Isaiah says not one word about the servant's back being whipped. Or his front for that matter. It doesn't even say "by his stripes we are healed." Let's review a decent translation, that of the Artscroll Stone Edition T'nach: "He was pained because of our rebellious sins and oppressed through our (because of our) iniquities; the chastisement upon him was for our benefit, and through his wounds we were healed." Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:5. Yet again the list maker makes a claim totally unsupported in the T'nach (bible). Even if Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:5. did say the servant was whipped what makes it a prophecy about Jesus? The Romans whipped and crucified over 200,000 Jews. Josephus, a Jewish priest who served in the Temple, became a General in the final war against Rome and was taken capture by them eventually wrote books about the Jewish people. He tells us: Antiquities of the Jews 12: Chapter 5 Describing Antiochus Epiphanies invasion of Judah “they were whipped with rods, and their bodies were torn to pieces, and were crucified, while they were still alive, and breathed.” Antiquities of the Jews 13: Chapter 14 (Alexander Jannaeus) brought them to Jerusalem, and did one of the most barbarous actions in the world to them; for as he was feasting with his concubines, in the sight of all the city, he ordered about eight hundred of them to be crucified; and while they were living, he ordered the throats of their children and wives to be cut before their eyes. Antiquities of the Jews 17: Book 10 Varus, the Roman legate of Syria after Herod’s death he punished some of them that were most guilty, and some he dismissed: now the number of those that were crucified on this account were two thousand. Antiquities of the Jews 20: Chapter 5 The Roman procurator Tiberius Alexander (46-48 C.E.) crucified the sons of Judas the Galilean, who had led a revolt in 6 C.E The names of those sons were James and Simon, whom Alexander commanded to be crucified. The Jewish War 5: Chapter 6 Josephus reports that the Romans crucified many before the walls of Jerusalem during the siege of 70 C.E. "A certain Jew was taken alive, who, by Titus's order, was crucified before the wall, to see whether the rest of them would be affrighted, and abate of their obstinacy. " The Jewish War 9: Chapter 3 Pontius Pilate fifth prefect of the Roman province of Judah from 26 - 36 CE. Pilate sat upon his tribunal, in the open market-place, and called to him the multitude, as desirous to give them an answer; and then gave a signal to the soldiers, that they should all by agreement at once encompass the Jews with their weapons. . . Pilate also said to them that they should be cut in pieces, unless they would admit of Caesar's images, and gave intimation to the soldiers to draw their naked swords. The Jewish War 9: Chapter 4 Pontius Pilate fifth prefect of the Roman province of Judah from 26 - 36 CE. Pilate. . . mixed his own soldiers in their armor with the multitude, and ordered them to conceal themselves under the habits of private men, and not indeed to use their swords, but with their staves to beat those that made the clamor. He then gave the signal from his tribunal [to do as he had bidden them]. Now the Jews were so sadly beaten, that many of them perished by the stripes they received, and many of them perished as trodden to death by themselves; by which means the multitude was astonished at the calamity of those that were slain, and held their peace. There are many more examples -- not only under Roman occupation as described by Josephus -- but throughout history. Pay special note to the final reference by Josephus: "Now the Jews were so sadly beaten, that many of them perished by the stripes they received." The Jews were whipped. They were whipped so badly that many of them died. What makes the list maker think that Jesus getting beaten by a Roman soldier or two fulfills some messianic prophecy (about the messiah being beaten / whipped) when the passage says nothing about the servant being beaten? Isaiah says the servant was pained, not beaten. "He was pained because of our rebellious sins and oppressed through our (because of our) iniquities; the chastisement upon him was for our benefit, and through his wounds we were healed." Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:5. Some Christian translations have "But he was pierced for our transgressions" rather than "he was pained." Other Christian translations have "by his stripes." Both are incorrect. The Hebrew here is מְחֹלָ֣ל / m'holal. The first letter, מ (mem), is a prepositional prefix-letter. Hebrew uses the prepositional prefix-letters: ב (b), כ (k), ל (l) and מ (m). Because there are only four prepositional prefix letters they are translated in multiple ways according to context. The Hebrew is מְחֹלָ֣ל / m'holal thus begins with the prepositional-letter מ (mem). The preposittional מ / mem prefixed to the word חֹלָ֣ל / means "from" -- as in "because of." "He was pained because of (from) our rebellious sins" מְחֹלָ֣ל / m'holal thus means from or because of חֹלָ֣ל / holal. The root verb means to be hollow. Depending on the conjugation the meaning changes. The Even-Shoshan Hebrew concordance notes seven biblical uses of the verb: - Y'shayahu / Isaiah 51:9, Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:5, Y'chezkel / Ezekiel 28:9, Y'chezkel / Ezekiel 32:26, Hosea 8:10, T'hillim / Psalms 109:22, and Iyov / Job 26:13. Y'shayahu / Isaiah 51:9 מְחוֹלֶ֥לֶת / slew (Judaica Press T'nach) King James Version: wounded NIV: pierced NET Bible: wound Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:5 מְחֹלָ֣ל / pained (Judaica Press T'nach) King James Version: wounded NIV: pierced NET Bible: wounded Y'chezkel / Ezekiel 28:9 מְחַלְלֶֽיךָ / from your