No one can die for the sins of another. Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:4 does not speak of sin. Not one word. The Hebrew word for sin does not appear at all in Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:4: "But in truth it was our ills that he bore, and our pains that he carried -- but we had regarded him diseased, stricken by G-d and afflicted!" To understand this passage one must put it in context. The speakers are the gentile nations (mentioned in Y'shayahu / Isaiah 52. These verses are part of the preamble to the first few lines in Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53. Don't be misled since those lines are at the end of chapter 52 and are not part of chapter 53 -- chapters are a Christian invention. In the original scrolls they sat side by side. Separating them into different chapters was most likely an effort to divorce the gentile nations from being the speakers in chapter 53 -- which most missionaries will claim are the Jews speaking of their mistreatment of Jesus. Read the end of Y'shayahu / Isaiah 52 and then hear the voices of the real speakers of the first nine lines of Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53 -- the gentile nations. In the end of Y'shayahu / Isaiah 52 G-d is speaking and He says : "Behold, My servant will succeed; he will be exalted and become high and exceedingly lofty. 14 Just as multitudes were astonished over you (saying) "His appearance is too marred to be a man's, and his visage to be human," 15 so will the many nations exclaim about him, and kings will shut their mouths (in amazement) for they will see that which had never been told to them, and will perceive things they had never heard. " Y'shayahu / Isaiah 52:13 - 15. (The quote is from the Artscroll Stone Edition translation, the link is to the Judaica Press translation). The gentile nations are shocked! They see the exaltation of G-d's servant and are shocked beyond belief. They had thought this one was despised, subhuman -- and they mistreated him as a result, even to the point of exiles and murders. . .. The gentile nations now realize that their spiritual assessment of the servant was completely backward. During the time of the servant’s lowliness those who knew him believed that his constant affliction proves that he is spiritually deformed. Otherwise, why would this nation be singled out for G-d’s wrath over any other? Understanding the context now read Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:4: "But in truth it was our ills that he bore, and our pains that he carried -- but we had regarded him diseased, stricken by G-d and afflicted!" The passage says nothing about sin. The servant bore the pains of the gentile nations -- mistreated with exiles, theft of property, beatings and even executions -- they regarded the servant not as G-d's servant but as a subhuman, diseased disgusting one who they thought G-d had afflicted as subhuman, when in reality it was the wrongdoings of the gentile nations who so abused the servant. G-d exiled the Jews -- but it was those to whom he was exiled who mistreated him far beyond the punishment of exile. Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:4 says nothing about the servant bearing the sins of others. The servant is the victim of them, not the "sacrifice" or "sin-bearer." And what does "sin" mean biblically in the first place? "Sin” is a חֵטְא / cheit -- an unintentional sin through carelessness — a “missing of the mark." To the average Christian “sin” means “an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law.” It doesn’t matter if that immoral act was an accident or “on purpose.” (see Dictionary.com). Yet for Jews the Hebrew word translated as “sin” is a mistake (a missing of the mark). You tried to do the right thing (it wasn't willful or knowingly doing something wrong). So, is the list maker saying that Jesus bore the unintentional mistakes by people who tried to do the right thing and "missed"? Well, if that is the case it is not biblical. The bible says that each person must take responsibility for his or her own sins -- no one can atone for your sins except for you yourself. Vicarious atonement would mean that someone could atone for the sins of someone else. Vicarious atonement is also referred to as substitutionary atonement. By either name the concept is totally foreign to the T'nach (Jewish bible). It is more than foreign. It is forbidden. See Sh'mot / Exodus 32:33 ""Whoever has sinned against Me, him I will erase from My book!"" The Jewish position is that repentance is the key component in the atonement process. When man repents, G-d forgives. G-d clearly tells Moses that each of us is responsible