BIBLIOTHECA SACRA 139 (556) (Oct.
1982): 312-329.
[Copyright
© 1982 Dallas Theological Seminary; cited with permission;
digitally
prepared for use at
Isaiah’s Songs of the Servant
Part 4:
The Career of the
Servant
in Isaiah
52:13-53:12
F. Duane Lindsey
The
fourth Servant song (Isa. 52:13-53:12) “may without
any exaggeration be called
the most important text of the Old
Testament.”1 This is confirmed first
by its numerous citations in
the New Testament (e.g.,
Luke
25),2 and
second by the voluminous Jewish and Christian litera-
ture which has been based on
this prophecy down through the
centuries.3
The
messianic significance of the song is the basis of the New
Testament quotations and accounts in large part
for the exten-
sive debate that surrounds
this prophecy. While the sufferings of
Christ are expanded at length in the song (“there
is only one brow
which this crown of thorns
will fit”4), the dominant theme in
reality is the exaltation of
Christ “victorious and triumphant
through his vicarious
sufferings.”5 Pieper perceives that the
theme of the prophecy is “not
the suffering of the Servant as
such, but rather His triumph
over suffering and His exaltation
out of this humiliation.”6
Kelley similarly points out that the song
is not primarily concerned
with suffering, for the suffering
has already come to an end
(it is described in the past tense
in 53:3-6, and the verbs
in the future tense speak of the Servant’s
triumph and glory—52:12;
53:10-11).7 Only a premillennial
understanding of Christ’s second
advent, however, catches the
full significance of the
Servant’s exaltation.8
This
twofold theme of “the sufferings of Christ and the glor-
ies that would follow” (1
Pet.
312
The Career of the Servant in Isaiah 52:13-53:12 313
prominent thematic threads of the
preceding Servant songs. As
the first two songs (Isa.
42:1-9; 49:1-13) emphasized the ulti-
mate success of Yahweh’s Servant-Messiah
while alluding to His
sufferings (42:4; 49:4), so the
third song (50:4-11) amplified the
sufferings and patient endurance
of the Servant while implying
His ultimate vindication or exaltation (50:7-9).9
The distinctive
contribution of this fourth song is
to present the details and
purpose of the Servant’s
sufferings and death, particularly as
they relate to His
exaltation and the ultimate success of His
mission.
Unlike
scholarly opinions on the other Servant songs, most
scholars agree on the extent of
this fourth song—52:13-15
constituting an introduction or
prologue to 53:1-12. Whybray’s
dissenting opinion that 52:13-15
is a separate and unrelated
poem is based on his
unwarranted view that chapter 53 is “a song
of thanksgiving for the
deliverance of God’s servant, Deutero-
Isaiah, from mortal
danger.”10 But scholars disagree
on nearly
everything else in the song.
Problems abound regarding the text,
translation, and interpretation of
virtually every verse in the
song.
As in
the preceding two Servant songs, the fourth song also
begins a cycle of thought that
culminates in a powerful message
of salvation (54:1-17).11
One
major problem is the identification of the speakers. It is
clear that Yahweh is speaking
in 52:13-15,and again in 53:10 or
11-12. The intervening
verses (53:1-9 or 10) are a report about
the humiliation,
sufferings, and sacrificial death of the Servant.
Thus the song is a report within a divine
utterance, beginning
and ending with Yahweh
speaking. But who are the speakers of
the report? Three groups
have generally been suggested: (1) the
prophet Isaiah (some say “Deutero-Isaiah”) as representative of a
group (usually the prophets),12
(2) the Gentile kings of 52:15,13 or
(3) the believing
Jewish remnant.14 Evidence for the third view
will be presented in this
exposition. Since no addressees are
indicated in the text, it is
probably best to assume that both the
divine utterance and the
report of the believing remnant are
addressed potentially to all
mankind, similar to the first Servant
song (42:1-4).
The
message of 52:13—53:12 thus materializes: Yahweh
announces the exaltation of His
Servant because of His satisfac-
tory substitutionary death
for the sins of both His guilty people
and the Gentiles. The
passage consists of five strophes, the cen-
314 Bibliotheca Sacra -October-December 1982
tral three of which compose
the body of the report. Thus the
message has three units: (1) an
introductory appraisal in which
Yahweh promises to exalt His Servant supremely,
who though
deeply degraded, will both
purify and receive the worship of
nations (52:13-15); (2) a
confessional report in which believing
Israelites contrast their past rejection of the
Servant with the
true meaning of His death
(53:1-9); and (3) a concluding epi-
logue in which Yahweh
promises to exalt His Servant because He
did His will in dying as a
guilt offering (53:10-12).
