Isaiah 53:1

Who would have believed ¹  what we ²  just heard? ³  When ⁴  was the Lord’s power ⁵  revealed through him?

Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

Who has believed our message? To whom will the LORD reveal his saving power?

Who believes what we've heard and seen? Who would have thought GOD's saving power would look like this?

Who would have had faith in the word which has come to our ears, and to whom had the arm of the Lord been unveiled?

Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

Who would have believed ¹  what we ²  just heard? ³  When ⁴  was the Lord’s power ⁵  revealed through him?

¹ tn The perfect has a hypothetical force in this rhetorical question. For another example, see Gen 21:7.

² sn The speaker shifts here from God to an unidentified group (note the first person plural pronouns throughout vv. 1-6). The content of the speech suggests that the prophet speaks here as representative of the sinful nation Israel. The group acknowledges its sin and recognizes that the servant suffered on their behalf.

³ tn The first half of v. 1 is traditionally translated, “Who has believed our report?” or “Who has believed our message?” as if the group speaking is lamenting that no one will believe what they have to say. But that doesn’t seem to be the point in this context. Here the group speaking does not cast itself in the role of a preacher or evangelist. No, they are repentant sinners, who finally see the light. The phrase “our report” can mean (1) the report which we deliver, or (2) the report which was delivered to us. The latter fits better here, where the report is most naturally taken as the announcement that has just been made in 52:13-15.

⁴ tn Heb “to whom” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

⁵ tn Heb “the arm of the Lord.” The “arm of the Lord” is a metaphor of military power; it pictures the Lord as a warrior who bares his arm, takes up his weapon, and crushes his enemies (cf. 51:9-10; 63:5-6). But Israel had not seen the Lord’s military power at work in the servant.