BIBLIOTHECA SACRA 139 (555) (July
1982): 216-229.
[Copyright
© 1982 Dallas Theological Seminary; cited with permission;
digitally
prepared for use at
Isaiah’s Songs of the Servant
Part 3:
The Commitment of the Servant
in Isaiah 50:4-11
F. Duane Lindsey
The
first two of Isaiah’s songs of the Servant placed empha-
sis on the ultimate success
of Yahweh’s Servant-Messiah. In
Isaiah 42:1-9 Yahweh introduced His Servant and
predicted the
Servant’s faithfulness in accomplishing His
divinely appointed
mission of bringing salvation
and establishing a proper order on
the whole earth.1
In the second song (Isa. 49:1-13), although a
new feature of apparent
initial failure by the Servant was intro-
duced, His ultimate success
was predicted not only in fulfilling
an expanded mission to
bring salvation to the Gentiles; but also
in restoring
to Yahweh (spiritually).2
The
third Servant song (Isa. 50:4-11)3 amplifies the suffer-
ings and patient endurance
of the Servant, which were only
hinted at in the previous
songs. All of this is in preparation for
the magnum opus of the
fourth song (Isa. 52:13-53:12), in
which the Servant-Messiah’s
suffering and His consequent ex-
altation are revealed with equal
emphasis. “Common to both [the
third and fourth songs] is
the new conception of the Servant as
sufferer, here [50:4-9] at the hands of men, there [Isa.
53] at the
hands of men and God alike.”4
As in the previous songs, the
Servant can be neither Isaiah himself (who
nowhere else in the
book is described as
suffering) nor the nation
humiliation and sufferings were
neither voluntary nor [to antici-
pate Isa. 53] vicarious or substitutionary).5
216
The Commitment of the Servant in Isaiah 50:4-11 217
Like
the preceding Servant song, the third song (50:4-11)
begins a cycle that culminates
in a powerful message of salvation
(51:1-52:12).6 The
short trial speech in Isaiah 50:1-3 forms
somewhat of a transition from
the preceding Servant-song/salva-
tion-oracle cycle (49:1-26) to the
current cycle in 50:4—52:12. In
this trial speech Yahweh
proves the unreasonableness of His
rejection by
Servant.7 Thus they are not part of
the Servant song, although
some good reasons have been
given for regarding all of chapter 50
as a literary unit.8
The oracle of Yahweh in 50:10-11 is closely
connected in thought to the
preceding verses, and so they should
be included in the third
Servant song.
The
message of 50:4-11 is fairly clear: The righteous but
rejected Servant of Yahweh
indicates that Yahweh who discipled
Him will also vindicate
Him. This is the basis for Yahweh’s ex-
hortation for the faithful to
walk by faith even in darkness, and
His threat to the self-righteous wicked
regarding eventual judg-
ment. Except for the wicked
who are addressed by Yahweh in
verse 11 (and possibly the
potential adversaries in v. 8), the
primary audience throughout
seems to be the faithful disciples
of Yahweh’s Servant, as
identified in verse 10. As will be indi-
cated below, the Servant is
the speaker inverses 4-9 and Yahweh
is the speaker in verses
10-11.9
The
third Servant song is thus composed of two units: (1) the
Servant declares that Yahweh who discipled Him
will also vindi-
cate Him (50:4-9), and (2)
Yahweh contrasts the obedient walk of
the Servant’s disciples
with the judgment to come on the wicked
(50:10-11).
The
Servant Declares That Yahweh Who Discipled Him
Will Also Vindicate Him
(50:4-9)
4The
Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue,
to know the word that sustains the weary.
He wakens me morning by
morning,
wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.
5The Sovereign LORD has
opened my ears,
and I have not been
rebellious;
I have not
drawn back.
6I offered my back to
those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who
pulled out my beard;
I did not hide my face
from mocking and spitting.
7Because the Sovereign LORD
helps me,
218
Bibliotheca Sacra -July-September 1982
I
will not be disgraced.
Therefore
have I set my face like flint,
and I know I will not be put to shame.
8He
who vindicates me is near.
Who
then will bring charges against me?
Let
us face each other!
Who
is my accuser?
Let
him confront me!
9It
is the Sovereign LORD who helps me.
Who
is he that will condemn me?
They
will all wear out like a garment;
the moths will eat them up.10
In
this section the righteous but rejected Servant indicates
that Yahweh who has
discipled Him will also vindicate Him, and
implies that by His rejection
He has learned to comfort the weary.