for our own sins. That is why even in qorban (sacrifices) each of us must bring our OWN qorban. We must be there when it is killed. We must watch it die. We must be part of the process -- no one can "vicariously" do it for us in some distant place from which we are removed. This is true for individual sins. There are also communal offerings which are for the entire nation, for Jews are judged both as a people and as individuals. No one can atone for another person. Torah vehemently FORBIDS human vicarious atonement (e.g., Sh'mot / Exodus 32:31-33; Bamidbar / Numbers 35:33; D'varim / Deuteronomy 24:16; M'lachim Beit / 2 Kings 14:6; Y'rmiyahu / Jeremiah 31:29 [30 in a Christian translation]; Y'chezkel / Ezekiel 18:4,20; T'hillim / Psalms 49:7). Human sacrifices are strictly forbidden in Torah (e.g., Vayikra / Leviticus 18:21, 24-25; D'varim / Deuteronomy 18:10; Y'rmiyahu / Jeremiah 7:31, 19: 5; and Y'chezkel / Ezekiel 23:37, 39). The servant who suffers vicariously does so because of the evil done by others to him (them), not "for" them. The suffering of good people is witnessed by others who, hopefully, will learn from the evil being done to innocent people. G-d does not dictate the suffering of the innocent for the sins of others -- indeed we are told that this is forbidden in the Torah. The suffering of innocents is the result of the free will of evil people. The bible speaks about this suffering, and that one day the evil doers will realize the evil they have done and pay a price for it. This one is completely fictional on the part of the list maker. Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:4 says nothing about bearing the sins of others, which is non biblical. It says: "But in truth it was our ills that he bore, and our pains that he carried -- but we had regarded him diseased, stricken by G-d and afflicted!" There not one word about "sin." Read what it does say. . . in this passage the servant is described as suffering from long and painful illness. A description which does not fit Jesus. Ergo the list maker has reversed Isaiah completely -- as if it speaks of a person who "bears the sins" of others when in reality it is the gentile nations speaking of one who they had thought was rejected by G-d. The gentile nations despised the one they had thought to be subhuman and sickly (think lepers who were isolated from others in a quarantine) -- but now realize that the perception was tainted and that the servant was mistreated badly by THEM. It is important (in understanding Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53) to realize that the Jewish people Israel suffer due to our own transgressions, but we also suffer because of the sins of the gentile nations -- echoing the words of Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:4. The T'nach speaks of these actions of the gentile nations -- not only in Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53, but also in Zechariah 1:15 "And I am very angry with the nations that are at ease, for I was wroth a little, and they helped to do harm." Even when the gentile nations were at peace they would make the Jewish nation suffer. If Israel has been suffering FROM the iniquities of the gentile nations ---- if we are afflicted due to THEIR persecutions and sins against us ---- if THEIR well-being (healing) was due in some part to OUR nation suffering - and if the tide will eventually turn so that justice prevails and THEY start to suffer for what THEY have done to our people (while our nation benefits so that everything will be in reverse) - then where is evidence for this position in Jewish scripture? It is in this very verse and verse 5. See Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:4-5: "But in truth it was our ills that he bore, and our pains that he carried -- but we had regarded him diseased, stricken by G-d and afflicted! He was pained because of our rebellious sins and oppressed through our iniquities; the chastisement upon him was for our benefit, and through his wounds we were healed." The list maker has been duped by mistranslations and misreadings -- Isaiah does not say the servant suffered FOR the sins of others. No. The servant suffers BECAUSE OF the sins of others. They "did this to him." Eventually those who have abused the Jewish people will pay for their crimes "And the L-rd, your G-d, will place all these curses upon your enemies and upon your adversaries, who pursued you." D'varim / Deuteronomy 30:7. Read the T'nach (bible) for what it actually says and all becomes clear. Here is a translation along with the Artscroll Stone Edition footnotes at the bottom of each response to aid in your understanding of the passage. Y'shayahu / Isaiah 52:13 Behold, My servant will succeed; he will be exalted and become high and exceedingly lofty. 