A Close look at Isaiah 53

• Jewish Rabbi's answer: Israel
• Christians' answer: Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world

This webpage shows evidence for the latter.

Isa 52:13 Behold, My Servant shall rule well; He shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. Isa 52:14 Just as many were astonished at You (so much was the disfigurement from man, His appearance and His form from the sons of mankind); Isa 52:15 so He sprinkles from many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at Him; for they will see that which was not told to them; yea, what they had not heard, nor understood. Isa 53:1 Who has believed our report? And to whom is the arm of Jehovah revealed? Isa 53:2 For He comes up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground; He has no form nor majesty that we should see Him, nor an appearance that we should desire Him. Isa 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as it were a hiding of faces from Him, He being despised, and we esteemed Him not. Isa 53:4 Surely He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. Isa 53:5 But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was on Him; and with His stripes we ourselves are healed. Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, each one to his own way; and Jehovah has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Isa 53:7 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 its shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth. Isa 53:8 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 He was stricken. Isa 53:9 And He put His grave with the wicked, and with a rich one in His death; although He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. Isa 53:10 Yet it pleased Jehovah to crush Him; to grieve Him; that He should put forth His soul as a guilt-offering. He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the will of Jehovah shall prosper in His hand. Isa 53:11 He shall see the fruit of the travail of His soul. He shall be fully satisfied. By His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify for many; and He shall bear their iniquities. Isa 53:12 Therefore I will divide to Him with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He has poured out His soul to death; and He was counted among the transgressors; and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for transgressors.

• When you want to tell the difference between two objects A and B, it is useless to consider common characteristics

• The characteristics that pertain to one and not to the other will ultimately decide whether the object is A or B

• I call these "discerning" characteristics...

1. Isa 53:1 ...the arm of Jehovah...
   Israel is never refered to as "the arm of Johovah"

2. Isa 53:6 ...Jehovah has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
   God has punished Israel many times over, but God has never lay the iniquities of "us" ( Jews, all people ?) on Israel. It does not matter who "us" refers to, the fact remains that God has never laid the sin of someone else on Israel.

3. Isa 53:10 ...that He should put forth His soul as a guilt-offering...
   Israel has never put forth his soul as a guilt-offering. Furthermore, the "soul" of a country is a metaphore. A metaphore cannot be offered as a guilt-offering. On the other hand, humans have real souls and God's way for atonement for sin is a blood offering.

4. Isa 53:11 ...He shall bear their iniquities.
   The argument continues here; since the sacrifice for atonement is a soul and the "soul of the country of Israel" is a metaphore, the country of Israel cannot bear someone else's iniquities. This also follows from the fact that God has never laid the sin of someone else on Israel.

5. Isa 53:12 ....He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for transgressors.
   To read "He" as "Israel" in this verse is really difficult. The one that makes intercession for transgressors is the high priest; the nation of Israel is not a high priest. Only descendents of Aarons can be high priests.

   I know Jesus' lineage is not of Aaron, and yet Jesus is our High Priest. The Book of Hebrews teaches that Jesus is a High Priest of the order of Melchizedek:

   Heb 7:17 For He testifies, "You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."

   This happened by an oath of God:

   Psa 110:4 Jehovah has sworn, and will not repent, You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.