There is no mention of sin or a sin sacrifice in Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:10. Humans cannot be offerings (sacrifices) -- it is totally forbidden. Here is the verse: "HaShem desired to oppress him and He afflicted him; if his soul would acknowledge guilt he would see offspring and live long days and the desire or HaShem would succeed in his hand." Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:10. Not one word about sacrifice. The word for "sin" does not appear at all. Many Christian translations mistranslate an important word, אָשָׁם֙ / asham, as either "an offering for sin" (NIV and KJV) or "a guilt offering" (NASB). Both are wrong. The word for sin is not found at all in Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:10., hence this is a mistranslation -- inserting a word that isn't in the text at all. I realize that translations use the word "sin" -- including the Jewish Artscroll Stone Edition T'nach I have been pasting for reference at the bottom of these blog posts -- but the Hebrew does not have the word "sin" in this chapter. In Hebrew the word for sin is חֵטְא / cheit – translated as “sin” and meaning a “missing of the mark – you tried to do good but “missed." It does not appear in Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:10. This is just one of many mistranslations in Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:10 -- a verse among the worst in all of the mistranslation and misuse in Christian versions of Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53. Consider the NIV translation: "Yet it was the L-RD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the L-RD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the L-RD will prosper in his hand." Hmmm. The NIV and other Christian translations speak of a sacrifice -- a "sin" or "guilt" sacrifice. Yet the Jewish translations do not speak of sacrifices -- instead they say that the servant must admit his guilt. "HaShem desired to oppress him and He afflicted him; if his soul would acknowledge guilt he would see offspring and live long days and the desire or HaShem would succeed in his hand." Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:10 The translation completely changes the entire meaning of the verse! Before we even discuss how the Christians mistranslate this verse, thing of it in context and you will see for yourself that the Christian translation makes no sense. Read it again. "Yet it was the L-RD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the L-RD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the L-RD will prosper in his hand." NIV translation: If the servant is to be a sacrifice -- for sin or guilt -- how could he see his children and live a long life? You can't do both. The Christian translation makes no sense even BEFORE you understand just how they mangled it. Jesus had no children (offspring). Jesus did not live a long physical life (he supposedly died in his 30s). And Jesus was not an "offering for sin" (or guilt). Human sacrifice is forbidden. Vayikra / Leviticus 18:21; "you shall not give any of your offspring to pass through for Molech. And you shall not profane the Name of your G-d. I am the L-rd." (Molech was a false god, but the point is that human sacrifices profane the name of G-d and are forbidden). Vayikra / Leviticus 24; "if a man strikes down any human being he shall be put to death.. . . one who strikes a person shall be put to death. . . One law shall be exacted for you, convert and resident alike, for I am the L-rd, your G-d. See also D'varim / Deuteronomy 18:10-12; Jeremiah 7:31, 19: 5; Ezekiel 23:37, 39). These all speak of how G-d hates human sacrifice. Bamidbar / Numbers 35:33; "you shall not corrupt the land in which you live, for the blood corrupts the land, and the blood which is shed in the land cannot be atoned for except through the blood of the one who shed it." D'varim / Deuteronomy 24:16; "Fathers shall not be put to death because of sons, nor shall sons be put to death because of fathers; each man shall be put to death for his own transgression. Melachim II / II Kings 14:6; "it is written in the book of the Torah of Moses, which the L-rd commanded saying: "Fathers shall not be put to death for sons, nor shall sons be put to death for fathers, but each man shall be put to death for his own sin." See also Sh'mot / Exodus 32:31-33; Yirmiyahu / Jeremiah 31:29 [30 in a Christian Bible]; Yechezkel /Ezekiel 18:4,20; and T'hillim / Psalms 49:7. Aside from the fact that human sacrifice is forbidden, Torah tells us that a proper sacrifice must be of a kosher, domestic animal (the animal is often identified as a bull, a seh (goat or lamb), etc (see Sh'mot / Exodus 13:13; Vayikra / Leviticus 22). Jesus, being a human (or even a demi-god) was obviously not a kosher animal and thus was unacceptable as a sacrifice. G-d gave man the ability to bring sacrifices because man needed them. G-d neither wants or needs them: Micah, chapter 6: With what shall I come before the L-rd, bow before the Most High G-d? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with yearling calves? Will the L-rd be pleased with thousands of rams, with myriad streams of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the L-rd demands of you; but to do justice, to love loving-kindness, and to walk discreetly with your G-d. The voice of the L-rd calls out to the city, and the wisdom of the Torah, the one who sees Your name; hearken to the staff and Who appointed it. Let's repeat -- G-d does NOT want human sacrifice. He does not want the firstborn to be sacrificed for the sins of anyone. Which brings us back to: how do the Christians mistranslate this verse to distort it to seem that the servant, human beings (plural) are somehow a sin offer or guilt offer? Mistranslation -- through deception or ignorance or both. The word for "sin" is not in the text at all. The word mistranslated as "sin offering" by the NIV, KJV and others is אָשָׁם֙ / asham. An אָשָׁם֙ / asham is not a "sin offering." The various sacrifices are discussed in the book of Vaykira / Leviticus. A sin sacrifice is the חַטָּאת / chatat was for a missing of the mark (you tried to do good but missed). It is discussed in Vayikra / Leviticus 4. Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:10 does not speak of the sin sacrifice at all. The word which is used is אָשָׁם / asham.
