This prophecy of Isaiah foretells of the forthcoming Servant of the LORD who is a kingly, even divine, Messiah. Though the nation of Israel was supposed to be to the collective Servant of the LORD through whom He would bring about justice and salvation to the nations, they rebelled and transgressed their covenant with YHWH. The unimpressive, unattractive, humble, despised, suffering Servant was to come and make a substitutionary, atoning self-sacrifice that would heal the relationship between the LORD and His covenant people, bringing שָׁלוֹם (shalom). For more, please visit: https://catchforchrist.net/isaiah-52-13-53-12-exegesis-meaning-paper-context/ and https://catchforchrist.net/isaiah-52-13-53-12-bible-study-powerpoint

1. THANKFUL FOR HIS
SERVICE
ISAIAH 52:13-53:12 BIBLE STUDY
DANNY SCOTTON JR. 4.10.19 | ALPHA BAPTIST CHURCH

2. ISAIAH
BRIEF SUMMARY

3. CHIASTIC (Χ – SHAPED) POEM
• The Servant Song of Is 52:13-53:-12 is structured chiastically (Goldingay, 702) with five
stanzas of roughly three verses each (Oswalt, 376)
• Likely in the form of a proclamation (Oswalt, 376) about a king (Goldingay, 702)
• Bracketed by the words of the LORD (through Isaiah) (Is 52:13-15, 52:10-12) (Goldingay,
702 cf. Oswalt, 376)
• In between these bookends, an unnamed party to contributed to the Servant’s suffering
and humiliation speaks (Is 53:1-3, 7-9) (Oswalt, 376)
• Center of the chiasm (the crux) tells of the healing afforded by the Servant’s wounds (Is
53:4-6;Webb, 210)

4. CHIASTIC (Χ – SHAPED) STRUCTURE
A) Is 52:13-15 | God
Foretells of the Servant’s
Exaltation (Smith, 433)
B’) Is 53:7-9 | People
Testify:The Innocent,
“Sinless, Silent Sufferer”
(Webb, 212)
C) Is 53:4-6 PeopleTestify:
The Servant Provided
“Vicarious Suffering for our
Sins” (Smith, 433)
B) Is 53:1-3 | PeopleTestify:
The Servant was Despised
and Rejected
A’) Is 53:10-12 | God
Foretells of the Servant’s
Final Exaltation (Smith, 457)

5. A) GOD FORETELLS
OFTHE SERVANT’S EXALTATION (IS 52:13-15)
13 See, my servant will wisely succeed
he will be high and lifted up and highly exalted
14 Just as many were horrified on account of you –
So disfigured, compared to any man, was his appearance
and was his form, as compared to all of humanity –
15 So he will sprinkle many nations
on account of him, kings will shut their mouths
Because that which was not recounted to them, they will see
and that which was not heard by them, they will closely perceive
• The LORD’s words in the first stanza
encapsulate the entire song.
• Main themes:
• the Servant’s exaltation (v. 13),
• suffering (v. 14), and
• paradoxical “reversal in his
fortunes” (v. 15) (Webb, 210)

6. A) GOD FORETELLS OF THE SERVANT’S EXALTATION
IS 52:13-15
• 13 See, my servant will wisely succeed | he will be high and lifted up and highly exalted
• High and lifted up (‫רוּם‬ and ‫א‬ ָ‫ָשׂ‬‫נ‬) – usually a description for God (TWOT, 145)
• “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and
the train of his robe filled the temple (Is 6:1 cf. 33:10; Is 57:15;TWOT, 145)
• 12 The LORD Almighty has a day in store | for all the proud and lofty (‫,)רוּם‬ | for all that is
exalted | (and they will be humbled), (Is 2:12, NIV cf. Oswalt, 378)
• The arrogance of man will be brought low | and human pride humbled; | the LORD alone will
be exalted in that day, (Is 2:17)
• 14 Just as many were horrified on account of you – | So disfigured, compared to any man, was his
appearance | and was his form, as compared to all of humanity –
• The LORD speaks directly to the Servant (you) (Baltzer, 398 cf. Is 6:8-9; Smith, 436)