Yahweh Announces the Exaltation of
His Servant Who
Has Become Deeply Degraded to Purify Many
Nations (52:13-15)
13See,
my servant will act wisely;
he will be raised
and lifted up and highly exalted.
14Just
as there were many who were appalled at him—
his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man
and his form marred beyond human likeness—
15
so will he sprinkle many nations,
and kings will shut their mouths because of him.
For
those who were not told will see,
and those who have not heard will understand.15
Yahweh’s announcement of His Servant’s
exaltation (v. 13)
is developed along two
lines: initially, many were appalled at Him
who was humbled below what
was human (v. 14; cf. 53:1-9), but
ultimately kings and nations who
have experienced His provi-
sion of purification from
sins are amazed that He is exalted above
what is human (v. 15; cf.
53:10-12).16 Von Rad has aptly
observed, “The unusual aspect of
this great poem is that it begins
with what is really the end
of the whole story, the Servant’s
glorification and the recognition of
his significance for the
world.”17 In a
sense, these verses contain the vindication antici-
pated by the Servant in
50:8-9. Thus in this divine utterance
Yahweh (1) announces that His Servant will
achieve success
(52:13) and (2) compares initial Jewish
consternation with ulti-
mate Gentile comprehension
(vv. 14-15).
YAHWEH ANNOUNCES THAT HIS SERVANT WILL ACHIEVE
SUCCESS (52:13)
The Servant’s success will come through wise
action
(52:13a). Before
describing the exaltation of the Servant,
Yahweh affirms that it is the Servant’s wise and
effective action
that will achieve success—“See,
my servant will act wisely”
(v. 13a). MacRae
correctly observes that this affirmation is a
The Career of the Servant in Isaiah 52:13-53:12 315
“general statement of
the effective accomplishment of the great
work of the Servant.”18
Through
the use of the demonstrative particle hn.ehi (“See,”
NIV), Yahweh both points to the Servant as if He
were present
(confirmed by the
direct address to the Servant in v. 14), and also
calls attention to the person
and theme now to be introduced,19 a
theme which is “startlingly
new and wonderfully important.”20
Westermann correctly recognizes
the deliberate identification
between the opening words in
this verse (“See, my servant”) and
the opening words of the
first Servant song (in 42:1 the NIV
translates the same Hebrew phrase
as found in 52:13 as “Here is
my servant”). He indicates
that “the two songs go together in that
42:1-4 show the origin of the Servant’s work—his
designation to
his office by God—and Chs. 52f. its culmination—God pro-
claims the success of his
servant’s way and work.”21
Yahweh’s
Servant is named again in this prophecy only in
53:11. He speaks nowhere in the song and, except
for the “you”
(NIV footnote) in 52:14, He is spoken of in the
third person
throughout. Smith indicates that “we
never hear or see Himself.
But all the more solemnly is He there: a shadow
upon countless
faces, a grievous memory on
the hearts of the speakers.”22
The
NIV translates the Hebrew word lyKiW;ya as “will act wisely”
in the text and “will
prosper” in a footnote.23 Both ideas are
contained in the Hebrew word
which has the primary meaning of
either “possess wisdom” (i.e.,
“be wise,” e.g., Ps.
wisdom” (i.e., “act wisely,”
e.g., 1 Sam. 18:5}, or a secondary
sense of “to be prosperous or
successful” (e.g., Josh. 1:7-8; 2
Kings 18:7; Prov. 17:8; Jer.
“the word is never
applied to such prosperity as a man enjoys
without any effort of his own,
but only to such as he attains by
successful action.”25 A
decision as to the correct nuance of the
verb in this verse depends
in part on one’s understanding of the
relationship between the two
clauses.
