SERVANT POEMS
42:1 – 4 (5 – 7)..."Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one {in whom} My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. "He will not cry out or raise {His voice,} Nor make His voice heard in the street. "A bruised reed He will not break And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. "He will not be disheartened or crushed Until He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law." Thus says God the LORD, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it And spirit to those who walk in it, "I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations, To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who dwell in darkness from the prison." (NASB)
49:1 – 6 (7)..."Listen to Me, O islands, And pay attention, you peoples from afar. The LORD called Me from the womb; From the body of My mother He named Me. He has made My mouth like a sharp sword, In the shadow of His hand He has concealed Me; And He has also made Me a select arrow, He has hidden Me in His quiver. He said to Me, "You are My Servant, Israel, In Whom I will show My glory." But I said, "I have toiled in vain, I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity; Yet surely the justice {due} to Me is with the LORD, And My reward with My God." And now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him (For I am honored in the sight of the LORD, And My God is My strength), He says, "It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth." Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel {and} its Holy One, To the despised One, To the One abhorred by the nation, To the Servant of rulers, "Kings will see and arise, Princes will also bow down, Because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You." (NASB)
50:4 – 9 (10 – 11)..."The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens {Me} morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple. The Lord GOD has opened My ear; And I was not disobedient Nor did I turn back. I gave My back to those who strike {Me,} And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting. For the Lord GOD helps Me, Therefore, I am not disgraced; Therefore, I have set My face like flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed. He who vindicates Me is near; Who will contend with Me? Let us stand up to each other; Who has a case against Me? Let him draw near to Me. Behold, the Lord GOD helps Me; Who is he who condemns Me? Behold, they will all wear out like a garment; The moth will eat them. Who is among you that fears the LORD, That obeys the voice of His servant, That walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. Behold, all you who kindle a fire, Who encircle yourselves with firebrands, Walk in the light of your fire And among the brands you have set ablaze. This you will have from My hand: You will lie down in torment." (NASB)
52:13 – 53:12..."Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted. Just as many were astonished at you, {My people,} So His appearance was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men. Thus He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; For what had not been told them they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand. Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no {stately} form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being {fell} upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke {was due?} His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth. But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting {Him} to grief; If He would render Himself {as} a guilt offering, He will see {His} offspring, He will prolong {His} days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see {it and} be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors." (NASB)
Should they be read separately from the rest of the book?
Word servant appears 21x’s in 40 – 55
19x’s singular; 2x’s plural (44:26 by emendation =messengers; 54:17 the vindication of the servants of Yahweh comes from me)
8 times in servant poems; 1x = Israel; 2x = not Israel; 5x = unclear
13 times elsewhere; = 8x explicitly Israel; 3x implicitly Israel; 2 plural
49:1 – 6 (7)..."Listen to Me, O islands, And pay attention, you peoples from afar. The LORD called Me from the womb; From the body of My mother He named Me. He has made My mouth like a sharp sword, In the shadow of His hand He has concealed Me; And He has also made Me a select arrow, He has hidden Me in His quiver. He said to Me, "You are My Servant, Israel, In Whom I will show My glory." But I said, "I have toiled in vain, I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity; Yet surely the justice {due} to Me is with the LORD, And My reward with My God." And now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him (For I am honored in the sight of the LORD, And My God is My strength), He says, "It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth." Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel {and} its Holy One, To the despised One, To the One abhorred by the nation, To the Servant of rulers, "Kings will see and arise, Princes will also bow down, Because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You." (NASB)
50:4 – 9 (10 – 11)..."The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens {Me} morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple. The Lord GOD has opened My ear; And I was not disobedient Nor did I turn back. I gave My back to those who strike {Me,} And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting. For the Lord GOD helps Me, Therefore, I am not disgraced; Therefore, I have set My face like flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed. He who vindicates Me is near; Who will contend with Me? Let us stand up to each other; Who has a case against Me? Let him draw near to Me. Behold, the Lord GOD helps Me; Who is he who condemns Me? Behold, they will all wear out like a garment; The moth will eat them. Who is among you that fears the LORD, That obeys the voice of His servant, That walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. Behold, all you who kindle a fire, Who encircle yourselves with firebrands, Walk in the light of your fire And among the brands you have set ablaze. This you will have from My hand: You will lie down in torment." (NASB)
52:13 – 53:12..."Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted. Just as many were astonished at you, {My people,} So His appearance was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men. Thus He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; For what had not been told them they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand. Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no {stately} form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being {fell} upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke {was due?} His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth. But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting {Him} to grief; If He would render Himself {as} a guilt offering, He will see {His} offspring, He will prolong {His} days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see {it and} be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors." (NASB)
Should they be read separately from the rest of the book?
Word servant appears 21x’s in 40 – 55
19x’s singular; 2x’s plural (44:26 by emendation =messengers; 54:17 the vindication of the servants of Yahweh comes from me)
8 times in servant poems; 1x = Israel; 2x = not Israel; 5x = unclear
13 times elsewhere; = 8x explicitly Israel; 3x implicitly Israel; 2 plural
Who is The Servant?
