Isaiah 8 The Suffering Servant (ch 52-53)

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said to Elijah: When will the Messiah come? Elijah said to him: Go ask him. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi asked: And where is he sitting? Elijah said to him: At the entrance of the city of Rome.

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi asked him: And what is his identifying sign by means of which I can recognize him? Elijah answered: He sits among the poor who suffer from illnesses. And all of them untie their bandages and tie them all at once, but the Messiah unties one bandage and ties one at a time. He says: Perhaps I will be needed to serve to bring about the redemption. Therefore, I will never tie more than one bandage, so that I will not be delayed.

(1) This is My servant, whom I uphold, My chosen one, in whom I delight. I have put My spirit upon him, He shall teach the true way to the nations. (2) He shall not cry out or shout aloud, Or make his voice heard in the streets. (3) He shall not break even a bruised reed, Or snuff out even a dim wick. He shall bring forth the true way. (4) He shall not grow dim or be bruised Till he has established the true way on earth; And the coastlands shall await his teaching.

See also 42:19-22

(1) Listen, O coastlands, to me, And give heed, O nations afar: The LORD appointed me before I was born, He named me while I was in my mother’s womb. (2) He made my mouth like a sharpened blade, He hid me in the shadow of His hand, And He made me like a polished arrow; He concealed me in His quiver. (3) And He said to me, “You are My servant, Israel in whom I glory.”

(4) I thought, “I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for empty breath.” But my case rested with the LORD, My recompense was in the hands of my God. (5) And now the LORD has resolved— He who formed me in the womb to be His servant— To bring back Jacob to Himself, That Israel may be restored to Him. And I have been honored in the sight of the LORD, My God has been my strength. (6) For He has said: “It is too little that you should be My servant In that I raise up the tribes of Jacob And restore the survivors of Israel: I will also make you a light of nations, That My salvation may reach the ends of the earth.”

(4) The Lord GOD gave me a skilled tongue, To know how to speak timely words to the weary. Morning by morning, He rouses, He rouses my ear To give heed like disciples. (5) The Lord GOD opened my ears, And I did not disobey, I did not run away. (6) I offered my back to the floggers, And my cheeks to those who tore out my hair. I did not hide my face From insult and spittle.

(7) But the Lord GOD will help me— Therefore I feel no disgrace; Therefore I have set my face like flint, And I know I shall not be shamed. (8) My Vindicator is at hand— Who dares contend with me? Let us stand up together! Who would be my opponent? Let him approach me! (9) Lo, the Lord GOD will help me— Who can get a verdict against me? They shall all wear out like a garment, The moth shall consume them.

(10) Who among you reveres the LORD And heeds the voice of His servant?— Though he walk in darkness And have no light, Let him trust in the name of the LORD And rely upon his God. (11) But you are all kindlers of fire, Girding on firebrands. Walk by the blaze of your fire, By the brands that you have lit! This has come to you from My hand: You shall lie down in pain.

(13) “Indeed, My servant shall prosper, Be exalted and raised to great heights. (14) Just as the many were appalled at him— So marred was his appearance, unlike that of man, form, beyond human semblance— (15) Just so he shall startle many nations. Kings shall be silenced because of him, For they shall see what has not been told them, Shall behold what they never have heard.”

(1) “Who can believe what we have heard? Upon whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? (2) For he has grown, by His favor, like a tree crown, Like a tree trunk out of arid ground. He had no form or beauty, that we should look at him: No charm, that we should find him pleasing. (3) He was despised, shunned by men, A man of suffering, familiar with disease. As one who hid his face from us, He was despised, we held him of no account. (4) Yet it was our sickness that he was bearing, Our suffering that he endured. We accounted him plagued, Smitten and afflicted by God; (5) But he was wounded because of our sins, Crushed because of our iniquities. He bore the chastisement that made us whole, And by his bruises we were healed.

(6) We all went astray like sheep, Each going his own way; And the LORD visited upon him The guilt of all of us.” (7) He was maltreated, yet he was submissive, He did not open his mouth; Like a sheep being led to slaughter, Like a ewe, dumb before those who shear her, He did not open his mouth. (8) By oppressive judgment he was taken away, Who could describe his abode? For he was cut off from the land of the living Through the sin of my people, who deserved the punishment. (9) And his grave was set among the wicked, And with the rich, in his death— Though he had done no injustice And had spoken no falsehood. (10) But the LORD chose to crush him by disease, That, if he made himself an offering for guilt, He might see offspring and have long life, And that through him the LORD’s purpose might prosper.

