March 24, 2011Isaiah 53 – The Jewish Interpretation: Valid or Not? Page 1 of 10 Who Is the Suffering Servant in “Isaiah 53”? Part I – The Jewish Interpretation: Valid or Not? A Counter-Missionary Education Lesson by Uri Yosef, Ph.D., Director of Education Virtual Yeshiva of the Messiah Truth Project, Inc. [The article on this topic is located here - Copyright © Uri Yosef 2011 for the Messiah Truth Project, Inc. All rights reserved Counter-Missionary Education

March 24, 2011Isaiah 53 – The Jewish Interpretation: Valid or Not? Page 2 of 10 Introduction Testing of our hypothesis continues in the Validation stage of the Scientific Method with the verse-by-verse analysis of Segment 2 – Isaiah 53:1-4. A significant change takes place in the transition from Segment 1 to Segment 2, and that is the “voice”, i.e., the identity of the “speaker”. In Segment 1 Isaiah narrated God’s “voice”, telling the reader what will happen in the future. Starting at Isaiah 53:1, the “voice” changes to that of the (leaders of the Gentile) nations who, at this point, are in that future era witnessing the events and reflecting on their past attitude and conduct toward the Jewish people. Several facts from recorded Jewish history are useful for understanding the context of both Segment 2 and Segment 3 (Isaiah 53:5-8): Hypothesis: Israel is the servant in the Fourth Servant Song (“Isaiah 53”) Social ranking of Jews in exile was often lower than that of domesticated animals Jews have been demonized and vilified in terms of non-human imagery, false accusations such as blood libels, and by other means, which resulted in - Jewish blood and life becoming cheap and expendable commodities - Jewish property becoming a target for pilferage, vandalism, and destruction The “marred appearance” described in Isaiah 52:14 is synonymous with a Jewish visage that was scarred from the suffering at the hands of the host (Gentile) nations [e.g., the medical experiments performed by the Nazis on the Jews]

March 24, 2011Isaiah 53 – The Jewish Interpretation: Valid or Not? Page 3 of 10 Segment 2 – Isaiah 53:1-4 The King James Version (KJV) translation is shown with pointers to cross-referenced passages in the New Testament. These references are taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB). However, the corresponding passages below the table are quoted from the KJV for consistency.

March 24, 2011Isaiah 53 – The Jewish Interpretation: Valid or Not? Page 4 of 10 Segment 2 – Isaiah 53:1-4 Cross-referenced passages for the table on Slide 3

March 24, 2011Isaiah 53 – The Jewish Interpretation: Valid or Not? Page 5 of 10 Testing the Hypothesis: Segment 2 Verification Stage Who is speaking?The “voice” is that of leaders of the (Gentile) nations. What is the message?Standing in the future, leaders of the (Gentile) nations begin to contrast their former scornful attitude toward the Jewish people with their new realization of Israel's grandeur. The two questions they ask express the magnitude of their shock at the received news reports that describe Israel's greatness. How do we know that it is the “voice” of the (Gentile) nations?

March 24, 2011Isaiah 53 – The Jewish Interpretation: Valid or Not? Page 6 of 10 Testing the Hypothesis: Segment 2 (continued) How do we know that it is the “voice” of the (Gentile) nations? Two questions are being asked here by the “speaker”: Question 1 -Who would have believed our report? Question 2 -To whom was the arm of the Lord revealed? The answers to these questions reveal who is asking them. Answer to Question 1 -No one would have believed it, because the report was too incredible to be believed. Answer to Question 2 -Such anthropomorphic representations in the Hebrew Bible are common metaphors that point to both the physical and spiritual redemption of Israel from the hands of their oppressors, e.g.,  Question: Does Israel (as God's servant) "fit" into Isaiah 53:1?  Answer: YES!

March 24, 2011Isaiah 53 – The Jewish Interpretation: Valid or Not? Page 7 of 10 Testing the Hypothesis: Segment 2 (continued)  Question: Does Israel (as God's servant) "fit" into Isaiah 53:2?  Answer: YES! Who is speaking?The “voice” is that of the leaders of the (Gentile) nations. What is the message?The reasons for the disbelief expressed by the (leaders of the Gentile) nations in the preceding verse begin to emerge. Throughout their harsh exile, the Jewish people struggled like a young tree that is trying to grow on parched land. The imagery of Israel in exile as a tree struggling to grow in dry earth struggle to survive in exile is found in the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Ezekiel 19:10-13)

March 24, 2011Isaiah 53 – The Jewish Interpretation: Valid or Not? Page 8 of 10 Testing the Hypothesis: Segment 2 (continued)  Question: Does Israel (as God's servant) "fit" into Isaiah 53:3?  Answer: YES! Who is speaking?The “voice” is that of the leaders of the (Gentile) nations. What is the message?This describes the one who the (Gentile) nations characterize as having been despised, as being a "man of pains" who is accustomed to illness (such pictures are found in the Hebrew Bible: despised - Isaiah 49:7; forsaken - Isaiah 60:15; afflicted - Isaiah 1:5-6). All this has been going on for long periods of time, for centuries. Therefore, these descriptions can only be of a people, not of a single individual.

March 24, 2011Isaiah 53 – The Jewish Interpretation: Valid or Not? Page 9 of 10 Testing the Hypothesis: Segment 2 (continued)  Question: Does Israel (as God's servant) "fit" into Isaiah 53:4?  Answer: YES! Who is speaking?The “voice” is that of the leaders of the (Gentile) nations. What is the message?The leaders of the (Gentile) nations acknowledge that Israel was forced to carry the ills and pains caused by their direct actions. They have held that the Jewish people were cursed by God, and they were (and many still are) determined to see that the Jews suffer the consequences of this alleged curse. While it is true that God has, at times, used them as a “rod” against Israel for its misdeeds, the leaders of the (Gentile) nations sinned by going overboard and exceeding their “license”.

March 24, 2011Isaiah 53 – The Jewish Interpretation: Valid or Not? Page 10 of 10 Interim Summary – Segment 2: Isaiah 53:1-4 Our hypothesis: Results of the verse-by-verse testing: Hypothesis: Israel is the servant in the Fourth Servant Song (“Isaiah 53”)