:32–35Acts 8:32–35 · King James Version^8:32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: ^8:33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. ^8:34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? ^8:35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.Acts 8:32–35 · King James VersionOpen source quotes the lamb led to the slaughter and says Philip preached Jesus from that scripture. 1 Peter 2:241 Peter 2:24 · King James VersionWho his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.1 Peter 2:24 · King James VersionOpen source says that by his stripes the readers are healed.
• John 1:1John 1:1 · King James VersionIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.John 1:1 · King James VersionOpen source says the Word was God. The servant the apostles preach is not a created stand-in for God.

What Isaiah 53 Says

Isaiah 52:13Isaiah 52:13 · King James VersionBehold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.Isaiah 52:13 · King James VersionOpen source (4): “Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.”

Isaiah 53:3Isaiah 53:3 · King James VersionHe is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.Isaiah 53:3 · King James VersionOpen source (1): “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

Isaiah 53:5Isaiah 53:5 · King James VersionBut he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.Isaiah 53:5 · King James VersionOpen source (2): “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

Isaiah 53:6Isaiah 53:6 · King James VersionAll we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.Isaiah 53:6 · King James VersionOpen source (3): “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

The Hebrew word for servant is עֶבֶד (H5650). The chapter on this site is Isaiah 53, with the King James text, the Hebrew word by word, and the Jewish Publication Society 1917 line where that edition has it. What Does Messiah Mean? is the office. What Are the Dead Sea Scrolls? says the Great Isaiah Scroll already contains this chapter in place.

Where Isaiah Calls Israel the Servant

Isaiah 41:8Isaiah 41:8 · King James VersionBut thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.Isaiah 41:8 · King James VersionOpen source (5): “But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.” Isaiah 49:3Isaiah 49:3 · King James VersionAnd said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.Isaiah 49:3 · King James VersionOpen source (6): “And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”

Those two sentences name Israel. A reading that calls the servant Israel is using a name the book itself uses. Isaiah 52:13–53:12 does not repeat the name Israel inside the suffering paragraph, and it does not print the name Jesus. The question is who the “he” of that paragraph is.

What Rashi Says

On Isaiah 53:3, Rashi says: “So is the custom of this prophet: he mentions all Israel as one man, e.g., (44:2), ‘Fear not, My servant Jacob;’ (44:1) ‘And now, hearken, Jacob, My servant.’ Here too (52:13), ‘Behold My servant shall prosper,’ he said concerning the house of Jacob.” (12)

On verse 4 he says: “But now we see that this came to him not because of his low state, but that he was chastised with pains so that all the nations be atoned for with Israel’s suffering. The illness that should rightfully have come upon us, he bore.”

On “the chastisement of our welfare was upon him,” he says: “The chastisement due to the welfare that we enjoyed, came upon him, for he was chastised so that there be peace for the entire world.”

On verse 12 he says: “He suffered torments as if he had sinned and transgressed, and this is because of others; he bore the sin of the many.”

Rashi’s reading is corporate: the house of Jacob, one man for the nation, bearing pains so that the nations are atoned for with Israel’s suffering. He does not say the servant is Jesus. Why Don’t Jews Believe Jesus Is the Messiah? quotes Maimonides’ test beside these chapters.

What Ibn Ezra Says

Abraham Ibn Ezra, in M. Friedlander’s 1873 English, on “a man of sorrows”: “The servant of the Lord, or the whole nation of the Israelites.” He adds that “sorrows” and “grief” mean “the troubles which Israel has to suffer during the exile.” (13) The same note says that even in his own day there are people who turn aside at the sight of a Jew.

That is a second Jewish reading of the same phrase, and it also names Israel. It is not Rashi’s sentence copied again. Friedlander’s edition is public domain. The wording here is the text the Sefaria API returned for that commentary.

How the New Testament Reads the Chapter

Acts 8:32Acts 8:32 · King James VersionThe place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:Acts 8:32 · King James VersionOpen source (7): “The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth.” Acts 8:35Acts 8:35 · King James VersionThen Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.Acts 8:35 · King James VersionOpen source (8): “Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.”

1 Peter 2:241 Peter 2:24 · King James VersionWho his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.1 Peter 2:24 · King James VersionOpen source (9): “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”

Matthew 8:17Matthew 8:17 · King James VersionThat it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.Matthew 8:17 · King James VersionOpen source (10): “That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.”

Philip begins at the servant passage and preaches Jesus. Peter puts the stripes on Jesus’ body on the tree. Matthew puts the infirmities on Jesus and names Isaiah. The New Testament reading is not a later guess that the chapter never received. Messianic Prophecies Jesus Fulfilled lists that application with the other passages.

John 1:1John 1:1 · King James VersionIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.John 1:1 · King James VersionOpen source (11): “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The one Philip preached is not a mere man carrying Israel’s exile in Jesus’ place. He is the Word who was God. What Is the Deity of Christ? is that confession. The Resurrection of Jesus is what the apostles preached after the death the servant passage describes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who Is God Talking About in Isaiah 53?

Isaiah 41:8 and 49:3 name Israel as the servant. Rashi says Isaiah 52:13 was said concerning the house of Jacob. Ibn Ezra says the man of sorrows is the servant of the Lord, or the whole nation. Acts 8 says Philip preached Jesus from the lamb led to the slaughter. The Christian claim, after those readings, is that the suffering servant is Jesus.

Why Does Isaiah 53 Speak of a Suffering Servant?

The chapter says he was despised, wounded for transgressions, and that the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all. Rashi says the chastisement came so that the nations would be atoned for with Israel’s suffering, and that he bore the sin of the many. The New Testament says Jesus bore sins in his own body and that by his stripes the readers are healed.

How Does the Bible Describe Jesus as a Suffering Servant?

Acts 8 quotes the silent lamb and says Philip preached Jesus. First Peter 2:24 says he bare our sins on the tree and that by his stripes the readers were healed. Matthew 8:17 says Jesus’ healings fulfilled Isaiah’s line that he took our infirmities. The Hebrew of the chapter is on Isaiah 53.

Keep Reading

• Isaiah 53
• What Does Messiah Mean?
• Why Don’t Jews Believe Jesus Is the Messiah?
• Messianic Prophecies Jesus Fulfilled
• What Is the Deity of Christ?
• עֶבֶד (H5650)