Read Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:11. It says that once the servant understand why he (they) suffered he will be satisfied with his purpose -- the servant will be satisfied, not G-d. "He 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." Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:11. Did you notice something? G-d is saying that His servant will with his knowledge. Not his suffering. His knowledge. The servant will carry their עֲוֹנֹתָ֖ם / avonim -- intentional wrongdoings, the person knew they were doing wrong, but did it any way -- this is not equal to a פֶּֽשַׁע / pesha-- which is a transgression done in defiance to G-d. An עוון / avon is usually (translated by Christians as iniquity) is an impulsive act of lust or uncontrollable urges (could not be atoned for with a sacrifice). An avon (unless it falls under the asham talu or asham g'zelot) cannot be rectified with a qorban (sacrifice) and neither can a פֶּֽשַׁע / pesha. Repentance and turning to G-d to seek forgiveness for sins against G-d and seeking forgiveness to any person that might have been harmed from that person are the methods of atonement; People come to righteousness through the Torah and observing the mitzvot that apply to them -- not through suffering itself, or blood sacrifices, or a death that isn't really a death (because Jesus "comes back to life"). . . Verse 10 of Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53 doesn't actually say "soul" -- in the sense of the immortal soul. The Hebrew word is נַפְשׁ֔וֹ / nafsho and it means the "animal" soul -- the one that keeps your body alive with blood flowing through your veins. All animals and humans have one. So, the word נַפְשִׁי / nafsho translates to life, not immortal soul. Yet most missionaries think that this line is speaking of the immortal “soul” since most translations translate it as "soul." This misleads innocent readers into thinking that this line is about the immortal soul, when in reality it is for about the "soul" (e.g. blood coursing) through your veins -- your life-force. It dies when the body dies -- kept alive by oxygen and blood. . . Want proof? "Rescue my life (נַפְשִׁ֑י / nafsho / life) from the sword, my only one from the grip of the dog. Save me from the lion's mouth, as from the horns of the wild oxen You answered me." Psalm / T'hillim 22:21. The words נַפְשׁוֹת nafshot (plural) or נֶֽפֶשׁ nefesh (singular) always refers to life force. Look up נַפְשׁוֹת in a translator (like Google Translate) and it is translated as "people" or "one's life." The Hebrew word נַפְשׁוֹת nafshot (plural) or נֶֽפֶשׁ nefesh (singular) always refers to life force. Look up נַפְשׁוֹת in a translator (like Google Translate) and it is translated as "people." When you read the T'nach you'll see that even plants and animals possess a נֶֽפֶשׁ nefesh -- see B'reshit / Genesis 1:30 and 6:17 -- this is NOT the immortal soul. The immortal soul is from the ru'ah that G-d breathed into man (B'reshit / Genesis 2:7). Some translate נֶֽפֶשׁ nefesh as "the soul of the FLESH" -- meaning not the immortal soul, but (yet again) the "life force." As is often the case Christian translations are more accurate when the passage isn't seen as a Jesus prophecy. Consider Exodus 21:30 in the NAS, KJV and INT -- all of them translate נַפְשׁ֔וֹ / nafsho as "of his life." In Judges 9:17 the NAS, KJV and INT all have נַפְשׁוֹ֙ as "his life." 1 Samuel 19:5 all three translate נַפְשׁ֨וֹ as "his life," too -- there are additional examples of the Christian translations choosing "life" (more accurate) over "soul" (misleading to those who do not realize the soul in question is not immortal, but is the life force).
