Discovery BoxIsaiah 20:3 
Context20:3 Later the Lord explained, “In the same way that my servant Isaiah has walked around in undergarments and barefoot for the past three years, as an object lesson and omen pertaining to Egypt and Cush,
Isaiah 41:9
Context41:9 you whom I am bringing back 1 from the earth’s extremities,
and have summoned from the remote regions –
I told you, “You are my servant.”
I have chosen you and not rejected you.
Isaiah 42:1
Context42:1 2 “Here is my servant whom I support,
my chosen one in whom I take pleasure.
I have placed my spirit on him;
he will make just decrees 3 for the nations. 4
Isaiah 43:10
Context43:10 You are my witnesses,” says the Lord,
“my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may consider 5 and believe in me,
and understand that I am he.
No god was formed before me,
and none will outlive me. 6
Isaiah 44:2
Context44:2 This is what the Lord, the one who made you, says –
the one who formed you in the womb and helps you:
“Don’t be afraid, my servant Jacob,
Jeshurun, 7 whom I have chosen!
Isaiah 45:4
Context45:4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,
Israel, my chosen one,
I call you by name
and give you a title of respect, even though you do not recognize 8 me.
Isaiah 50:10
Context50:10 Who among you fears the Lord?
Who obeys 9 his servant?
Whoever walks in deep darkness, 10
without light,
should trust in the name of the Lord
and rely on his God.
Isaiah 53:11
Context53:11 Having suffered, he will reflect on his work,
he will be satisfied when he understands what he has done. 11
“My servant 12 will acquit many, 13
for he carried their sins. 14
1 tn Heb “whom I have taken hold of [i.e., to lead back].”
2 sn Verses 1-7 contain the first of Isaiah’s “servant songs,” which describe the ministry of a special, ideal servant who accomplishes God’s purposes for Israel and the nations. This song depicts the servant as a just king who brings justice to the earth and relief for the oppressed. The other songs appear in 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12.
3 tn Heb “he will bring out justice” (cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV).
4 sn Like the ideal king portrayed in Isa 11:1-9, the servant is energized by the divine spirit and establishes justice on the earth.
5 tn Or “know” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
6 tn Heb “and after me, there will not be”; NASB “there will be none after Me.”
7 sn Jeshurun is a poetic name for Israel; it occurs here and in Deut 32:15; 33:5, 26.
8 tn Or “know” (NCV, NRSV, TEV, NLT); NIV “acknowledge.”
9 tn Heb “[who] listens to the voice of his servant?” The interrogative is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
10 tn The plural indicates degree. Darkness may refer to exile and/or moral evil.
11 tn Heb “he will be satisfied by his knowledge,” i.e., “when he knows.” The preposition is understood as temporal and the suffix as a subjective genitive. Some take בְּדַעְתּוֹ (bÿda’to, “by his knowledge”) with what follows and translate “by knowledge of him,” understanding the preposition as instrumental and the suffix as objective.
12 sn The song ends as it began (cf. 52:13-15), with the Lord announcing the servant’s vindication and exaltation.
13 tn Heb “he will acquit, a righteous one, my servant, many.” צַדִּיק (tsadiq) may refer to the servant, but more likely it is dittographic (note the preceding verb יַצְדִּיק, yatsdiq). The precise meaning of the verb (the Hiphil of צָדַק, tsadaq) is debated. Elsewhere the Hiphil is used at least six times in the sense of “make righteous” in a legal sense, i.e., “pronounce innocent, acquit” (see Exod 23:7; Deut 25:1; 1 Kgs 8:32 = 2 Chr 6:23; Prov 17:15; Isa 5:23). It can also mean “render justice” (as a royal function, see 2 Sam 15:4; Ps 82:3), “concede” (Job 27:5), “vindicate” (Isa 50:8), and “lead to righteousness” (by teaching and example, Dan 12:3). The preceding context and the next line suggest a legal sense here. Because of his willingness to carry the people’s sins, the servant is able to “acquit” them.
sn Some (e.g., H. M. Orlinsky, “The So-called ‘Suffering Servant’ in Isaiah 53,22,” VTSup 14 [1967]: 3-133) object to this legal interpretation of the language, arguing that it would be unjust for the righteous to suffer for the wicked and for the wicked to be declared innocent. However, such a surprising development is consistent with the ironic nature of this song. It does seem unfair for the innocent to die for the guilty. But what is God to do when all have sinned and wandered off like stray sheep (cf. v. 6)? Covenant law demands punishment, but punishment in this case would mean annihilation of what God has created. God’s justice, as demanded by the law, must be satisfied. To satisfy his justice, he does something seemingly unjust. He punishes his sinless servant, the only one who has not strayed off! In the progress of biblical revelation, we discover that the sinless servant is really God in the flesh, who offers himself because he is committed to the world he has created. If his justice can only be satisfied if he himself endures the punishment, then so be it. What appears to be an act of injustice is really love satisfying the demands of justice!
14 tn The circumstantial clause (note the vav [ו] + object + subject + verb pattern) is understood as causal here. The prefixed verb form is either a preterite or an imperfect used in a customary manner.