7. A) GOD FORETELLS OF THE SERVANT’S EXALTATION
IS 52:13-15 – SPRINKLE
• 15 So he will sprinkle many nations | on account of him, kings will shut their
mouths | Because that which was not recounted to them, they will see | and that
which was not heard by them, they will closely perceive
• OT Sprinkling (‫ָה‬‫ז‬ָ‫נ‬): with blood, oil, water, (Num 8:7,TWOT, 566) or a mixture of
these (NIDOTTE, vol 3, 69)
• Blood was to be sprinkled seven times for sin offerings (Lev 4:6, 17; 16:14, 15, 19;
Num 19:4; NIDOTTE, vol 3, 69) on Yom Kippur
• Oil was sprinkled when consecrating the altar (Lev 8:11)
• Oil was mixed with water and blood and sprinkled for cleansing/purification – as
was (only) water (Num 8:7; Lev 14:51f.; NIDOTTE)
• The Servant will leave kings speechless

8. B) PEOPLETESTIFY:THE SERVANTWAS DESPISED AND
REJECTED (IS 53:1-3)
1 Who has believed our report,
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 He grew up before Him like a suckling
and like a root from the land of drought
He had neither form nor majesty that we should regard him
nor appearance that we should desire him
3 He was despised and rejected by (hu)mankind
a man of suffering and made to know affliction
And like one from whom people hide their faces
He was despised, and we did not esteem him
• Believing witnesses testify (Smith, 441-2;
Webb, 210) – Isaiah is including himself
(cf. Jer 14:7-9; Jn 12:38; Rom 10:16;
Oswalt, 381)
• The Servant was the arm of the LORD
(Smith, 444 cf. Motyer, Oswalt)
• The Servant was human (Motyer, 376)

9. B) PEOPLETESTIFY:THE SERVANTWAS DESPISED AND
REJECTED (IS 53:1-3)
• 1 Who has believed our report, | and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
• The believing witnesses report something hard to believer, a revelation many may not fully
understand (Smith, 443-4)
• The arm of the LORD, His “miraculous saving power,” divided the Red Sea (Is 51:9; cf. Ex 6:6;
15:16), will smite the Babylonians (Is 48:14), and will bring salvation in view of all nations (Is
52:7, 10; Smith, 444).
• His powerful arm brings about His just reign (Is 40:10; 51:5) (Oswalt, 382)
• How ironic for the mighty arm of the LORD to be revealed as the disfigured Servant?!
(Oswalt, 382)
• This Servant is the means through which God’s people will be able to become true servants of
God? (Oswalt, 382)

10. B) PEOPLETESTIFY:THE SERVANTWAS DESPISED AND
REJECTED (IS 53:1-3)
• 2 He grew up before Him like a suckling | and like a root from the land of drought | He
had neither form nor majesty that we should regard him | nor appearance that we should
desire him
• But, the Servant grew like a suckling (‫ֵק‬‫נ‬‫יוֹ‬ from the verb ‫ַק‬‫נ‬ָ‫י‬, which means “suck, nurse”),
(cf. Job 8:16; 14:7; 15:30; Eze. 17:22; Hos. 14:7;TWOT, 383-84)
• Like an unwanted shoot of a tree root. + Land of drought = Meager beginnings.
• 10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will
rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. (Is 11:10, NIV; cf. Is 4:2; Jer 23:5; Zech
3:8; 6:12; Smith 444)
• Didn’t have kingly beginnings or kingly appearance

11. B) PEOPLETESTIFY:THE SERVANTWAS DESPISED AND
REJECTED (IS 53:1-3)
• 3 He was despised and rejected by (hu)mankind | a man of suffering
and made to know affliction | And like one from whom people hide
their faces | He was despised, and we did not esteem him
• The Servant was a man of suffering or “sorrows” (‫אוֹב‬ְ‫כ‬ ַ‫,)מ‬ the same
word used to describe the suffering and sorrows of the Israelites
under the yoke of Egyptian slavery (Ex 3:7; Baltzer, 406)
• Grammar: suffering was something for which he was known for
(Smith, 447)

12. C) PEOPLETESTIFY:THE SERVANT PROVIDED “VICARIOUS
SUFFERING FOR OUR SINS” (IS 53:4-6)
4 Surely, our affliction he took up
and our suffering he bore
And we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and humiliated
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
crushed for our iniquities
The discipline that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed
6 All of us, like sheep, have gone astray
each of us has turned to our own way
And the LORD laid on him
the iniquity of us all

13. C) PEOPLETESTIFY:THE SERVANT PROVIDED “VICARIOUS
SUFFERING FOR OUR SINS” (IS 53:4-6)
• 4 Surely, our affliction he took up | and our suffering he bore | And we esteemed him |
stricken, | smitten by God, and humiliated
• Plot-twist: the suffering he was known for was that which truly belonged to the
onlookers
• Took up – (same word used for scapegoat (Lev 16:22) – and bore emphasized in the
Hebrew grammar (Joüon and Muraoka, 548-49 cf. Kidner, 663)
• In spite of him taking up their affliction, they considered him punished by God
• Retribution Principle: in the ancient Near East, if someone was suffering, people assumed
the person brought it on themselves and God was punishing them (Oswalt, 386; Longman
and Enns, 647)

