April 14, 2011Isaiah 53 – The Christian Interpretation: Valid or Not? Page 1 of 16 Who Is the Suffering Servant in “Isaiah 53”? Part II – The Christian

April 14, 2011 Isaiah 53 – The Christian Interpretation: Valid or Not? Page 1 of 16

Who Is the Suffering Servant in “Isaiah 53”?

Part II – The Christian Interpretation: Valid or Not?

A Counter-Missionary Education Lesson

by

Uri Yosef, Ph.D., Director of EducationVirtual Yeshiva of the Messiah Truth Project, Inc.

http://virtualyeshiva.com

[The article on this topic is located here - http://thejewishhome.org/counter/Isa53CP.pdf]

Copyright © Uri Yosef 2011 for the Messiah Truth Project, Inc.All rights reserved

Counter-Missionary Education

http://virtualyeshiva.com/

http://virtualyeshiva.com/

http://thejewishhome.org/counter/Isa53CP.pdf


IntroductionIn Part I, the Scientific Method was used to test the validity of the Jewish perspective on “Isaiah 53”. The end-result of that process confirmed the Jewish interpretation, that Israel is God’s servant in the Fourth Servant Song.

Is the job complete? In a sense, the answer is yes. The identity of the servant has been determined, which was the stated goal of the analysis. However, there is also the Christian interpretation of “Isaiah 53”. The predominant Christian perspective has the Messiah, who is Jesus according to Christianity, as God’s servant in Isaiah’s Fourth Servant Song.

Can both perspectives be simultaneously valid? To help answer this question, it is only fair to subject the Christian perspective to the same analytical process as was applied in Part I to the Jewish interpretation of “Isaiah 53”, and see whether it holds up under this level of scrutiny.

The Scientific Method was previously described. Please refer to either the Part I article (http://thejewishhome.org/counter/Isa53JP.pdf) or the Part I Segment 1 lesson notes (http://thejewishhome.org/counter/ppt/Isaiah53JP_01.ppt) for that description.

http://thejewishhome.org/counter/Isa53JP.pdf

http://thejewishhome.org/counter/ppt/Isaiah53JP_01.ppt


Additional Considerations that Affect the Present Analysis

Since the source text of "Isaiah 53" is the (Masoretic Text of the) Hebrew Bible, the "proof text" for the analysis is the Hebrew Bible. The English translations to be used remain the same as were used in the analysis of the Jewish perspective

"Isaiah 53" is messianic Scripture, i.e., it speaks of the Messiah and of the messianic era "Isaiah 53" is a prophetic passage about the life, suffering, atoning sacrificial death, and eventual resurrection and triumph of Jesus, Christianity's Messiah "Isaiah 53" is a description of a humble deliverer and sin-bearer who, after being sacrificed as a guilt offering for the sins of others, sees the result of his atoning work and is satisfied

Although the New Testament is not accepted as Scripture within Judaism, it is used, as needed, to validate claims by Christians. The KJV translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures is used for this purpose. Since Jesus is not named in the Hebrew Bible, the analysis will: - utilize the New Testament to determine if a given verse applies to Jesus - utilize the Hebrew Bible to determine if a given verse applies to the Messiah


Segment 1 – Isaiah 52:13-15

Isaiah King James Version

Translation Jewish Translation from the

Hebrew Hebrew Text ʤʩ̡ʹ ʩ

52:13

Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.

Behold, My servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up, and he shall be very high.

ʬʩʑ̠ʍ̍ʔʩʤʒ̊ʑʤʩʑːʍʡʔ̡ ˑ ʔʡʕʢʍʥʠʕ́ʑhʍʥʭ˒y ʕʩ

ʟʣʖʠʍʮ ʢʩ,ʡʰ

52:14

As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:

As many wondered about you, "How marred his appearance is from that of a man, and his features from that of people!"

ʕʪʩʓʬʕ̡˒ʮʍʮʕ̌ʸ ʓ̌ʏʠʔ̠ˇ ʩʑʠʒʮ̋ ʔʧ ʍ̌ʑʮʚʯʒ̠

ʩʒhʍˎʑʮx ʸ ʏʠʖ̋ ʍʥ˒ʤʒʠʍyʔʮʟʭʕʣ̩

ʣʩ,ʡʰ

52:15

So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.(i)

So shall he cause many nations to be startled; kings shall shut their mouths because of him, because that which had not been told to them they saw, and that which they had not heard they perceived.

