Isaiah 53 : Predicting Jesus 700 years before the fact?

Isaiah 53 has been called "the great passional". If the Book of Isaiah is the Mt. Everest of prophetic literature,then surely the fifty-third chapter is the summit of the mountain. Delitzsch called it "the most central,the deepest,and the loftiest thing that Old Testament prophecy,outstripping itself,has ever achieved". Urwick regarded this chapter as "the holy of holies of Old Testament prophecy." The passage depicts very clearly the suffering and death of the Servant of Yahweh.Most commentaries regard the last three verses of chapter 25 as the prelude to the poem of the suffering servant.



The Messianic interpretation of Isiah 53 was acknowledged by Jewish authorities until the middle Ages. Almost all Christian leaders until the beginning of the nineteenth century saw in this passage a clear picture of the suffering,death and resurrection of the Messiah. Jews and some Christian scholars now hold primarily to the collective view of the Servant:The Servant is Israel as a whole,or the remnant.The traditional view,however,has much to commend it.


1 The Servant of the Lord is here portrayed in a strongly individualistic way. It takes rich immagination or strong prejudice to see the Servant here as a symbol of Israel,the remnant,the prophets,or any other group.

2. What is said of this individual far exceeds anything which man is capable of accomplishing.

3. The passage is applied directly to the Christ in at least seven New testament passages.

Here's the relevant portion:


Isaiah 52:13-53-12

Behold, My servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. 14 According as many were appalled at thee--so marred was his visage unlike that of a man, and his form unlike that of the sons of men-- 15 So shall he startle many nations, kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which had not been told them shall they see, and that which they had not heard shall they perceive

1 'Who would have believed our report? And to whom hath the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 For he shot up right forth as a sapling, and as a root out of a dry ground; he had no form nor comeliness, that we should look upon him, nor beauty that we should delight in him. 3 He was despised, and forsaken of men, a man of pains, and acquainted with disease, and as one from whom men hide their face: he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely our diseases he did bear, and our pains he carried; whereas we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded because of our transgressions, he was crushed because of our iniquities: the chastisement of our welfare was upon him, and with his stripes we were healed. 6 All we like sheep did go astray, we turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath made to light on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, though he humbled himself and opened not his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before her shearers is dumb; yea, he opened not his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away, and with his generation who did reason? for he was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due. 9 And they made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich his tomb; although he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.' 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to crush him by disease; to see if his soul would offer itself in restitution, that he might see his seed, prolong his days, and that the purpose of the LORD might prosper by his hand: 11 Of the travail of his soul he shall see to the full, even My servant, who by his knowledge did justify the Righteous One to the many, and their iniquities he did bear. 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion among the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the mighty; because he bared his soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. [P]

What say? : .....
I say uncany..........


[edit on 19-11-2004 by Logician]