14. C) PEOPLETESTIFY:THE SERVANT PROVIDED “VICARIOUS
SUFFERING FOR OUR SINS” (IS 53:4-6)
• 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, | crushed for our iniquities |The discipline
that brought us peace was on him, | and by his wounds we are healed
• Center of the chiastic structure – the crux
• The discipline can be seen as the discipline of a parent on a rebellious child, which often
includes punishment (Prov 22:15; 23:13 cf. Oswalt, 388; Smith, 450)
• Peace ‫לוֹם‬ ָ‫שׁ‬ (shalom) “completion and fulfillment—of entering into a state of wholeness
and unity, a restored relationship” (TWOT, 930)
• Wounds: likely refer to “the violent substitutionary death that was suffered by the
Righteous Servant” (NIDOTTE, vol 2, 4)
• The Suffering Servant received the just punishment that was due the rebellious Israelites.
By so doing, he healed the relationship between the people the LORD (Smith, 450-51)

15. C) PEOPLETESTIFY:THE SERVANT PROVIDED “VICARIOUS
SUFFERING FOR OUR SINS” (IS 53:4-6)
• 6 All of us, like sheep, have gone astray | each of us has turned
to our own way | And the LORD laid on him | the iniquity of
us all
• These central verses highlight the “sweet exchange” (Kidner,
663), in which the vicarious suffering of the Servant allows for
reconciliation (VanGemeren, 507)

16. B’) PEOPLE TESTIFY:“THE SINLESS, SILENT SUFFERER”
(IS 53:7-9)
7 He was oppressed, humiliated,
but he did not open his mouth
like a lamb to the slaughter he was led
And like a sheep before the shearers is silenced
he did not open his mouth
8 By restraint and judgment he was taken away
Yet who of his generation deliberated?
For he was cut off from the land of the living
for the transgression of my people he was struck
9 He gave him, with the wicked, his grave
and, with a rich man, his funeral mound
Though no violence had he done
and no deceit was in his mouth

17. B’) PEOPLE TESTIFY:“THE SINLESS, SILENT SUFFERER”
(IS 53:7-9)
• 7 He was oppressed, humiliated, | but he did not open his mouth | like a
lamb to the slaughter he was led | And like a sheep before the shearers is
silenced | he did not open his mouth
• The Suffering Servant’s sacrifice was voluntary and without protest
(Motyer, 379)
• Emphasis: he did not open his mouth. Humble and submissive like a sheep
about to be shorn (Smith, 453)
• He did not fight back (cf. Is 50:6-7)
• Humble, voluntary, self-sacrifice (Motyer, 379)

18. B’) PEOPLE TESTIFY:“THE SINLESS, SILENT SUFFERER”
(IS 53:7-9)
• 8 By restraint and judgment he was taken away |Yet who of his generation deliberated? |
For he was cut off from the land of the living | for the transgression of my people he was
struck
• Restraint and judgment: likely a picture of incarceration and legal indictment (Smith,
453; Oswalt, 393)
• Deliberate: can mean ““to think about or discuss issues and decisions carefully”
(Webster’s)
• To many people, the suffering of the Suffering Servant is seen as inconsequential
• He died for the transgressions of the onlookers – Isaiah: us (Smith, 455 cf. Oswalt, 396)

19. B’) PEOPLE TESTIFY:“THE SINLESS, SILENT SUFFERER”
(IS 53:7-9)
• 9 He gave him, with the wicked, his grave | and, with a rich man, his funeral mound | Though
no violence had he done | and no deceit was in his mouth
• Emphasizes that the Servant died; Emphasizes that the Servant was innocent (Smith, 456)
• Isaiah has painted the perfect portrait of the suffering, substitutionary, self-sacrificial Servant.
• For “he displays all the needed characteristics: acceptable to the offended God (6), without
stain of our sin (9), identified with us in our need (4–5) and voluntarily standing in our place
(7–8)” (Motyer, 381)
• *The rich (singular) could refer to Joseph of Arimathea (Mt 27:57; Motyer, 380); the wicked
(plural) could refer to the criminals between whom Jesus was crucified*