Some
writers have incorrectly identified this literary unit as
a lament psalm of the
individual. Verses 4-6 do have some re-
semblance to the lament motif
(including the protestation of
innocence) and verse 7 is
certainly an expression of confidence
(another lament motif).
But the absence of the vital motif of
petition rules this out as a
lament psalm. It could more properly
be called a psalm of
confidence.11
The
Servant is the speaker, who, as in 49:1-6, appears with-
out any introduction.12
The addressees are not identified except
in verse 8 which is a
challenge to potential adversaries. The
remaining verses (vv. 4-7, 9)
appear to be addressed primarily to
the obedient disciples of
the Servant (cf. v. 10).
This “autobiographical
confession”13 of the Servant includes
two parts: (1) the
committed Servant reports His past obedience
and sufferings as the “Disciple”
of Yahweh (vv. 4-6) and (2) the
rejected Servant expresses
confidence that Yahweh will vindicate
Him (vv. 7-9).
THE SERVANT REPORTS HIS COMMITMENT TO YAHWEH
WHO DISCIPLED HIM (50:4-6)
The Servant asserts His role as the
Disciple-Prophet of
Yahweh
(50:4).
Before amplifying the daily discipling process
whereby Yahweh taught Him, the
Servant states the results of that
process: “The Sovereign LORD
has given me an instructed tongue,
to know the word that
sustains the weary” (v. 4a). It is Adonai
Yahweh (“the Sovereign LORD”) who has given His
servant the
ability to speak eloquently and
encouragingly. This longer title of
Yahweh (occurring four times in this song,
always at the begin-
The Commitment of the Servant in Isaiah 50:4-11 219
ning of a verse, cf. vv. 5, 7,
9) stresses the sovereign superiority of
Him who disciples the
Servant.
The
Hebrew word MydiUm.li translated “instructed”
(NIV) occurs
again at the end of this
verse where it is translated “one being
taught” (NIV). Comparable to
the English word “scholar,” it can
refer to one in the
educational process (“a learner”) or to one who
has completed or is at
least well advanced in that process (“one
who is learned”). Hengstenberg is representative of those who
translate both occurrences in
this verse as “disciple” (“a disci-
ple’s tongue” and “a disciple’s
ear”), indicating that “He who
hears the Lord’s words, also
speaks the Lord’s words.”14 Other
scholars translate the first
occurrence as “an expert tongue,”15
that is, “a tongue adapted
to deliver effectively the message that is
given him to communicate.”16
Care should be taken to avoid a
disjunction between the two
occurrences, or between the educa-
tional process and the
educational product. True, the first use
probably identifies “the Servant’s
endowment with prophetic
eloquence,”17 but this
endowment is made effectual by the daily
learning process which requires
a disciple’s ear. As a disciple the
Servant’s word which He proclaims is not His
own—it is a word
which He has received from
His Teacher (cf. John 17:7-8). Since
His Teacher is the “Sovereign LORD,” the
Servant-Disciple thus
enters into the role of a
prophet, delivering God’s word to “the
weary.” Westermann
concludes that this is “the utterance of a
man whose being is governed
by hearing and speaking. In both
respects he is ‘like a disciple,’
which means that in both his
hearing and his speaking he is concentrated
on God, and that
these have God as their
source.”18
While
the passage is clearly messianic—fulfilled in the
prophetic office of Jesus Christ—it
is not the intent of the
passage to direct attention to
the uniqueness of the Servant (as
Pieper suggests19). Instead the purpose is
to identify the Servant
as a Disciple and Prophet
of Yahweh. Obviously the Messiah-
Servant fulfills these functions in a unique manner.