The Christian translations choose to present אָשָׁם / asham as a sacrifice, yet it is quite clear from the context of that the use of in this verse means "guilt" and not "guilt sacrifice. See Y'rmiyahu / Jeremiah 51:5 "For Israel is not widowed, neither is Judah [widowed] from his G-d, the L-rd of Hosts, for their land is full of אָשָׁ֔ם / asham / guilt, from the Holy One of Israel." Check out a Christian translation or two. . . somehow in they manage to correctly translate Y'rmiyahu / Jeremiah 51:5. "For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken by their G-d, the L-RD Almighty, though their land is full of אָשָׁ֔ם / asham / guilt before the Holy One of Israel." NIV, Jeremiah 51:6. Why don't they translate אָשָׁ֔ם / asham as "an offering for sin" or "guilt sacrifice"? Hmmm. The King James mistranslates אָשָׁ֔ם / asham as "sin": "For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his G-d, of the L-RD of hosts; though their land was filled with אָשָׁ֔ם / asham / sin against the Holy One of Israel." (Reminder: the Hebrew word for sin is חֵטְא / cheit -- a mistake (a missing of the mark). You tried to do the right thing (it wasn't willful or knowingly doing something wrong). "Sin” is a חֵטְא / cheit -- an unintentional sin through carelessness — a “missing of the mark." Y'rmiyahu / Jeremiah 51:5 does not use the word חֵטְא / cheit (sin) -- it uses the word אָשָׁ֔ם / asham which can be either a guilty person or a guilt qorban (sacrifice). The exact same word as we find in Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:10. How can we be so certain that Isaiah is not speaking of the guilt sacrifice? Because there are only a few violations that one could bring a guilt sacrifice to atone. None of the wrongdoings which can be atoned for with an אָשָׁ֔ם / asham sacrifice "fit" the suffering servant. Only certain wrong doings were covered by an אָשָׁ֔ם / asham sacrifice. There were both public and individual sacrifices. The wrongdoings for which an אשמות / ashamot could be brought are listed in Mishnah, Treatise Z'vahim, chapter 5:
An אָשָׁ֔ם / asham could only be brought AFTER any of those wrongdoings -- thus the idea of an אָשָׁ֔ם / asham to atone for "all" wrongdoings is false. The אָשָׁ֔ם / asham is discussed in Vayikra / Leviticus chapter 5. Knowing this take a look at the use of the word אָשָׁם / asham in Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:10. "G-d desired to oppress him and He afflicted him. If his soul would acknowledge אָשָׁם֙ / guilt, he would see offspring and live long days, and G-d’s purpose would succeed in his hand." Jesus, being a human, could not have been a sacrifice -- he was not a kosher, domestic (owned) animal brought because of robbery, taking something from the Temple, raping a maid, etc. The few wrongdoings atoned for with an אָשָׁ֔ם / asham sacrifice simply do not "fit" Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:10. One may now understand why Christian translations have either "offering for sin" or "guilt sacrifice" instead of the proper translation that the servant must admit his own guilt to have the reward of having children and living a long life. Read about the אָשָׁם / asham for yourself. Check the passage and see that the word used is in fact אָשָׁם / asham and not "sin." Look up the אָשָׁם / asham sacrifices for yourself and see if any of them fit the concept most Christians have about "sin" or Jesus atoning for sin. They don't. 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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