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I suppose Isaiah 53 is possibly the most misunderstood and misused passages in the whole Bible. The reason as you will quickly come to see is partly due to the purposefuly misquoting of the Jewish Masoretic text whereby the verses have been terribly altered. This not only destroys the original meaning intended by Isaiah but substitutes a "foreign" meaning instead.
Ever since I was a child I was told to believe that this passage refereed to Yeshua. Does it? You might be surprised when you study it in detail as I have. If you undertake to read these series of articles the results you will discover will reveal a completely different understanding from what many of you supposed that Isaiah, as recorded in your Christian Bibles, actually means. Besides the reason "highlighted" above, another reason why we did not understand this passage correctly as most of us grew up in the church is that our spiritual authorities chose to “read into the text” ideas that could not be “drawn from the text”. Let me explain.
In Seminary I learned that there are laws of interpretation that must be applied to the text of scripture if one wanted to arrive at the truth of what the passage is saying. There is only one problem outside of the Seminary classroom; namely few pastors or church adhere to such rule and laws of interpretation of scripture. I learned that there is a big difference between “exegesis” and “eisegesis.” Let me explain by looking at the definitions of these two very important words.
Exegesis, [from exegeomai in the Greek, to explain-ex, and hegeomai, to lead, to guide] The exposition or interpretation of any literary production, but more particularly the exposition or interpretation of Scripture; also the principles of the art of sacred interpretation; exegetics; hermeneutics.
Eisegesis noun : personal interpretation of a text (especially of the Bible) using your own ideas. In other words, reading into the text concepts and ideas totally foreign to the text.
As you can see for yourself if we follow the laws of eisegesis we can be assured of arriving at an erroneous interpretation of the text and lose the truths the prophet or writer intended to convey. Conversely, only by rigid application of the laws of exegesis can we be assured of arriving at the truths God desires we both understand and possess. Let us go on.
Since this article is intended for Christian readers, I will not go into depth regarding the traditional interpretation that the “Suffering Servant” has been taught to be Yeshua in the Isaiah 52 and especially the Isaiah 53 passages by the Christian Church for centuries. I would only ask that you read these series of articles closely and limit your “eisegesis” (reading into the text your personal interpretation received through sermonizing) and let the truths of the passage derived from “exegesis (whereby we explain, interpret, and critically examine the text) speak to you and determine what your religious belief system should be in light of the facts as they are "taken from the passage" and not "read into" the passage. After you have completed these articles the decision will be up to you what you believe Isaiah 53 is teaching. But until you read these articles and see this information for yourself you are limited by the knowledge withheld from you and are sadly unable to make an intelligent decision. With this as my motive let us begin a critical examination of the text.
13. Behold, My servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high.
14. As many wondered about you, “How marred his appearance is from that of a man, and his features from that of people!”
15. So shall he cast down many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for what had not been told to them they shall see; and that which they had not heard they shall consider.
Let me interject that the word for “nations” in the Hebrew is as follows:
1471 gowy rarely (shortened) goy- as a noun, masculine: nation, people
Now back to the text....
Notice first with me "certain" words. They are in the “plural.” Kings of nations (Gentile kings of non-Jewish nations) are speaking here in their numbed astonishment. For what they are finally witnessing is in stark contrast to everything they had ever heard and considered (or even heard preached about the Jews). Understandably, the first question on their lips is, "Who would have ever believed such a thing?" These Gentile leaders and “kings” are utterly astounded that the Jewish people, whom all the non-Jewish nations have together despised and molested, will be vindicated and enjoy the promised salvation of God. This is totally foreign to their theologies and what they were accustomed to hear taught and preached and what they expected to happen to the Jewish people. In other words these thoughts and beliefs about the fate of the Jewish people and their salvation have been totally in error as held by these non-Jewish people. Understand that the vast majority of Christianity today, if asked, will say the Jewish people are damned to hell if they don't believe in the Messiah or the blood of Yeshua. Let us go on.