ʯʒ̠ʤʓ˓ʔʩʭʩʑˎʔyʭʑʩxˏʭʩʑʫʕʬʍʮ˒ ʶ ʍ̋ʍ̫ʑʩʥʩʕʬʕ̡

ʸ ʓ̌ʏʠʩʑ̠ʭʓʤʩʑ̋˒ʠʕyʭʓʤʕʬy ʔ̋ʗɦʚʠʖʬ

˒̡ ʍʮʕ̌ʚʠʖʬy ʓ̌ʏʠʔʥʟ˒ ʰʕhx ˎ ʍ̋ʑʤ

ʥʨ,ʡʰ

(i) Romans 15:21(KJV) - But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand.

The King James Version (KJV) translation is shown with pointers to cross-referenced passages in the New Testament. These references are taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB). However, the corresponding passages below the table are quoted from the KJV for consistency.


Collecting, recording, and organizing the data

In the first segment of “Isaiah 53”, the prophet, speaking for God, describes an unnamed servant. The Hebrew term י ִּד4 ְב6 My servant, in the opening ,(avDI) ַע8verse of this segment clearly indicates this unnamed servant is a servant of God, which forms the first data element collected and recorded in this stage:

As it turns out, this first data element for the analysis of the Christian perspective is identical to the first data element in the analysis of the Jewish perspective.

Once again, from a statistical perspective, a sample of one observation is inadequate for carrying out any kind of meaningful analysis. This is also true here and, therefore, before we can advance to the next stage of the Scientific Method, additional data elements are required.

Observation Stage

Data Element #1: “My servant” is a reference by God to one of His servants.


Collecting, recording, and organizing the data (continued)

As was done in the analysis of the Jewish perspective, all instances in the Hebrew Bible of the expression י ִּד4 ְב6 that refer specifically to a servant of God ַע8are shown in the table below. Book # Name of Servant Reference Genesis 1 Abraham 26:24 Numbers 2 Moses; Caleb* 12:7,8; 14:24* Joshua 1 Moses 1:2,7 2Samuel 1 David 3:18, 7:5,8 1Kings 1 David 11:13,32,34,36,38, 14:8 2Kings 2 Moses; David 21:8; 19:34, 20:6

Isaiah 4/"X" Isaiah; Eliakim; David; Israel-Jacob-Jeshurun; "not explicitly named"

20.3; 22:20; 37:35; 41:8,9, 43:10**, 44:1,2,21(2x), 45:4, 49:3; "42:1,19, 52:13, 53:11"

Jeremiah 3 Nebuchadnezzar; Israel-Jacob; David

25:9, 27:6, 43:10; 30:10, 46:27,28; 33:21,22,26

Ezekiel 2 Israel/Jacob; David 28:25, 37:25; 34:23,24, 37:24,25 Haggai 1 Zerubbabel 2:23 Zechariah 1 Tsemah 3:8 Malachi 1 Moses 3:22 Psalms 1 David 89:4,21 Job 1 Job 1:8, 2:3, 42:7,8(3x) 1Chronicles 1 David 17:4,7

* To facilitate correlation between Name of Servant and Reference, alternating highlighting is used when more than one name appears.

** Though not explicitly named, the context unambiguously identifies Israel/Jacob as servant.


Collecting, recording, and organizing the data (continued)

Extracting the “useful data” from the “raw data” in the table: - 1st Iteration: Exclude unnamed references and the name Israel (also called Jacob and Jeshurun) from the analysis since Israel was the candidate for this title in the analysis of the Jewish interpretation.

Book Name of Servant Reference "Fit" with

"Isaiah 53"?

Genesis Abraham 26:24 No Numbers Moses; Caleb* 12:7,8; 14:24* No Joshua Moses 1:2,7 No 2Samuel David 3:18, 7:5,8 No

1Kings David 11:13,32,34,36,38, 14:8

No

2Kings Moses; David 21:8; 19:34, 20:6 No Isaiah 20.3 No Eliakim 22:20 No Isaiah David 37:35 No Nebuchadnezzar 25:9, 27:6, 43:10 No

Jeremiah David 33:21,22,26 No

Ezekiel David 34:23,24, 37:24,25 Yes Haggai Zerubbabel 2:23 No Zechariah Tsemah 3:8 Yes (?) Malachi Moses 3:22 No Psalms David 89:4,21 Yes (?) Job Job 1:8, 2:3, 42:7,8(3x) No 1Chronicles David 17:4,7 No * To facilitate correlation between Name of Servant and Reference, alternating highlighting is used when more than one name appears.