Duhm: poems added secondarily by someone who had leprosy
Mowinckel: Servant = Second Isaiah himself
Sellin: 1898 = Zerubbabel; 1901 = Jehoiachin; 1922 = Moses
Or does the servant represent Israel? the prophet and Israel?
Mowinckel: Servant = Second Isaiah himself
Sellin: 1898 = Zerubbabel; 1901 = Jehoiachin; 1922 = Moses
Or does the servant represent Israel? the prophet and Israel?
The 1st Servant Poem 42:1 – 9
(v. 1) servant is agent of “justice” (Yahweh’s sovereignty) to the nations
not by shouting nor by force
Israel makes clear to the world Yahweh’s sovereignty
Israel shows Yahweh’s sovereignty by experiencing deliverance from Babylon
Addressed to servant directly; in vv. 1 – 4 servant was presented to others
Yahweh’s credentials as creator
Covenant of/for the people (covenant people), light to the nations
To open blind eyes and to free from prison
not by shouting nor by force
Israel makes clear to the world Yahweh’s sovereignty
Israel shows Yahweh’s sovereignty by experiencing deliverance from Babylon
Addressed to servant directly; in vv. 1 – 4 servant was presented to others
Yahweh’s credentials as creator
Covenant of/for the people (covenant people), light to the nations
To open blind eyes and to free from prison
The 2nd Servant Poem 49:1 – 6
Servant reports pre-natal call (Samson; Jeremiah; John the Baptist)
Servant is Yahweh’s secret weapon
(v. 3) Israel in whom I will be glorified!
(vv. 5 – 6) servant has mission to Israel and to the nations in addition to raising up tribes of Jacob
Has the prophet become the true Israel? ¨Or does true Israel have a mission to faithless Israel?
Servant is Yahweh’s secret weapon
(v. 3) Israel in whom I will be glorified!
(vv. 5 – 6) servant has mission to Israel and to the nations in addition to raising up tribes of Jacob
Has the prophet become the true Israel? ¨Or does true Israel have a mission to faithless Israel?
The 3rd Servant Poem 50:4 – 9
Psalm of confidence by one who has experienced opposition
“Prophetic” Israel did not rebel
Lord Yahweh helps me; who can put me in the wrong?
Trusting in Yahweh and leaning on his God
What is the vocation of the one who hears Second Isaiah’s good news?
“Prophetic” Israel did not rebel
Lord Yahweh helps me; who can put me in the wrong?
Trusting in Yahweh and leaning on his God
What is the vocation of the one who hears Second Isaiah’s good news?
The 4th Servant Poem 52:13 – 53:12
(52:13 – 15) Yahweh is speaker
Ultimate vindication of the servant
The servant had a bad appearance
The nations will be startled at the servant
Who is “we” and “us” in 53:1? the nations? The “many”?
Servant made a disgusting appearance; people could not stand to look at him
(53:4 – 6) “We” people change their evaluation of the servant
He bore our sicknesses, our iniquities, our rebellions
Servant’s wounds = healing for us.
The servant never said a mumbling word (v. 7)
Was the servant killed? Was Second Isaiah executed? Did Israel in exile die a metaphorical death?
Servant dies ignominiously
Servant’s life = a sin offering; expects coming vindication
Through his humiliation the servant makes the “many” righteous
He bears their iniquities
Yahweh again the speaker
Final vindication because...he poured himself out unto death...he carried the sins of many...he prayed for them.
Ultimate vindication of the servant
The servant had a bad appearance
The nations will be startled at the servant
Who is “we” and “us” in 53:1? the nations? The “many”?
Servant made a disgusting appearance; people could not stand to look at him
(53:4 – 6) “We” people change their evaluation of the servant
He bore our sicknesses, our iniquities, our rebellions
Servant’s wounds = healing for us.
The servant never said a mumbling word (v. 7)
Was the servant killed? Was Second Isaiah executed? Did Israel in exile die a metaphorical death?
Servant dies ignominiously
Servant’s life = a sin offering; expects coming vindication
Through his humiliation the servant makes the “many” righteous
He bears their iniquities
Yahweh again the speaker
Final vindication because...he poured himself out unto death...he carried the sins of many...he prayed for them.
“Servants” in 3rd Isaiah?
I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah inheritors of my mountains; my chosen shall inherit it [Judah], and my servants shall dwell there (65:9)
56:6; 63:17; 65:8, 9, 13, 14, 15; 66:14
No weapon fashioned against you shall prosper…This is the heritage of the servants of Yahweh (54:17)
Salvation Judgment Oracle:
My servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry
My servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty
My servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame
My servants shall sing for gladness, but you shall cry out for pain of heart (65:13 – 15)
56:6; 63:17; 65:8, 9, 13, 14, 15; 66:14
No weapon fashioned against you shall prosper…This is the heritage of the servants of Yahweh (54:17)
Salvation Judgment Oracle:
My servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry
My servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty
My servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame
My servants shall sing for gladness, but you shall cry out for pain of heart (65:13 – 15)
The New Testament Echos
If the servant originally is the prophet and/or Israel.
And if Jesus is the servant.
Then we--in our good confession--are also called and empowered to be servants.
And if Jesus is the servant.
Then we--in our good confession--are also called and empowered to be servants.