The prophet, complaining of incredulity, excuses the scandal of the cross, 1-3, by the benefit of his passion, 4-9, and the good success thereof, 10-12.
1 Who has believed our report?/
And to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant/
and as a root out of a dry ground./
He has no form nor majesty. And when we see him,/
there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected by men,/
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief./
And like one from whom we hide our faces,/
he was despised, and we did not esteem him.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows,/
yet we esteemed him stricken,/
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 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.
6 We have all like sheep gone astray./
We have each turned to his own way,/
and the LORD has laid on him/
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and he was afflicted,/
yet he did not open his mouth./
He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter,/
and as a sheep before her shearers is mute,/
so he did not open his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment./
And who shall declare his generation?/
For he was cut off from the land of the living./
For the transgression of my people he was stricken.
9 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.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him./
He has put him to grief./
When you make his soul an offering for sin,/
he shall see his offspring./
He shall prolong his days,/
and the pleasure of the LORD/
shall prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul/
and shall be satisfied./
By his knowledge/
my righteous servant shall justify many,/
for he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore, I will divide to him a portion with the great,/
and he shall divide the plunder with the strong,/
because he has poured out his soul to death/
and he was numbered with the transgressors./
And he bore the sin of many/
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Matthew Henry Commentary - Isaiah, Chapter 53[➚]
[v.1] - Quoted in John 12:38; Romans 10:16.
[v.4] - Quoted in Matthew 8:17. Reference, 1st Peter 2:24.
[v.5] - Quoted in 1st Peter 2:24. Reference, Genesis 3:15; Daniel 9:24; 1st Corinthians 15:3.
[v.6] - Reference, 1st Peter 2:25.
[v.7] - Quoted in Acts 8:32-33. Reference, 1st Peter 2:23.
[v.8] - Quoted in Acts 8:32-33.
[v.9] - Reference, 1st Peter 2:22.
[v.12] - Quoted in Mark 15:28; Luke 22:37.