20. A’) GOD FORETELLS OF THE SERVANT’S FINAL
EXALTATION
10Yet the LORD was willing to crush him, he was made to suffer
When his soul will lay a guilt offering
He will see the days of his offspring prolonged
and the will of the LORD, in his hands, will prosper
11 After the anguish of his soul
he will see the light and be satisfied
By his knowledge my just servant will justify many
And their iniquities he will bear
12 Therefore I will apportion to him the many
and the mighty he will apportion as spoil
Because he poured out his soul unto death
and with the transgressors he was counted,
And he himself bore the sin of many,
and for the transgressors he makes intercession

21. A’) GOD FORETELLS OF THE SERVANT’S FINAL
EXALTATION
• 10Yet the LORD was willing to crush him, he was made to suffer | When his soul will lay a
guilt offering | He will see the days of his offspring prolonged | and the will of the LORD, in his
hands, will prosper
• Spoken by Isaiah (Smith, 457)
• Begins and ends with a repeated theme: the LORD’s will (Motyer, 381)
• The willing Servant was the agent of and will be the executor for the LORD’s will (Motyer,
381)
• Though he gave himself up and died, (v. 7-9) the LORD was willing to bring him back to life,
allowing him to see his descendants (Webb, 212)
• These can be understood as his spiritual children (Isa 54:13-14, etc.) (Smith, 459)
• After the Servant dies, His days will be prolonged. Plausibly implied: Resurrection

22. A’) GOD FORETELLS OF THE SERVANT’S FINAL
EXALTATION
• 11 After the anguish of his soul | he will see the light and be satisfied | By his
knowledge my just servant will justify many | And their iniquities he will bear
• Anguish plausibly refers to the previous suffering and toil from Is 53:3-9 (Smith, 461)
• Knowledge: may entail the realization that his anguish is allows for his peoples’
salvation (Smith, 461)
• May harken back to Is 52:13: succeeding wisely (Webb, 213)
• Wordplay: the just will justify (i.e., make righteous) – bringing people back “into
right relationship with God” (Smith, 461)

23. A’) GOD FORETELLS OF THE SERVANT’S FINAL
EXALTATION
• 12 Therefore I will apportion to him the many | and the mighty he will apportion as spoil | Because he
poured out his soul unto death | and with the transgressors he was counted, | And he himself bore the sin
of many, | and for the transgressors he makes intercession
• Suffering Servant will be crowned with glory. Like leading a victory parade (Oswalt, 405)
• “…The Servant will return from his mission like a warrior laden with spoil…The one who was despised
and rejected will take the highest place, the place of a conqueror” (Webb, 213)
• The chiastic poem begins and ends with exaltation (cf. Is 52:13).
• God apportions to the Servant the many; the Servant apportions the mighty as plunder (Smith, 463)
• Fourfold summary: (1) he poured out his soul and died; (2) though sinless, the Suffering Servant let himself
be counted among and identified with the rebellious sinners who thought he was getting what he deserved;
(3) he bore the sin, taking up the punishment that was due them; (4) and for the transgressors he makes
intercession (Smith, 463) – an intervention (Oswalt, 407)

24. JESUS:THE SUFFERING SERVANT
• Ten of the twelve verses of Isaiah 53 are quoted in the NT (Craig)
• “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and
live for righteousness;“by his wounds you have been healed.” 25 For “you were like
sheep going astray,” a but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of
your souls. (1 Pet 2:24-25, NIV)
• 16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says,“Lord, who has
believed our message?” 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and
the message is heard through the word about Christ. (Rom 10:16-17, NIV)
• Christ Hymn (Php 2:6-11) God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name
that is above every name… (Php 2:9, NIV)

25. CONCLUSION
• Isaiah’s prophecy foretells of the forthcoming Servant of the LORD who is a kingly, even divine, Messiah
• Though the nation of Israel was supposed to be to the collective Servant of the LORD through whom He
would bring about justice & salvation to the nations, they rebelled and transgressed their covenant w/YHWH
• The unimpressive, unattractive, humble, despised, suffering Servant was to come and make a substitutionary,
atoning self-sacrifice that would heal the relationship between the LORD and his covenant people, bringing
‫לוֹם‬ ָ‫(שׁ‬shalom)
• And, though he was arrested and killed for crimes he did not commit, because the LORD’s will was (and will
be) accomplished through the Servant, the LORD will reward him with long life, many spiritual descendants
(both Israelite and Gentile), and exaltation.
• Thanks to be to the Servant for His (Christ’s) Service.Thanks be to God! The God who “made him who
had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor 5:21).
Slides will be uploaded to CatchForChrist.net!

26. BIBLIOGRAPHY
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