Yahweh
has a purpose in the schooling of His servant: “to
know the word that sustains
the weary.” It is experiential knowl-
edge of the divine word that
enables the servant to sustain the
weary. The word translated “sustains”
(tUf) is a hapax
legomenon. Many commentators have
identified the verb with
the word for “time” (tfe) and translated it “to speak seasonably.”20
Some modem writers have related it to an Arabic
root meaning
“to help.” This does seem to give a better sense in the
context. In
220 Bibliotheca Sacra -July-September 1982
Isaiah 40:27-31 the “weary” are
here would support the view
that the Servant is an individual
distinguished from Israel.21
Since the Servant’s mission is not
only to
“weary” may have a
broader reference, as suggested by Leupold:
“Israelites laboring under the burden of the law
and finding no
peace, and Gentiles laboring
under the oppressive burden of
idol-religions that afforded no peace
to the burdened conscience
of the sinner.”22
The
Servant next explains His preparation by Yahweh to
minister to the weary with a
sustaining word: “He wakens me
morning by morning, wakens my
ear to listen like one being
taught” (v. 4b). Since Yahweh
is the subject of the verbs in this
sentence, the discipling process
described is actually that of
prophetic revelation. Delitzsch interprets the phrase “morning
by morning” as a reference
to the Servant receiving revelation
after He has awakened, in
contrast to those prophets who re-
ceived visions or dreams by
night.23 Rather, the repeated term
“morning by morning”
indicates the daily repetition of the
awakening, which is probably not
so much physical as spiritual,
indicating His receptivity to the
message from the Holy Spirit.24
This is supported by the fact that the “ear,”
not the eye, is
awakened. “The ear with its
function of hearing plays a major
role in the psychology and
anthropology of both O. T. and N. T. It
was the organ par
excellence whereby man responded to the
divine revelation.”25
Thus
the Servant asserts claim to a disciple’s ear in prepara-
tion for His exercise of a
disciple’s tongue. There is a direct
relationship between the two: The
Servant listens to God as a
learner, and He speaks to
others eloquently, effectively, and en-
couragingly as a disciple who has
learned His lessons well.
The Servant affirms His obedience to the
will of Yahweh
(50:5). Verses 5 and 6 both
refer to the Servant’s submission, but
each in a different
direction. The Servant’s voluntary submission
to suffering at the hands
of men (v. 6) is a result of His willing
submission to the plan of Yahweh
(v. 5; cf. John
Servant first testifies positively regarding His
obedience to
Yahweh’s will: “The Sovereign LORD has opened my
ears” (v. 5a).
The phrase “opened my ears” is similar to “wakens
my ear” in
verse 4. Pieper refers both
phrases to the Servant’s “inner, moral
preparation for learning.”26
The meaning is simply “to instruct”
or “to reveal”27
(cf. 1 Sam.
The Commitment of the Servant in
Isaiah 50:4-11 221
sion may be viewed as a
synecdoche of the part for the whole (i.e.,
“ear” represents the
whole “body” or “person,” given over to
knowing and doing God’s will;
cf. the similar expression in Ps.
40:6-8 as extended to “body” in Heb. 10:5-7).28
Alternately, it may
be viewed as a metonymy of
cause for effect, the organ of receptiv-
ity (the ear) being used
for the act of reception.
The
Servant’s positive statement of receiving divine instruc-
tion is followed by a twofold
negation: “I have not been rebellious;
I have not drawn back”
(v. 5b).
The Servant is characterized
neither by an inner attitude of
rebellion nor by an outward
manifestation of hesitancy. In this
regard He is unlike Yahweh’s
other servant—the nation
tasy (Ps. 44:18) or
unfaithfulness (Jer. 38:22). Comparison may
be made to “a yoke of
oxen, who go backward instead of forward,
and will not suffer
themselves to be guided.”29 In contrast, the
Servant did not refuse to receive and proclaim
the prophetic word
—He was obedient to Yahweh’s call and
commission. Having an
attitude of submission to the
word and will of Yahweh, He obe-
diently proclaimed comfort to
the weary. But His message also
offended the self-righteous, for
not all responded positively to His
word (v. 6).
The Servant attests His submission to
suffering (50:6). The
Servant’s testimony turns from His underlying obedience
to
Yahweh to His outward submission to suffering at
the hands of
men: “I offered my back to
those who beat me, my cheeks to those
who pulled out my beard; I
did not hide my face from mocking and
spitting” (v. 6). The active
verbs indicate the Servant’s con-
scious and willing submission
to His sufferings. This submis-
sion to suffering is
indicated in the Gospels in such passages as
John 10: 18, “No one takes it [my life] from me,
but I lay it down
of my own accord.”
Leupold claims that al the forms of ill-treatment mentioned
in verse 6 were
traditional ways of treating criminals (cf. Num.
my back to those who beat
me” probably denotes in this context a
public punishment, at least a
beating or scourging by authorities
(cf. Deut. 25:2-3; Jer.
20:2; 37:15).31 Pulling out the beard was a
sign of contempt (Neh.
(Deut. 25:9; Num. 12: 14; Job 30:10). Thus these
sufferings are “a
startling anticipation [prophecy
would be a more accurate
term] of the maltreatment of
Christ on the morning of the
222 Bibliotheca Sacra -July-September 1982
crucifixion.”32 While
there is no indication in Isaiah 50 that the
sufferings culminate in death, the
prophecy prepares the way for
the full details of Isaiah 53.