slayer (Judaica Press T'nach) King James Version: that slayeth thee NIV: those that slay you NET Bible: those who wound you Y'chezkel / Ezekiel 32:26 מְחֻ֣לְלֵי / slain by the sword (Judaica Press T'nach) King James Version: slain by the sword NIV: slaughtered by the sword NET Bible: killed by the sword and so on. . . There are three completely different versions of the root verb חלל. The first means "to violate" or "to profane", the second means "begin" or "to start". The third version is the one that applies to all instances apply to Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:5 and the context of "to kill/slay" or "to be killed/slain". According to the Even-Shoshan Hebrew concordance, in all cases, it is applied in the context of "to die" or "to put (or be) put to death". Jesus was not killed by the wound given to him by the soldier who "pierced" his side or the soldiers who whipped him. Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:5 does not fit Jesus. If Jesus was pierced or wounded or whipped by those Romans it was not to the death, and thus this term simply does not apply to Jesus. In all instances, the meaning has to do with someone or something having been killed or having died. In only one place, at Y'chezkel / Ezekiel 32:26, the concordance also indicates a meaning of having been pierced (by a sword). There is another word later in the verse which the list maker might be thinking about: "He was pained because of our rebellious sins and oppressed through our (because of our) iniquities; the chastisement upon him was for our benefit, and through his wounds we were healed." Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:5. Having discussed the word מְחֹלָ֣ל / pained or wounded or, pierced (not a very good translation -- one an be pierced and live and the Hebrew pertains to a fatal wound) let's examine the other bit of this passage the list maker might have been thinking about when s/he said that Jesus being whipped "fulfills" the words of Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:5. This words are the last in the passage: וּבַחֲבֻרָתֹ֖ו נִרְפָּא־לָֽנוּ׃ / "u-va-chavuratiyv nirp'a lanu." Some Christian translations have: "and with his stripes we are healed" King James Version, while others have "and by his wounds we are healed." NIV.
The gentile nations are speaking of a servant who has suffered, but is now redeemed. The servant is now raised to lofty heights and WAS healed prior to the gentile nations realizing that the servant had suffered because of them. Prior to realizing that the servant is not despised by G-d the gentile nations was cruel to the servant, thinking that the servant was somehow deserving of their hatred and "punishment." They thought that being cruel tot he servant was somehow a GOOD thing (think of how the Christian bible states that the Jews are cursed by G-d. See Matthew 27:25 " 'His blood is on us and on our children!' How does that fit in with the fact that the gentile nations were "healed" by the pains suffered by the servant? Consider history. When the Nazis began killing half the world's Jewish population they stole the homes and wealth of the Jews. People moved into homes vacated by the murder victims, and millions in wealth were stolen -- some to hidden Swiss bank accounts and even by taking art and refusing to give it back to survivors after the war. The gentiles lived very well off of the blood of their murder victims. Have you heard of a book (or movie) called "The Woman in Gold"? There were hundreds of thousands of cases involving artwork looted by the Nazis, one of them hung in an art gallery in Vienna, Austria after the war. The country refused to return the painting to its rightful owners until a United States court ordered it returned in 2006 -- 55 years after its theft. The family sold it for $135 million. By his wounds they were healed. The Woman in Gold is just one example of Nazi thefts -- and the Nazi thefts are just one example of a 2000 year history of such treatment (Jews being exiled from Spain in 1492 having to leave their wealth behind is another). . . To this day the Swiss refuse to return hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of gold stolen by Nazi Germany, while Swiss banks had agreed to a $1.25 billion settlement with Holocaust survivors after being sued for their refusal to return assets deposited for safekeeping during the war not a penny has been returned. By their wounds (the Jews) were the gentile nations rewarded (healed) -- for their evil deeds. As the Artscroll Stone Edition T'nach's footnote puts it "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." Let's examine the passage: וּבַחֲבֻרָתֹ֖ו נִרְפָּא־לָֽנוּ׃ / "u-va-chavuratiyv nirp'a lanu" which many Christian versions translate as "by his stripes we are healed."
He was healed. What of "and with his stripes"? Mistranslation. The Hebrew is וּבַחֲבֻרָת֖וֹ / u'va'havurato. This is from the noun חבורה / havurah -- which translates to wound, not stripes. Even the King James, in Genesis 4:26, has לְחַבֻּרָתִֽי / to my hurt -- not whipped or "striped." More modern Christian translations have "injuring me" (NIV) or "for hurting me" NET Bible. The injury or wound mentioned in Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:5 is not as unique as "stripes" one might receive from being whipped. Bottom line for this claim: Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:5 says nothing about the servant being whipped. The servant was pained and wounded because of what others did to him, not "for" others. The others rewarded themselves for the punishments and evils they heaped upon the servant -- stealing his money, his home and often his life. 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.
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