Is
the exaltation which is described in verse 13b the result of
the verb lyKiW;ya (which would then be translated “will act
wisely”),
or is the exaltation a
parallel description with the verb which
would then be translated “will
prosper or be successful”? If the
former meaning were correct,
the word would probably identify
the Servant’s effective
action in dying as a substitutionary sacri-
fice for sin, this being the
only pathway to ultimate success and
exaltation. With this meaning in
mind, Culver states, “However
tragic the event appeared to
be, the most practical, profitable,
316 Bibliotheca Sacra -October-December 1982
and successful event in the
history of the world was the death of
Christ.”26 Culver’s statement is of
course true, and the general
idea of this interpretation
does fit into the context. However, in
view of the ambiguity of the
verb lyKiW;ya in this context, the
prefer-
ence for recognizing synonymous
parallelism between the two
lines indicates that the
translation “will prosper,” that is, by
being exalted, is the
preferable one.27 Some scholars seek to
combine both ideas in the
meaning of the verb,28 and the choice
of views and translations
does not greatly affect the overall
thought of the verse.
The
Servant’s success is described as exaltation (52:13b).
The success which Yahweh has announced for His
Servant is
described in terms of highest
exaltation—“he will be raised and
lifted up and highly exalted”
(v. 13b). The success of the Servant
is unfolded in three verbs
which presuppose the inhuman
degradation which is viewed in
verse 14. This clause does not
describe the result or
consequences of the verb lyKiW;ya in the pre-
ceding clause29
(although it does describe the results of the im-
plied wise and effective
action which led to the success indicated
in that verb). Yahweh
draws on three verbs of exaltation (the first
two of which are
reminiscent of Yahweh’s own exaltation in Isa.
6:1; cf. 57:15) to describe the Servant’s “superlative
degree of
success.”30 Are
these verbs synonymous or sequential? Urwick is
an example of those
scholars who view these terms as an “accu-
mulation of synonyms”31
used to exhibit the glorious exaltation
of the Servant “to the
height of God Himself.”32 Others regard the
verbs as describing “the
commencement, the continuation, and
the result or climax of the
exaltation.”33 Pieper specifies that they
“precisely foretold the
resurrection…, the ascension into
heaven…, and the sitting at
the right hand of the Father.”34 In
general, the passage certainly
predicts the postresurrection ex-
altation of Christ (cf. Acts
tively, appropriately allows
for the three stages in that exaltation.
YAHWEH COMPARES INITIAL JEWISH CONSTERNATION AT
THE SERVANT WITH ULTIMATE GENTILE COMPREHENSION
(52:14-15)
A
comparison is introduced in verse 14 with the words “Just
as’’ (the Hebrew:
comparative conjunction is rw,xEKa). A problem of
syntax and interpretation
arises in identifying the apodosis
(“even so” clause) that
completes the comparison which is begun
in the protasis—“Just
as there were many that were appalled at
him” (v. 14a). The problem
is due in part to the presence of two
The Career of the Servant in Isaiah 52:13-53:12 317
clauses beginning with “so” (NKe) which may complete the compari-
son (vv. 14b and 15a). At
least three solutions have been sug-
gested to this problem.35
Several scholars have suggested that the
protasis (v. 14a) is followed by
a double apodosis (vv. 14b, 15a).36
Young has claimed that both NKe clauses are to be understood
parenthetically, with the apodosis
suggested in the second
clause of verse 15 (“and kings
will shut their mouths because of
him”).37
However, the majority of scholars correctly view verse
14b as an explanatory parenthesis and verse 15a
(actually the
first two cola of the Hebrew
text) as the completion of the
comparison.38 More specifically,
while the apodosis does begin
with the first colon of
verse 15 (“so will he sprinkle many na-
tions”), the structural
points of the comparison with verse 14a
are found in the second
colon (“and kings will shut their mouths
because of him”). “Just as many
were appalled at his inhuman
treatment and disfigurement and
death, so ‘kings’ will be aston-
ished when they comprehend
the meaning of His debasement
and the universal
application of that death.”39 Thus the compari-
son is between the “many”
individuals (mainly Israelites) who are
appalled at the fact of the
Servant’s suffering, and the “kings”
(representative of “many”
nations) who will be awed at the effects
(expiatory purification
or cleansing) which result from the Ser-
vant’s suffering.
Many were appalled at the Servant’s inhuman
disfigure-
ment (52:14). As already indicated, this verse begins with
the
apodosis of a comparison—“Just
as there were many who were
appalled at him” (v. 14a). The “many”
individuals who are “ap-
palled at him” are probably
Israelites in contrast to the “many
nations, and kings” of verse
15. The term “appalled” is used in
Ezekiel 27:35 to describe men’s reaction to the
ruined city of
fied,” and indicates that
those who gaze on the Servant are
petrified by paralyzing
astonishment and stupefying surprise at
His deep abasement and
degradation.
The word is frequently
used when one is thought to
be under divine judgment (Lev.
