Verse 7 says "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." Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:7: It does not say the servant is silent before his accusers. It says the persecuted servant is led to the slaughter silently, like a lamb being sheered. This is not true of Jesus based on the gospel accounts. Jesus was not silent before his accusers or at his death. Jesus argues with high priest, the elders. -- Matthew 26:64, Mark 14:48-49. Luke 22:52-53. and John 18:20-23. Not silent. Not to digress, but the high priest was never part of the Sanhedrin and would not have been part of any trial in reality. The entire "trial" and presented in the Christian bible never happened -- it is a complete fiction. For details please read Sanhedrins (what were they?) and Pontius Pilate. Fiction or not, the Christian bible makes it clear that Jesus was not silent (even as it says that he was silent). Then Jesus argues with Pontius Pilate. Jesus says: " I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus replied. “I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said.” Jesus is slapped “If I said something wrong,” Jesus replied, “testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?” John 18:19-23. This is not being silent. Then Pilate asks him “Are you the king of the Jews?” To which Jesus replies: “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?. . . Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place. . . .You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” John 18:33 - 37. This is not silence. In the next chapter Jesus talks to his mother, to his followers. Not silent. Jesus is also said to have complained to G-d concerning his impending fate. Matthew 27:46 has "Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “ηλι ηλι λαμα σαβαχθανι / Eli, Eli,[c] lema sabachthani?” Mark 15:34 has “ελωι ελωι λαμμα σαβαχθανι / Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” Not silent. There is no word "sabachthani." It does not exist. Some missionaries say it is a mistranslation of an Aramaic word -- but this would be odd since the other words are Hebrew. Matthew and Mark appear to be attempting to quote T'hillim / Psalm 22 which reads אֵלִי אֵלִי לָמָה עֲזַבְתָּנִי éli éli lamah azavtani or possibly Targum Yonatan which is Aramaic and reads: אֵלִי אֵלִי מְטוּל מַה שְׁבַקְתַּנִי éli éli m'tul mah sh'vaktani However neither Matthew or Mark are translations or transliterations of the psalm or the Targum. Matthew and Mark use Hebrew transliterated into Greek (Greek letters sounding like Hebrew -- not Greek words) with the exception of sabachthani which simply does not exist in Hebrew or Aramaic. Matthew and Mark have λεμὰ / lama which appears to be a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew word לָמָה lamah or לָמָּה lammah. לָמָה lamah or לָמָּה lammah is Hebrew for "why?" It is not a word normally used in the Aramaic language. In Aramaic one would use אַמַּי or אַמַּאי ammai. Some missionaries claim that σαβαχθανι / sabachthani was a misspelling of the Aramaic שְׁבַקְתַּנִי / sh'vaktani, which is the translation of the Hebrew עֲזַבְתָּנִי / azavtani. Why would Matthew and Mark have one Aramaic word in a Hebrew sentence? There is a bigger problem if the gospel authors misspelled the Aramaic word שְׁבַקְתַּנִי / sh'vaktani. It is no longer quoting T'hillim / Psalm 22 if the word in Matthew and Mark is a misspelled שְׁבַקְתַּנִי / sh'vaktani,. The words אֵלִי אֵלִי לָמָה עֲזַבְתָּנִי / éli éli lamah azavtani are the words in T'hillim / Psalm 22. It is Hebrew. This is not the sentence either Mark or Mathew claim Jesus said. Mark gives the first two words are both given as ελωι / eloo[h]i which represents אֱלֹהַי elohai where Matthew has אֵלִי éli - as is found in the psalm. This places Mark's phrase even further away from a quote from T'hillim / Psalm 22:2. However you look at it, these problematic words are out of place and in the wrong language. It seems as though the two gospel-writers didn't speak EITHER Hebrew OR Aramaic very well) and were attempting to quote a psalm, but failed. Luke does not have the famous "why have you forsaken me" quote as Jesus' final words. Luke 23:46 has : "Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” Not silent. Matthew 27:51-53 has the opposite of silence. Upon Jesus' death we are told: "At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and[e] went into the holy city and appeared to many people." Pretty noisy in fact! Not to mention that you'd think at least one historian of the time might have mentioned dead people walking around. . . These accounts in the Christian bible contradict the claim that Jesus was silent before his accusers, and that he humbled him self and did not open his mouth. The encounters with the Jewish and Roman au thorities involved strong verbal confrontations and did not feature a silent and meek Jesus . Quite to the contrary, he is depicted as presenting a strong defense of himself and for his teaching. 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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