Section 140 of 17452:13–53:12Isaiah

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King James VersionIsaiah 52:13–53:12

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

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

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.

Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

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.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

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.

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.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.

Scripture text: King James Version, Standardized 1769 text. Public domain in the United States.About this Bible text

Isaiah 52:13–53:12

The Marred Servant Is Reassessed, Suffers, and Is Vindicated

The poem reverses first perception

The poem deliberately reverses first perception. The servant is first seen as marred, despised, and cut off. The poem then reassesses that figure: the suffering is interpreted in relation to others' griefs and transgressions, and the servant is finally vindicated.

That reversal is the movement of the whole poem. One isolated wound-line cannot carry Isaiah 52:13–53:12 by itself.

What the poem does not settle

The servant's identity and the precise atonement logic remain debated. Jewish and Christian readings both belong in the conversation. Later Christian reception must not erase Israel's first horizon, condemn Jewish readings, glorify abuse, or coerce anyone to accept suffering.

How this should shape us

Stand with people who are despised or unjustly harmed. Tell the truth about violence and seek restoration without calling abuse redemptive or pressuring someone to remain in harm.

Teach it back

Explain Isaiah 52:13–53:12 in your own words. Name its place in Isaiah, one source-controlled observation, one uncertainty, one enduring truth, and one harmful use the passage does not authorize.

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Go deeper

The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.

Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties

Where do responsible readings differ?

Best judgment: The poem does not settle the servant's identity, death, atonement mechanics, or speakers by one isolated line; Christian reception must not erase Israel, condemn Jewish readings, glorify abuse, or coerce suffering.

How certain? probable

Research trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.

Isaiah 52:13–53:12, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Isaiah

Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology at the exact unit, without treating morphology as apparatus, lexicon, composition history, or interpretation.

Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Isa.xml, OSIS 52:13–53:12 with Hebrew/KJV versification difference checked

NET Bible Notes: Isaiah

Supports: Verse-level controls for Hebrew, syntax, poetry, older KJV language, chronology, names, textual issues, and material translation alternatives.

Official NET Isaiah PDF, translator, study, and textual notes attached to Isaiah 52:13–53:12 in the complete 205-page book PDF

Second Isaiah study-guide course

Supports: Babylonian-exile and Persian horizons, new exodus, Cyrus, servant figures, Daughter Zion, nations, suffering, and transition to plural servants.

Yale Bible Study, Second Isaiah course, Servant and Bride guide on Isaiah 49:1-52:12; applied to Isaiah 52:13–53:12

Isaiah course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, themes, and reception

Supports: Whole-book historical, literary, theological, ethical, and reception synthesis across Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, and postexilic horizons.

Enter the Bible Isaiah course, Outline Book 2C, Themes, and Bible in the World; applied to Isaiah 52:13–53:12

Commentary on Isaiah 53:4-12

Supports: First literary horizon, servant alternatives, unjust and vicarious suffering, Christian reception, and explicit resistance to coercion and persecution of Jews.

Tull, 'Commentary on Isaiah 53:4-12,' Working Preacher (2015), complete essay sections on Isaiah 49-54, 52:13-53:12, textual and translation difficulty, servant alternatives, New Testament reuse, and anti-Jewish misuse; applied to Isaiah 52:13–53:12

Anti-Judaism in Christian Teaching and Preaching

Supports: Controls against caricaturing Judaism, Torah-as-legalism claims, blanket condemnation, Gentile boasting, and supersessionist misuse.

Skinner, 'Anti-Judaism in Christian Teaching and Preaching,' Working Preacher (2008), complete essay categories and guidance; applied to the reception risks in Isaiah 52:13–53:12

Sources for This Section

These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.

Biblical text

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society

USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.

Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.

Exact location: Isaiah 52:13–53:12, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus

Open source ↗

hebrew text and morphology

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Isaiah

Open Scriptures

Open Scriptures, release 2.2

Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology at the exact unit, without treating morphology as apparatus, lexicon, composition history, or interpretation.

Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Isa.xml, OSIS 52:13–53:12 with Hebrew/KJV versification difference checked

Open the fixed Hebrew Isaiah file ↗

translation and translator notes

NET Bible Notes: Isaiah

Biblical Studies Press

Biblical Studies Press, 2016; current official PDF

Supports: Verse-level controls for Hebrew, syntax, poetry, older KJV language, chronology, names, textual issues, and material translation alternatives.

Exact location: Official NET Isaiah PDF, translator, study, and textual notes attached to Isaiah 52:13–53:12 in the complete 205-page book PDF

Open the official NET Isaiah PDF ↗

open university study guide series

Second Isaiah study-guide course

Robert R. Wilson and Stephen L. Cook

Yale Bible Study, 2019; current public course

Supports: Babylonian-exile and Persian horizons, new exodus, Cyrus, servant figures, Daughter Zion, nations, suffering, and transition to plural servants.

Exact location: Yale Bible Study, Second Isaiah course, Servant and Bride guide on Isaiah 49:1-52:12; applied to Isaiah 52:13–53:12

Open the Yale Second Isaiah course ↗

modern scholarly book course

Isaiah course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, themes, and reception

Fred Gaiser; revised by Michael Chan

Enter the Bible, Luther Seminary, revised August 2024

Supports: Whole-book historical, literary, theological, ethical, and reception synthesis across Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, and postexilic horizons.

Exact location: Enter the Bible Isaiah course, Outline Book 2C, Themes, and Bible in the World; applied to Isaiah 52:13–53:12

Open the Enter the Bible Isaiah course ↗

scholarly exegetical and reception essay

Commentary on Isaiah 53:4-12

Patricia Tull

Working Preacher, Luther Seminary, 2015

Supports: First literary horizon, servant alternatives, unjust and vicarious suffering, Christian reception, and explicit resistance to coercion and persecution of Jews.

Exact location: Tull, 'Commentary on Isaiah 53:4-12,' Working Preacher (2015), complete essay sections on Isaiah 49-54, 52:13-53:12, textual and translation difficulty, servant alternatives, New Testament reuse, and anti-Jewish misuse; applied to Isaiah 52:13–53:12

Open Tull on Isaiah 53 and its reception ↗

scholarly ethical reception guidance

Anti-Judaism in Christian Teaching and Preaching

Matt Skinner

Working Preacher, Luther Seminary, 2008

Supports: Controls against caricaturing Judaism, Torah-as-legalism claims, blanket condemnation, Gentile boasting, and supersessionist misuse.

Exact location: Skinner, 'Anti-Judaism in Christian Teaching and Preaching,' Working Preacher (2008), complete essay categories and guidance; applied to the reception risks in Isaiah 52:13–53:12

Open Skinner's anti-Judaism guidance ↗