14 Just as multitudes were astonished over you (saying) "His appearance is too marred to be a man's, and his visage to be human, 15 so will the many nations exclaim about him, and kings will shut their mouths (in amazement) for they will see that which had never been told to them, and will perceive things they had never heard. 53:1 Who would believe what we have heard! For whom has the arm of HaShem been revealed? 2 In the past he grew like a sapling or like the root from dry ground; he had neither form nor beauty. We saw him, but without a desirable appearance. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of pains and accustomed to being sick. As one from whom we would hide our faces; he was despised and we had no regard for him. 4 But in truth it was our ills and he carried our pains -- but we had regarded him diseased, stricken by G-d and afflicted! 5 He was wounded as a result (because of) our rebellious transgressions, and oppressed as a result our iniquities. The chastisement upon him was for our benefit, and through his wounds we were healed. 6 We have all strayed like sheep each of us turning his own way and HaShem inflicted upon him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was persecuted and afflicted but did not open his mouth; like a sheep being led to the slaughter or a ewe that is silent before her shearers, he did not open his mouth. 8 he was removed far away from the land where they lived and a plague came upon them (לָֽמוֹ / lamo) through the transgression of my people (the gentile nations). He submitted to the grave with the wicked and joined with the wealthy in his executions (בְּמֹתָ֑יו / b'motav) 9 He submitted himself to his grave like evil men; and the wealthy (submitted) to his executions for committing no crime and with no deceit in his mouth. 10 HaShem desired to oppress him and He afflicted him; if his physical being would acknowledge guilt he would see offspring and live long days and the desire or HaShem would succeed in his hand. 11. He (he servant) would see (the purpose) and be satisfied with his life's (not immortal soul) distress. With his knowledge My servant will cause the multitudes to be righteous; it is their וַעֲוֹנתָם / iniquities (for impulsive, lustful wrongdoings) that he will carry. 12. Therefore, I will assign him a portion in public and he will divide the mighty as spoils -- in return for having poured out his life for death and being counted among the wicked, for he bore the sin of the many, and prayed for the wicked. Footnotes from Artscroll Stone Edition: Isaiah 52:13 i.e. G-d's servant the people of Israel (Rashi) 52:15 Just as Israel had once been astonishingly degraded, so it will astonish the nations by its exaltedness when the time of redemption arrives. 53:1-3 this is the prophecy foretelling what the nations and their kings will exclaim when they witness Israel's rejuvenation. The nations will contrast their former scornful attitude toward the Jews (vv. 1-3) with their new realization of Israel's grandeur (vv 4-7). 53:5 we brought suffering upon Israel for our own selfish purposes; it was not, as we had claimed, that G-d was punishing Israel for its own evil behavior. 53:6 We sinned by inflicting punishment upon Israel. Such oppression is often described as "Hashem's punishment" (see 10:5, Habakkuk 1:12), for He decreed that it should happen (Abarbanel). 53:8 When Israel's exile is finally ended the nations will marvel that such a generation could have survived the expulsion from "the land of the living, i.e. Israel, that the nations had sinfully inflicted upon it. 53:9 Ordinary Jews chose to die like common criminals, rather than renounce their faith; and wealthy Jews were killed for no reason other than to enable their wicked conquerors to confiscate their riches (Radak). 53:10 That is, Israel. G-d replies to the nations that Israel's suffering was a punishment for its own sins; and when the people realize this and repent, they will be redeemed and rewarded. 53:11 Israel will teach the nations of G-d's righteousness.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Photos used under Creative Commons from dionhinchcliffe, paulasenciogonzalez, paulasenciogonzalez, amy32080, petersbar, Aaron Stokes, amboo who?, Damian Gadal, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region, SharonaGott, Udo Schröter, paulasenciogonzalez, Joybot, zeevveez, ianmunroe, freeqstyler, quinn.anya, Ivy Nichols, Groman123, UnknownNet Photography, torbakhopper, “Caveman Chuck” Coker, CarbonNYC [in SF!], dgoomany, Lion Multimedia Production U.S.A., oldandsolo, dbeck03