26:32; Jer. 18:16;
19:8); so it may also here imply that they think
He is suffering for His own sins (as in 53:3-4).
The object of the
verb in the Hebrew is in the
second person—“appalled at you”
(NIV footnote). The textual reading “him”
is supported only by two
Hebrew manuscripts, the Targum,
and the Syriac translation,
but is adopted by many
scholars as more fitting to the context.
Driver retains “you” but with the implied
antecedent “my people”
318 Bibliotheca Sacra -October-December 1982
(i.e.,
“you” with reference to
the Servant, for a sudden change in
person (cf. the third person
in the rest of the verse) is common in
Isaiah (cf. 31:6; 42:20).41 Yahweh
has already spoken directly to
the Servant in 42:6-7 and
49:8, so it is not unusual here.
The
next two lines give a parenthetical reason for the horri-
fied shock at the Servant—“his
appearance was so disfigured
beyond that of any man and his
form marred beyond human
likeness” (v. 14b, c) .Some
scholars think these lines belong after
53:2,42 but
there is no textual support for such a change. The
terms “appearance” and “form”
clearly refer to the physical
appearance of the Servant. Unger
understood “appearance” as a
“special reference to
His face,” and “form” as a reference to His
“physical body in
general.”43 Since this appearance is described
in the context of His
sufferings and death (already implied in
49:4, 7; 50:6), it is not a reference to His
normal appearance
throughout life. While Scripture
gives no physical description of
Christ, it is extremely unlikely that He was
repulsive in appear-
ance as indicated in
Christian art before Constantine.44 While
later Christian art may have
idealized His physical attractive-
ness, the disfigurement
described in this verse is the result of His
trial-and-death sufferings. “Disfigured”45
and “marred” describe
the results of the Servant’s
physical suffering, particularly lead-
ing up to and including the
Crucifixion. The extent of His dis-
figurement is described by the
adverbial phrases “beyond that of
any man” and “beyond human
likeness.” Both phrases are intro-
duced by Nmi, denoting here “away from,” that is, destroying all
likeness to man, so as to
suggest that His appearance no longer
appeared human: “He looked like
a creature not of our race, so
much had sorrow smitten
him.”46
Nations will be purified and kings
astonished because of
the results of the Servant’s
disfigurement (52:15). Just as many
individuals were shocked at the
Servant’s extreme degradation,
even so many nations will be
purified through His expiatory
sufferings, leading to amazement
on the part of kings who com-
prehend all this.
The
first colon of this compound apodosis (“so will he sprin-
kle many nations,” v. 15a),
is one of the most controversial
clauses in the fourth Servant
song. The contention centers
around the meaning of the Hebrew
word hz.,ya (“he will sprinkle,”
NIV), traditionally understood to be from the
verb hzAnA, “to sprin-
kle.” This is a technical
Mosaic word for the sprinkling of water,
The Career of the Servant in Isaiah 52:13-53:12 319
oil, or blood as a
cleansing or purifying ceremony. Fausset has
recognized that hzAnA “universally in the Old Testament means
either to sprinkle (with blood); to atone for guilt—as the high
priest makes an expiation [Lev. 4:6;
(with water), as synonymous with purifying [Num.
cleansing [cf. Ezek. 36:25 where
a different Hebrew word for
sprinkle means ‘to cleanse’]…. Both
atoning for guilt and
purifying by the Spirit are
appropriate to Messiah [John 13:8;
Heb.
However,
during the past century (since Gesenius) probably
the majority of scholars48
have taken the verb to mean “startle,”
either by emending the text or
by assuming that the verb comes
from an otherwise unattested
Hebrew root hzn
(II)
meaning “to
startle,” which is cognate to a
supposed Arabic word meaning “to
spring up, jump, leap,” as in
amazement.49 Thus the translation
proposed by this viewpoint is “many
nations will marvel at him”
(NIV footnote). This provides a very
fitting apodosis for the com-
parison begun in verse 14a.