The palpable shock that the gentile nations will experience and express at the end of days is a common theme throughout the Bible. But this fact can only be know if you spend a lot of time in the Hebrew Scriptures, and lets face the truth, most Christians today spend the vast majority of their time reading only the New Testament and find little use for the Jewish Scriptures.
Bear in mind that nowhere in scripture do the prophets foretell that the Jewish people will ever proclaim shock, or admit any mistake to the gentiles in the messianic age. On the contrary, the Bible clearly testifies that in the messianic age ten gentiles of different languages will grasp the shirt of a Jew and say, "Let us go with ,YOU, for we have heard that God is with ,YOU." (Zechariah 8:23)
15 According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I show unto them marvelous things. 16 The nations (non-Jewish peoples) shall see and be confounded at all of their might: they shall lay their hands upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.
11 Behold all those who were incensed against you shall be ashamed and confounded; those who quarreled with you shall be as naught and be lost.
19 O Lord, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth and shall say, "Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no benefit. 20 Shall a man make Gods unto himself, and they are no Gods?
Please listen. As a Seminary graduate with a Master’s degree no less, the tools I received while at Seminary were put to further use after I graduated as I proceeded to be involved in in-depth study of Biblical language, Biblical history, culture, etc. I must admit that upon 15 years of in-depth research and study, sometimes up to 10 hours a day, I have found that I have fulfilled Jeremiah 16:19-20. I have come to the conclusion that Jeremiah is totally correct: my non-Jewish forefathers, having accepted the legacy of Nicea and Constantine, and others who replaced a Jewish faith with one of Rome, and who altered the manuscripts to make sure that all subsequent non-Jewish followers accept “their” brand of religion, propagated religious lies, vanity, and vain worship. Faced with such knowledge which most have not had the opportunity to be exposed to themselves, I endeavor to reach out to others to inform them of the truths long held from the Christian community in order that their knowledge and faith in both God and Messiah be correct and not after the traditions of men.
But thou, Israel, art My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham My friend. 9 Whom I grasped from the ends of the earth, and from it nobles I called you, and I said to you. "You are My servant"; I chose you and I did not despise you.
1 Yet hear now, O Jacob My servant and Israel, whom I have chosen. So said the Lord your Maker, and He who formed you from the womb shall aid you. 2 Fear not, My servant Israel, and Jeshurun whom I have chosen.
21 Remember these, O Jacob and Israel, for thou art My servant, I have formed thee; thou art My servant, O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of Me.
4 For the sake of My servant Jacob, and Israel My chosen one, and I called to you by your name...
20 Leave Babylon, flee from the Chaldeans; with a voice of singing declare, tell this, publicize it to the end of the earth; say, The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob."
3 And said to me, thou art My Servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified!
22 Even a heritage unto Israel His servant; for His mercy endures forever
10 Therefore fear not, O My Servant Jacob, says the Lord, neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, behold, I will save you from afar....
Answer for yourself: So what do we learn about the identity of the “Servant” of God?
The Suffering Servant of God is the nation of Israel and not an individual; that is, the Suffering Servant of God is a collection of people and not just one person.
Answer for yourself: What are the implications of reading only “one” person into Isaiah 53 then?
Simply, we are guilty of not drawing out of the passage the intended meaning of the prophet (exegesis), but rather, misinterpreting the passage by "reading into" the passage a preconceived belief formed by what others have said (eisegesis) which cannot be supported by critical examination of the text. Our religious belief system is in error, and often this leads us to vain worship.
Answer for yourself: If we read “Yeshua” into Isaiah 53 and not understand that the “suffering servant” is the collective nation of Israel, then are we not guilty of “reading into the text our personal interpretation” irrespective of the intended meaning of the prophet and guilty of “eisegesis”? We sure are.
THE ONLY CONCLUSION WE CAN RIGHTFULLY DRAW FROM TRUTHFUL EXAMINATION OF THE TEXT IS THAT THE IDENTITY OF THE “SERVANT” IN THE PROPHET’S FOURTH SERVANT SONG, ISAIAH 53, MUST BE THE NATION OF ISRAEL AND NOT ONE INDIVIDUAL