Collecting, recording, and organizing the data (continued)- 2nd Iteration: The references to David as My servant (God's servant) by the Prophet Ezekiel are unique among the entries in the table since they are allusions to the Messiah, on which both Christian and Jewish writers generally agree.These two iterations generate another data element:

Some Jewish writers opine that the reference to TSEmah as My Servant by the Prophet Zechariah points to the Messiah of Judaism. Christian writers generally hold that “The Branch”, which is the common translation of the name TSEmah in Christian bibles, points to the Messiah of Christianity. Similarly, Christian writers and some Jewish writers consider Psalms 89:4[3 in Christian bibles] as messianic. Christian writers generally also consider this as a messianic passage. These views combine to form a third data element:

A fourth data element is obtained from the fact that much of the material contained in Chapters 40-66 in the Book of Isaiah deals with the messianic era:

Data Element #2: The prophet Ezekiel refers to the Messiah as “My Servant”.

Data Element #4: A significant portion of Chapters 40-66 in the Book of Isaiah concerns the messianic era.

Data Element #3: Christian writers agree with some Jewish writers that the respective passages in the Book of Zechariah and in the Book of Psalms refer to the Messiah.


Formulating a new hypothesis from the newly collected data• Reviewing the data elements:

• Formulating a new hypothesis that accommodates the Christian perspective:

• What happens next?

In Christianity, Jesus is the Messiah. While the concept of “the Messiah” is central to Judaism, this title cannot be identified with Jesus. Therefore, the Verification stage will consist of two parallel verse-by-verse comparisons of the “Isaiah 53” Hebrew text:

New Hypothesis: The Messiah is the servant in "Isaiah 53"

Generalization Stage

Data Element #2: The prophet Ezekiel refers to the Messiah as “My Servant”.

Data Element #3: Christian writers agree with some Jewish writers that the respective passages in the Book of Zechariah and in the Book of Psalms refer to the Messiah.

Data Element #1: “My servant” is a reference by God to one of His servants.

Data Element #4: A significant portion of Chapters 40-66 in the Book of Isaiah concerns the messianic era.

1. “Isaiah 53” compared to what the Hebrew Bible teaches about the Messiah2. “Isaiah 53” compared to what the New Testament teaches about Jesus


Testing the Hypothesis: Segment 1




52:13

Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.


ʬʩʑ̠ʍ̍ʔʩʤʒ̊ʑʤʩʑːʍʡʔ̡ ˑ ʔʡʕʢʍʥʠʕ́ʑhʍʥʭ˒y ʕʩ

ʟʣʖʠʍʮ ʢʩ,ʡʰ

Verification Stage

The servant is called My servant, i.e., God's servant, in this verse. The verse describes a servant who will prosper (or, alternatively, acquire knowledge), one who will be in a prestigious leadership position, lauded and revered by many. [Hebrew Bible] Question: Can Isaiah 52:13 apply to the Messiah?

According to the Hebrew Bible, the Messiah will surely be one of God's servants. Some of the other attributes mentioned in this verse are also used in other passages that refer to the Messiah. For example, this verse includes the term, יל ִּכ4 ְׂש6 he will prosper or he will acquire ,(yasKIL) י8wisdom. Jeremiah uses a similar term, יל ִּכ4 ְׂש6 ִה4 and he shall ,(vehisKIL) ְו6prosper, in reference to the Messiah (Jeremiah 23:5), and Daniel speaks of the Messiah being in a prestigious leadership position (Daniel 7:14). [Hebrew Bible] Answer: YES!


Testing the Hypothesis: Segment 1 (continued)

[New Testament] Question: Can Isaiah 52:13 apply to Jesus?

Although Jesus is said to have been exalted by God (Acts 5:31, Philippians 2:9), nowhere do New Testament authors refer to him as God’s servant, nor does anyone ever explicitly call him “My servant”. The expression “My servant” appears only once in the New Testament (with several variations, and depending on version), at Matthew 12:18, where it is an allusion to Jesus, although it occurs there in a reference to Isaiah's First Servant Song (Isaiah 42:1-4).

In fact, Jesus being God’s servant is an impossibility for Trinitarians since, according to that doctrine, the three personages of the godhead are “co-equals”. Even the authors of the New Testament state that a servant does not know what his master does (e.g., John 15:15).

Finally, if Jesus (“the Son”) is a co-equal of the omniscient God (“the Father”), how can he grow in wisdom and knowledge? (Luke 2:52) [New Testament] Answer: NO!