THE REJECTED SERVANT EXPRESSES CONFIDENCE THAT
YAHWEH WILL VINDICATE HIM (50:7-9)
Having
reported His obedience and sufferings as the com-
mitted “Disciple” of Yahweh,
the rejected Servant yet expresses
confidence that Yahweh is on His
side and will vindicate Him.
Thus verses 7-9 take on the form of a confession
of trust (cf. Isa.
42:4; 49:4-5).
The Servant asserts His determination
because of His confi-
dence in Yahweh’s aid (50:7). The Servant expresses His trust in
the vindicating aid of
Yahweh—“Because the Sovereign Lord
helps me” (v. 7a). The verb rzafA (“help, support”) frequently refers
to military assistance,
either by human armies (Isa. 30:7; 31:3)
or by divine intervention
(2 Chron.
also refers to personal
assistance of a nonmilitary nature (e.g.,
Ps.
this verse as divine
enablement of the Servant to endure His
sufferings, especially the
contempt and scorn of the preceding
verse.34 Pieper suggests that “it
is not so much outward, physical
support, as spiritual support
for His soul; it is preservation in
obedience, in patience, in the
holy will.”35 However, since the
expression of confidence in Yahweh’s
help is asserted again in
verse 9 in a legal context,
that may affect the meaning here. The
verb may have a legal nuance
in both verses, referring to the help
of a judge or advocate at
court.
In
view of Yahweh’s expected help, the Servant confidently
proclaims, “I will not be
disgraced…and I know I will not be put
to shame” (v. 7b, d). Westermann points out the apparent con-
tradiction between this statement
and that in verse 6, “I did not
hide my face from mocking”
(lit., “shame,” from the same root as
“disgraced” in v. 7b). Westermann contends:
This
contradiction must not be resolved by making it simply a
matter of succession in time—“I take this shame upon me now,
but
God
will take it away from me later.” Even if such a succession in
time is implied, what is emphasized is that God is to bring
the past
and present acts of hostility and abuse into constructive
connection
with the Servant’s justification.36
However, the fact that the Servant’s sufferings
culminate in His
substitutionary death for sinners (Isa.
53) and are fulfilled in the
The Commitment of the Servant in Isaiah 50:4-11 223
sufferings and death of Jesus
Christ requires a more explicit
understanding of the time factor
involved in the Servant’s vin-
dication. This matter will be
pursued further in the treatment of
verses 8-9.
The
Servant’s confidence in Yahweh’s help and implied fu-
ture vindication give Him
fresh strength to endure the sufferings
at hand: “Therefore have I
set my face like flint” (v. 7c). These
words of resolute
determination convey “a common description
of firmness and
determination as expressed in the
countenance”37 (cf. Luke
scribe determination to do
evil (cf. Jer. 5:3; Zech.
obvious that obedience to
Yahweh’s will looms paramount in the
Servant’s determination.38 Leupold suggests that the Servant
“will not give his
adversaries the satisfaction of seeing him flinch
when maltreated.”39
The Servant challenges His adversaries and
anticipates
vindication by Yahweh
(50:8).
The Servant’s defiant challenge
to anyone to step forward
and participate in a legal contest40
with Him is prefaced by His
confident assertion that Yahweh will
vindicate Him: “He who vindicates
me is near” (v. 8a). Charged
with guilt by His
adversaries (thus the punishment rendered in
v. 7), the Servant anticipates that in the face
of unjust accusa-
tions, Yahweh will not only
conduct His case but will also secure
and pronounce His
acquittal.41 It is a question of the guilt or
innocence of the suffering
Servant. Yahweh, who called, commis-
sioned, and discipled His
Servant, will also justify Him, declare
Him to be in the right, vindicate
Him.
But
when did the vindication occur? Since the Servant’s
sufferings led on to death (Isa.
53:5, 8-10), this would appear to
be a sort of postmortem
inquest (cf. Isa. 53:11). Blocher thus
speaks of His “acquittal by
resurrection.”42 (Ps. 22 supports this
view with the resurrection
of Messiah understood as occurring
between vv. 21 and 22:) Hengstenberg says, “It took place and
was fulfilled, in the first
instance, in the resurrection and glori-
fication of Christ, and, then in
the destruction of
(see 1 Tim. 3:16). Any
fulfillment in the destruction of
in A.D. 70 is dubious
except as it anticipates the attack on the city
near the end of the future
Great Tribulation and the return of
Yahweh’s Servant to
establish the messianic kingdom.
