The Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53
Christ wounded for our transgressions — fulfilled at Calvary.
Isaiah 53, written some seven hundred years before Calvary, describes the Servant of the LORD despised, wounded for our transgressions, silent before His accusers, numbered with the transgressors and bearing the sin of many. The Gospels and Acts identify this Servant as Jesus.
The Prophecy
"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."
"He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter..."
"...he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many..."
The Fulfillment
"...The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter...Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus."
"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed."
Wounded for our transgressions
Every clause of Isaiah 53 finds its echo in the Passion narratives — silence before Pilate, scourging, crucifixion between two thieves, burial in a rich man's tomb, and the prosperity of His mission after death.
Preached as Jesus
When Philip met the Ethiopian eunuch reading Isaiah 53, he 'began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus' — the apostolic verdict on the chapter's meaning.
People in This Prophecy
Verse Commentary
Read verse-by-verse commentary on the key passages of this prophecy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the suffering servant in Isaiah 53?
Jesus Christ — as Acts 8 and 1 Peter 2 explicitly identify Him.
What does 'by his stripes we are healed' mean?
That Christ's wounds atone for our sin and bring spiritual healing to all who trust in Him.
Related Bible Prophecies
They Shall Look on Him Whom They Pierced
Zechariah foresaw the pierced Messiah — and Israel's future mourning.
Thirty Pieces of Silver
Zechariah named the price of betrayal — fulfilled by Judas and the potter's field.
Psalm 22 and the Crucifixion
David's psalm reads like an eyewitness account of Calvary.
The Messiah Born of a Virgin
Isaiah 7:14 foretold a virgin would bear Immanuel — fulfilled in Mary.
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