Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:8 says that the servant is released from captivity and judgment. In other words: the opposite of the claim by the Christian bible that Jesus was captured, confined, and executed. "Now that he has been released from captivity and judgment who could have imagined such a generation? For he had been removed from the land of the living, an affliction upon them that was my people's sin." The servant is freed from prison and judgement (not a word about being persecuted). Jesus was not freed. Jesus was never imprisoned either. He was arrested, yes, but he was not placed in prison. Then, the Christian bible tells us, Jesus was killed. Read the very passages the list maker gives as "proof" of his / her claimed prophecy: Matthew 26:47-27:31. It speaks of Jesus' capture and being sent away to be crucified. Nothing about Jesus being free, released, What if the list maker was correct and this verse spoke of the servant being confined in prison? "So what?" In the United States alone there are currently 2,220,300 adults in prison. 2,220,300! Additionally, 4,751,400 adults in 2013 (1 in 51) were on probation or on parole -- meaning at one time they were in prison. Being imprisoned (Jesus was never in a prison either) is not a messianic prophecy. Any claim that fits millions of people can not be a messianic prophecy! A messianic prophecy must be something that only the messiah can fulfill, or that can be fulfilled in his lifetime. The list of real messianic prophecies is difficult to fulfill -- and Jesus did not fulfill even one of them. Here are a few of those messianic prophecies with their sources listed: A. Build the Third Temple (Yechezkel / Ezekiel 37:26-28). B. Gather all Jews back to the Land of Israel (Yeshayahu / Isaiah 43:5-6). C. Usher in an era of world peace, and end all hatred, oppression, suffering and disease. As it says: "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall man learn war anymore." (Yeshayahu / Isaiah 2:4) D. Spread universal knowledge of the G-d of Israel, which will unite humanity as one. As it says: "G-d will be King over all the world -- on that day, G-d will be One and His Name will be One" (Zechariah 14:9). If an individual fails to fulfill even one of these conditions, then he cannot be "The Messiah." Jesus fulfilled not one. The theme of is that the one who was treated horribly by the gentile nations is now recognized by them to be G-d's loved servant. In verse 8 the gentile nations are speaking of the fact that the servant in the time they are speaking is raised high -- released from captivity and judgment. Checking various Christian translations they reverse the words of Isaiah. The NIV Christian translation as "he was taken away." This is misleading and a mistranslation. Interesting enough the King James Version has "He was taken from prison and from judgment" which is saying the servant was "taken from prison" -- meaning released. The theme of various Christian translations seems to be that Jesus was either taken away or taken from prison -- reversing the actual meaning of the passage. Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:8 begins with the words "מֵעֹצֶר וּמִמִּשְׁפָּט לֻקָּח" The letter in red are the Hebrew letter מ / mem. Transliterated these words are: "mé'otzer u'mi-mish'pat luqqah" and the מ / mem is important. It is used four times in this verse, and in this first section of the verse it is used twice. In all of these instances the מ / mem is a preposition. In all four instances in it means "from." The servant was taken FROM captivity and judgment -- released. The New King James Version comes close to a correct translation, saying "He was taken from prison and from judgment." The word "taken" is not in the verse -- but the servant is released (from) captivity. The original King James Version does have "from" for the first מ / mem many other translations badly mangle it. The NIV, ESV, NASB and ASV all begin with "by." ("By oppression and judgment") -- which certainly changes the meaning of the passage. Other translations are even worse in misleading readers with word choices that do not reflect the actual words in Isaiah. The New Living Translation has "Unjustly condemned"! The NET Bible has "He was led away" -- which certainly is an interpretation of "from"! Another reason we clearly know that Jesus is not the servant in Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:8 is the fact that most of the sentence is in plural: they were killed, not "him." The line ends with "they were" / לָֽמוֹ lamo -- plural, further emphasizing that Isaiah is speaking of multiple people and multiple deaths. . . Thus בְּמֹתָ֑יו / b'motav (“in their deaths”) in verse 9 is plural referring back to the phrase נֶ֥גַע לָֽמֹו / nĕga lamo ("they were afflicted") at the end of verse 8, yet, most Christian translations have "death" (singular) and "he was stricken" singular -- the only reason that makes sense for this distortion from plural to singular is that Jesus was not multiple people and the Christian translators wish to deceive the reader in believing Isaiah is speaking about Jesus when the prophet is speaking of more than one person. Likewise Isaiah makes it clear that he is speaking of the servant being released from exile and not being led to execution. The pertinent passage is "כִּ֤י נִגְזַר֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ חַיִּ֔ים" and is translated as "For he had been removed from the living land (often translated as land of the living). The phrase "from the living land" does not mean the servant dies. אֶ֣רֶץ חַיִּ֔ים / Eretz HaChaim is a phrase used to speak of the land of Israel. Y'chezekel / Ezekiel 32:32 uses the same phrase: "בְּאֶ֣רֶץ חַיִּ֑ים" / land of the living. 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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