52:14

As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:


ʕʪʩʓʬʕ̡˒ʮʍʮʕ̌ʸ ʓ̌ʏʠʔ̠ˇ ʩʑʠʒʮ̋ ʔʧ ʍ̌ʑʮʚʯʒ̠

ʩʒhʍˎʑʮx ʸ ʏʠʖ̋ ʍʥ˒ʤʒʠʍyʔʮʟʭʕʣ̩

ʣʩ,ʡʰ

The multitudes were astonished when they saw the servant, whose features were so disfigured that he did not even bear resemblance to a human being, be exalted and become successful.

[Hebrew Bible] Question: Can Isaiah 52:14 apply to the Messiah?

There are no passages in the Hebrew Bible where the Messiah is described in this kind of language, i.e., as having first been beaten beyond recognition, and later being exalted and becoming successful.

[Hebrew Bible] Answer: NO!




The accounts of the events leading up to the crucifixion include several descriptions of how Jesus was handled by the Roman soldiers. Apparently the Romans (verbally) mocked him, they placed a crown of thorns on his head, spat on him, and hit him on the head, either with a reed or with their hands (e.g., Matthew 27:27-30, John 19:2-3).

From the treatment described in the New Testament, and given that this took place over a short period of time prior to his crucifixion, could the appearance of Jesus have been marred and his features disfigured to such an extent that he was unrecognizable as a person?

What did Jesus look like throughout his entire life span prior to this treatment? Was he also in this condition? If he were in this condition, why would God have chosen such a damaged body for Himself? Quite to the contrary, the authors of the New Testament describe Jesus as handsome and popular with the multitudes (e.g., Matthew 21:9; Luke 2:52), an image that is depicted in many later works of art. [New Testament] Answer: NO!






52:15

So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.(i)


ʯʒ̠ʤʓ˓ʔʩʭʩʑˎʔyʭʑʩxˏʭʩʑʫʕʬʍʮ˒ ʶ ʍ̋ʍ̫ʑʩʥʩʕʬʕ̡

ʸ ʓ̌ʏʠʩʑ̠ʭʓʤʩʑ̋˒ʠʕyʭʓʤʕʬy ʔ̋ʗɦʚʠʖʬ

˒̡ ʍʮʕ̌ʚʠʖʬy ʓ̌ʏʠʔʥʟ˒ ʰʕhx ˎ ʍ̋ʑʤ

ʥʨ,ʡʰ

This verse describes the future surprise expressed by many (Gentile) nations; their leaders will be dumbfounded by what they perceive, which will not be what they expected.

[Hebrew Bible] Question: Can Isaiah 52:15 apply to the Messiah?

There are no passages in the Hebrew Bible in which this kind of a reaction to the appearance of the Messiah is described. Yet, it is reasonable to posit that, when he executes and completes the messianic agenda, the (Gentile) nations will be astonished. Therefore, we shall give the benefit of the doubt in the answer to this question.

[Hebrew Bible] Answer: YES!




The cross-referenced passage, Romans 15:21, points to the last two phrases in our verse. However, the context of Isaiah 52:15 is completely different from the context of the passage in the New Testament.

The last two phrases in this verse explain the reason for the astonishment by those who hear of the servant’s accomplishments. Paul addresses an audience of Romans as he explains his own mission to them (an activity has been continued by Christian missionaries for the past two millennia). Any astonishment here, and none is described by Paul in this account, could not have resulted from the unexpected success of the servant, who was viewed as a lowly being.

Some other world religions of today have very large numbers of followers, and many of these people may have never even heard about Jesus, yet they do not appear to be astonished at what they may be hearing from the Christian missionaries. [New Testament] Answer: NO!


Interim Summary – Segment 1: Isaiah 52:13-15

Our new hypothesis:

Results of the verse-by-verse testing:New Hypothesis

Generic (from HB) Specific (from NT) Original

Hypothesis

Isaiah Jewish Translation from the Hebrew

Does "the Messiah=Servant"

Fit?

Does "Jesus = Servant"

Fit?

Results from testing

"Israel = Servant"

52:13


YES NO YES

52:14


NO NO YES

52:15


YES NO YES

New Hypothesis: The Messiah is the servant in "Isaiah 53"

Documents

April 14, 2011Isaiah 53 – The Christian Interpretation: Valid or Not? Page 1 of 16 Who Is the Suffering Servant in “Isaiah 53”? Part II – The Christian