However, Young has championed
the meaning of “sprinkle,”50
along with a number of other con-
temporary scholars.51
Young has carefully refuted the translation
“to spring up, to
startle,” and has satisfactorily answered objec-
tions raised against the
translation “to sprinkle.”52
Perhaps
the major objection to “sprinkle” is that when so
translated the fluid sprinkled is
in the accusative case, whereas
here the “many nations” are
in the accusative.53 However, Kay’s
refutation of this objection is
still valid: This argument “is to
forget that in the passage
before us the verb refers, not to a literal
process of sprinkling, but to
an act of purification analogous to
that which was effected by
ceremonial sprinkling.”54 Another
objection that a priestly role is
out of context for the Servant in
this passage has been
countered by Young who has called atten-
tion to a number of
references to the Servant’s priestly work in
this fourth Servant song
(cf. 53:10-12).55
In
conclusion, that the Servant will “sprinkle many nations”
is a metonymy of cause
(sprinkling) for effect (cleansing), here
understood spiritually of His
atoning work set forth in greater
detail in chapter 53. The
Servant will cleanse and purify for God’s
use those nations for whom
His death is an expiatory satisfaction
for sins.56
Unger related this cleansing more particularly to “mil-
lennial nations” which the
Servant-Messiah will “sprinkle ex-
piatorily and cleanse for their
role (as nations) in the Davidic-
Messianic earthly
Kingdom (2 Sam. 7:8-15).”57
320 Bibliotheca Sacra -October-December 1982
That “kings
will shut their mouths because of him” (v. 15b)
has been understood in
three different senses: ( 1) they keep their
mouths firmly closed to avoid
contamination from the Servant,58
(2) they are speechless
from “their inability to say anything by
way of self-justification,”59
and (3) they are silent in reverential
awe and honor before the
Servant.60 The vital question, however,
is whether or not these
kings (and the nations they represent) are
expressing trust in the Servant
and His priestly purification
ministry. Although Pieper claims
that “there is nothing whatever
in 52:15 to indicate that
the gentiles come to the obedience of
faith,”61 a more
positive answer is at least implied in the rest of
the verse—“For those who
were not told will see, and those who
have not heard will
understand” (v. 15c). This states the reason
for Gentile astonishment.
The Servant’s atoning death and its
significance will be comprehended by
“kings” (probably synec-
doche of the part for the
whole, representing the nations and
peoples of the earth) as the
basis of their reverential awe. That
this comprehension and
reverence includes faith in the priestly
work of the Servant is
evident in that a major point of the verse
seems to be that the Servant’s
substitutionary death (to be de-
scribed in chapter 53) is in
place of Gentiles (52:15) as well as
Israelites (53:1-9). Since 53:1-9 is a
confession of faith on the
part of a future generation
of Israelites, it seems that the compre-
hension and awe on the part of
the Gentiles in 52:15 would
include the concept of faith.
The Apostle Paul refers to this verse
in connection with taking
the gospel to those Gentiles who hear it
for the first time (Rom.
relate to the Gentiles of the
end time who understand and accept
the message of the Servant’s
person and redemptive work, result-
ing in their salvation and
entrance into the blessing of the millen-
nial kingdom.62
Believing Israelites Confess Their Past
Misunderstanding
of the
Servant’s Death Which They Contrast
with
Its True Meaning (53:1-9)
Two
features of general import in this passage are the identi-
fication of the speaker or
speakers, and the question of its liter-
ary genre. A brief review
of suggestions regarding literary genre
produces a list which includes “a
prophetic liturgy…[in] the
form of a dirge” which is
sung by “a chorus,”63 a prophetic alle-
gory or parable of
The Career of the Servant in Isaiah 52:13-53:12 321
vidual thanksgiving (i.e.,
acknowledgment or declarative
praise) psalm.65 Whybray has defended the entire poem (53:1-12,
but not 52:13-15) as being
an individual thanksgiving psalm,
not in form only, but also
in fact, the unusual feature in his view
being that the sufferer is Deutero-Isaiah himself who is de-
scribed in the third person by
a group of persons who “confess
their own guilt, which was at
least partly the cause for his
suffering.”66 However,
Westermann has more correctly recog-
nized that the genre of the
individual thanksgiving psalm
“does no more than form
the background” for Isaiah 53 which “con-
tains a second strand which
is closely woven into it a
confession on the part of those
who experienced salvation.”67
The
question of the identity of the speaker or speakers has
received three general answers:
(1) the Gentile kings of 52:15;68
(2) the prophet himself
as representative either of the prophets of
and New Testaments),69
or of the nation
a future believing
remnant of Israel.72 In refutation of the view
that the speakers are
Gentiles, Skinner has pointed out that “the
‘nations’ and ‘kings’
[of 52:15] are surprised by the Servant’s
exaltation [better, atoning death]
because they had not previous-
ly heard of it; whereas those