\c 53
\q1
\v 1 Who has believed our message
\q2 and to whom has the arm of the \nd Lord\nd* been revealed?
\q1
\v 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
\q2 and like a root out of dry ground.
\q1 He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
\q2 nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
\q1
\v 3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
\q2 a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
\q1 Like one from whom people hide their faces
\q2 he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
Questions:
- Verse 1: Who is the "we" asking the question, and what might prompt such a question?
- Verse 1: What does it mean for the "arm of the Lord" to be revealed? How does this imagery affect your understanding?
- Verse 2: How does the imagery of a tender shoot and a root out of dry ground help describe this person?
- Verse 2: What kind of expectations are set by saying he had no beauty or majesty?
- Verse 3: How does the description of being "despised and rejected" make you feel about this person's experiences?
- Verse 3: Imagine someone you know being so familiar with pain that people hide their faces from him. How does this affect your emotions towards him?
\q1
\v 4 Surely he took up our pain
\q2 and bore our suffering,
\q1 yet we considered him punished by God,
\q2 stricken by him, and afflicted.
\q1
\v 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
\q2 he was crushed for our iniquities;
\q1 the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
\q2 and by his wounds we are healed.
\q1
\v 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
\q2 each of us has turned to our own way;
\q1 and the \nd Lord\nd* has laid on him
\q2 the iniquity of us all.
Questions:
- Verse 4: How do you feel knowing that this person took up "our pain" and bore "our suffering"?
- Verse 4: Why do you think people considered him punished by God? What does this reflect about their perception?
- Verse 5: What significance does the imagery of being "pierced" and "crushed" have for you?
- Verse 5: How does this verse establish a connection between his wounds and our healing?
- Verse 6: The comparison to sheep going astray is vivid. How does this help you understand human tendency?
- Verse 6: What is the impact of having him bear the iniquity of us all? How does this make you feel about his role and sacrifice?
\q1
\v 7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
\q2 yet he did not open his mouth;
\q1 he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
\q2 and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
\q2 so he did not open his mouth.
\q1
\v 8 By oppression\f + \fr 53:8 \ft Or \fqa From arrest\f* and judgment he was taken away.
\q2 Yet who of his generation protested?
\q1 For he was cut off from the land of the living;
\q2 for the transgression of my people he was punished.\f + \fr 53:8 \ft Or \fq generation \fqa considered / that he was \fq cut off from the land of the living,\fqa / that \fq he was punished \fq for the transgression of my people?\f*
\q1
\v 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
\q2 and with the rich in his death,
\q1 though he had done no violence,
\q2 nor was any deceit in his mouth.
Questions:
- Verse 7: What emotions arise when you think about him being oppressed but staying silent?
- Verse 7: How does the imagery of a lamb to the slaughter or silent sheep affect your understanding of his suffering?
- Verse 8: What does it mean that no one protested his treatment during oppression and judgment?
- Verse 8: How do you interpret the statement that he was "cut off from the land of the living" for the transgression of others?
- Verse 9: What impact does assigning him a grave with the wicked and rich have, considering he had done no violence?
- Verse 9: Reflect on the contrast between his innocence and the punishment he received. How does this make you feel about the justice of the situation?
\q1
\v 10 Yet it was the \nd Lord\nd*ʼs will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
\q2 and though the \nd Lord\nd* makes\f + \fr 53:10 \ft Hebrew \fq though \fqa you make\f* his life an offering for sin,
\q1 he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
\q2 and the will of the \nd Lord\nd* will prosper in his hand.
\q1
\v 11 After he has suffered,
\q2 he will see the light of life\f + \fr 53:11 \ft Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint); Masoretic Text does not have \fq the light of life.\f* and be satisfied\f + \fr 53:11 \ft Or (with Masoretic Text) \fv 11 \fqa He will see the fruit of his suffering / and will be satisfied\f*;
\q1 by his knowledge\f + \fr 53:11 \ft Or \fq by \fqa knowledge of him\f* my righteous servant will justify many,
\q2 and he will bear their iniquities.
\q1
\v 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,\f + \fr 53:12 \ft Or \fqa many\f*
\q2 and he will divide the spoils with the strong,\f + \fr 53:12 \ft Or \fqa numerous\f*
\q1 because he poured out his life unto death,
\q2 and was numbered with the transgressors.
\q1 For he bore the sin of many,
\q2 and made intercession for the transgressors.
Questions:
- Verse 10: How do you feel about the idea that it was the Lord's will to cause him to suffer?
- Verse 10: What significance does making his life an offering for sin have in this context?
- Verse 11: What emotions do you experience when you read that he will see "the light of life" and be satisfied after suffering?
- Verse 11: How does the idea of the righteous servant justifying many by his knowledge/resilience affect your understanding of his role?
- Verse 12: What does it mean to you that he will have a portion among the great/divide spoils with the strong?
- Verse 12: Reflect on the importance of him pouring out his life unto death and being numbered with transgressors. What does this reveal about his character and mission?
- Verse 12: How does bearing the sin of many and making intercession for transgressors shape your perception of his actions and their impact?
- How does the entire passage make you feel about the suffering servant's experiences and sacrifices?
- What do you learn about human nature and our tendencies from the different verses?
- How does this passage shape your understanding of the relationship between suffering, justice, and redemption?
- Reflect on how you can visualize and emotionally connect with this passage. What images or feelings stand out to you the most?---