Thus
in terms of historical fulfillment the vindication of the
Servant takes place in two stages: (1) the
threefold exaltation
described in Isaiah 52:13
(fulfilled in the resurrection, ascen-
224 Bibliotheca Sacra -July-September 1982
sion, and present session of
Jesus Christ), and (2) the final
enthronement of the Servant over the
millennial kingdom follow-
ing His second advent. Both
stages of this vindication demon-
strate the error in the
Servant’s adversaries’ view that He was
deserted by God as punishment
for His own sin (Isa. 53:4b; cf. Ps.
22:7-8).
In
view of His certain vindication by Yahweh (the Servant is
innocent!), He challenges His
adversaries: “Who then will bring
charges against me? Let us face
each other! Who is my accuser?
Let him confront me!” (v. 8b).
The term “accuser” (lit., “owner of
my case”) is found only
here in the Old Testament, and refers to
“the one who possesses
a judgment against him.”44
The Servant expects the defeat of His
adversaries (50:9).
The Servant summarizes and restates His
confidence in and
vindication by Yahweh (as already
referred to in vv. 7-8): “It is the
Sovereign LORD who helps
me.
Who is he that will condemn me?”
(v. 9a). Since Yahweh the
sovereign Creator of the universe is the
One who helps the Servant as advocate or judge,
who can possi-
bly win a verdict against
Him? The rhetorical question calls for
only one answer, the negative
reply being amplified in a descrip-
tion of the would-be
adversaries by a simile (“They will all wear
out like a garment”) and a
metaphor (“the moths will eat them
up,” v. 9b), “common
images of gradual but inevitable
destruction.”45 Pieper
suggests that “the picture is not to be
understood as referring to
physical disintegration (although that
too would not be out of
place); but the meaning is that the
accusations of the enemies will
collapse before the righteous
judgment of the Lord and be put
to shame like the moldering of a
moth-eaten garment.”46
In
summary of the first two strophes of this song, four fea-
tures stand out regarding the
Servant: (1) The Servant is a
righteous Sufferer (vv. 4-5), (2)
the Servant is a voluntary
Sufferer (v. 6), (3) the Servant has learned
submission from
Yahweh (vv. 4-5), and (4) the Servant retains
confidence in
Yahweh despite suffering (v. 9).47
Yahweh
Contrasts the Obedient Walk of the Servant’s Disciples
with the Judgment
to Come on the Wicked (50:10-11)
10Who
among you fears the LORD
and obeys the word of his servant?
Let
him who walks in the dark,
who has no light,
The Commitment of the Servant in Isaiah 50:4-11 225
trust in the name of the LORD
and rely on his God.
11But
now, all you who light fires
and provide yourselves with flaming torches,
go, walk in the light of
your fires
and of the torches you have set ablaze.
This
is what you shall receive from my hand:
You
will lie down in torment.
This
difficult unit is composed of an exhortation (v. 10) and a
warning or threat (v. 11). The
judgment aspect of this unit is
related to the preceding verses
as follows: “The judgment against
the faithless needs the
portrayal of the servant as a faithful
disciple who teaches God’s word.”48
Difference
of opinion exists as to the speaker’s identity in
these verses. One view
regards the Servant as still speaking
throughout verses 10-11.49
Engnell agrees with this except that
he attributes the final
line of verse 11 (“This is what you shall
receive…”) to Yahweh.50
Whybray regards the servant (whom he
sees as the prophet) as
speaking in verse 10 with Yahweh speak-
ing in verse 11.51
However, others correctly view Yahweh as the
speaker throughout verses
10-11. Muilenburg thus affirms that
“the speaker throughout
is Yahweh; the shifts from third to first
person are characteristic of
prophetic style.”52
The
content of Yahweh’s speech thus draws a contrast be-
tween the righteous and the
wicked: (1) Yahweh exhorts the
Servant’s disciples to walk by faith in the darkness
(v. 10), and (2)
Yahweh warns the unfaithful that their
self-centered efforts will
result in judgment (v. 11).
YAHWEH EXHORTS THE SERVANT’S DISCIPLES TO WALK
BY FAITH IN THE DARKNESS
(50:10).
A
major problem in this verse is the grammatical structure.
Is the opening pronoun in the Hebrew text (ymi) interrogative
(“Who?”) or
indefinite (“Whoever”)?53 If interrogative, how far
does the question extend
(i.e., are the second and third lines
subordinate or independent)? The
English versions have placed
the question mark at the
end of different lines in the verse. The
RSV continues the question to the end of the
verse, subordinating
the second and third lines
as descriptions of the “servant, who
walks in darkness and has no
light, yet trusts in the name of the
LORD….” The AV places the questio