(11) Out of his anguish he shall see it; He shall enjoy it to the full through his devotion. “My righteous servant makes the many righteous, It is their punishment that he bears; (12) Assuredly, I will give him the many as his portion, He shall receive the multitude as his spoil. For he exposed himself to death And was numbered among the sinners, Whereas he bore the guilt of the many And made intercession for sinners.”

Commentary on Isaiah by the Provençal scholar R. David Kimhi (d.1236)

Yet it was our sickness that he was bearing.

The prophet Ezekiel wrote: "A child shall not share the burden of a parent’s guilt, nor shall a parent share the burden of a child’s guilt;״ (Ezekiel 18:20). All the more so one nation [shall not share the burden of the guilt] of another nation.

If so, what is the import of "Yet it was our sickness that he was bearing...he was wounded because of our sins, Crushed because of our iniquities" (vv. 4-5)?

This should not be compared to what Jeremiah said in Lamentations, ״Our fathers sinned and are no more; And we must bear their guilt" (Lamentations 5:7). That assertion is similar to the verse, "visiting the guilt of the parents upon the children, [upon the third and upon the fourth generations of those who reject Me,]" (Exodus 20:5), which refers to cases where children copy the behavior of their parents, as it says, "those who reject me." It is God's judgment that a child bear guilt for his and his father's sin.

Jeremiah's statement ("we must bear their guilt") reflects those who lamented [the destruction of Jerusalem]. As a result of their pain, their words were not just and balanced.

When the nations will say, "Yet it was our sickness that he was bearing," and similar things, this is their own opinion. It is not that Israel have suffered for the iniquity of the nations. Rather, [the nations] will conclude this on their own when they see, at the time of the Redemption, that the faith that Israel has maintained is the truth and the faith which they maintained is fallacious... They will say according to their own reasoning, 'if so, what was the pain that Israel bore in the Exile? It was not due to their iniquity, for they maintained a true faith. We, who enjoyed peace and quiet, maintained a false faith. If so, the 'sickness' and 'pain' that should have befallen us befell them; these were a ransom and atonement for us. "We accounted him plagued, Smitten and afflicted by God" (Isa. 53:4) for his own iniquity. Now we see that it was not for his iniquity but rather for our iniquity.'

That is what he [the prophet] means.

Commentary of Avraham ibn Ezra (12 c.), translated by M. Friedlander 1873

Indeed, My servant shall prosper

(1) The passage which follows offers great difficulties.

The Christians refer it to Jesus [literally, 'to their god'], and explain my servant to indicate the body. This is wrong; the body cannot be wise, even during the life of man. Again, what is the meaning of 'he shall see his seed' (53:10), 'he shall prolong his days' (ib.)? This was not in fact the case. Again, 'and he shall divide the spoil with the strong' (53:12).

The best proof, however, is the circumstance that this passage is preceded by 'the Lord will go before you, etc.,' which undoubtedly refers to the Israelites, and is followed by 'Sing, O barren, etc.,' which is likewise addressed to the Israelites.

My servant. The Israelites, who are the servants of the Lord, and are now in exile. Many believe that Messiah is meant by this expression, because our ancient teachers said that Messiah was born on the day on which the temple was destroyed, that he was, as it were, bound in chains, etc.; but many verses in this passage cannot be explained on this supposition. Compare, "He is despised and rejected of men, he was taken from prison and judgment, and he made his grave with the wicked, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days."

The Gaon R. Saadiah refers the whole passage to Jeremiah. His explanation is beautiful; he says: he shall scatter many nations by his words, by his prophecy. Comp. Jer. 1:10. As a tender plant. Jeremiah was young when he began to prophesy (Jer. 1:6). And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of all of us; he took away the sin of many. Compare 'Remember that I stood before thee, to speak good for them, and to turn away the wrath from them' (ibid. 18:20). He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter. Compare 'But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter' (ibid. 11:19). And he shall divide the spoil with the strong. Jeremiah received presents and gifts from the Babylonian chief of the guard (ibid. 40:5).

But I think that this passage must be connected with the chapters that procede and follow. What reason is there for mentioning Jeremiah here after some of the comforting prophecies, and before others of the same kind ? The singular, my servant, is used because the prophet speaks of every one that is a servant of the Lord and suffers in exile, or because ישראל עבדי ═ )עבדי my servant Israel,) refers to the whole nation; the latter reason is more probable.