Those are all found in Christian translations: NIV, KJV and INT to name only three. Not to get too complicated but while animals have a נֶֽפֶשׁ / nefesh man possesses an immortal soul -- actually there are five levels to a man's soul from the נֶֽפֶשׁ nefesh to the immortal soul. . . The Midrash tells us: “The soul is called by five names: Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Chaya, and Yechidah.” Chassidic teachings explain that these five names are not synonyms for one another; rather, each one refers to a distinct level and characteristic of the soul. Together all five are called נפש האלקית / nefesh ha'elokit -- but this term is not found in the T'nach. Do not let missionaries mislead you that the term נֶֽפֶשׁ / nefesh in the T'nach could possibly refer to the immortal soul -- it never does. For more information on the soul I suggest reading this article from the Aish website. So Isaiah is saying that if the servant will admit to what he has done wrong (guilt) then "if his נַפְשִׁ֑י / nafsho / life force (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. In the messianic age -- when everyone will know there is one G-d, there is world peace and all the Jews return from exile, IF the servant admits his wrongdoings and repents G-d will forgive. The servant will then live a long physical life and have many children and grandchildren (all the descendants from his body as a whole). . . And it is the knowledge of the servant -- not his followers -- that vindicates When the Jewish people accepted a contract (covenant) with G-d. We accepted Torah realizing that we were to be a light to the nations of the world, helping to lead them to G-d. It has not been an easy task -- and only a righteous remnant stayed faithful to G-d. But it has been a holy task. It's reward is the closeness to G-d one gets through becoming the best person one can be. . . Time and time again in the T'nach G-d tells us that His contract with us is forever. G-d says He will never desert the Jews. NEVER. Judges 2:1: "I will not break my covenant with you FOREVER." G-d promises to punish the Jews for our sins -- but NOT to reject us. Yirmiyahu / Jeremiah 46:27. "You fear not, O Jacob My servant, and be not dismayed, O Israel! for behold, I will redeem you from afar and your children from the land of their captivity, and Jacob shall return and be quiet and at ease, and there shall be none who disturb his rest. 28. You fear not, My servant Jacob, says the L-rd, for I am with you, for I will make a full end of all the nations where I have driven you, but of you I will not make a full end, but I will chastise you justly, and I will not completely destroy you." T'hillim / Psalms 105:8-10: "He remembers His covenant forever, the word He had commanded to the thousandth generation, 9. Which He had made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac, 10. And He set it up to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an EVERLASTING COVENANT" G-d repeatedly tells us that He will not break His covenant with Israel EVER. Here are just a few: Vayikra / Leviticus 26:44-45: "But despite all this, while they are in the land of their enemies, I will not despise them nor will I reject them to annihilate them, thereby breaking My covenant that is with them, for I am the L-rd their G-d. 45. I will remember for them the covenant [made with] the ancestors, whom I took out from the land of Egypt before the eyes of the nations, to be a G-d to them. I am the L-rd." Y'chezkel / Ezekiel 16:59-60: "For so said the L-rd G-d: I have done with you as you did, that you despised an oath to violate a covenant. 60. But I shall remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I shall establish for you an EVERLASTING COVENANT." and "Behold I will gather them (the Jews) from all the lands where I have driven them with My anger and with My wrath and with great fury, and I will restore them to this place and I will cause them to dwell safely. And they shall be My people, and I will be their G-d. And I will give them one accord and one way to fear Me all the time, so that it be good for them and for their children after them. And I will form for them an EVERLASTING COVENANT, that I will not turn away from them to do them good, and My fear I will place in their heart, not to turn away from Me." (Y'rmiyahu / Jeremiah 32:37-40). The servant in Isaiah 53 is the righteous remnant of Jews who, throughout history, have remained faithful to G-d and His covenant with us. This is not some "excuse." Time and again the T'nach (bible) tells us that the Jews will be exiled as a punishment and that over time only a few, a "righteous remnant" will remain. It is this righteous few who are the suffering servant of Isaiah. The missionaries should read a prophet they rarely if ever mention, Tzefaniah / Zephaniah, who wrote (chapter 3) a passage which echoes Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53 and Y'rmiyahu / Jeremiah's "new" covenant as well "And I will leave over in your midst a humble and poor people, and they shall take shelter in the name of the L-rd. The remnant of Israel shall neither commit injustice nor speak lies; neither shall deceitful speech be found in their mouth, for they shall graze and lie down, with no one to cause them to shudder. Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Rejoice and celebrate wholeheartedly, O daughter of Jerusalem!" Tzefaniah / Zephaniah 3:13 "neither shall deceitful speech be found in their mouth" Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:9 "there was no deceit in his mouth." What about Jesus? Let's look at today's claimed "fulfillment" is John 12:27 which says "“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour." Jesus seems to realize that his death serves a purpose. Is that suffering (death) somehow necessary to atone for sins? There is nothing in verse 11, not one word, that infers that a belief in Jesus somehow takes away sins. The Christian bible itself contradicts John 12 that Jesus somehow knew he had to suffer for some unnamed reason. "Matthew 27:46 has Jesus saying: "My G-d, my G-d, why hast thou forsaken me?" So which is it? Jesus was aware that he had to die or he felt betrayed by G-d, forsaken? Lastly, keep in mind the context of words and sentences when examining any missionary claim -- they often lift a word or sentence out of context. Prophecies are always based on the plain meaning -- within their context so this sleight of missionary "hand" misleads innocent readers. Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53 begins with the last 3 lines of chapter 52. G-d is speaking and He says that the gentile nations (in the messianic age) will be shocked to discover that the one they abused, considered despised and subhuman, is actually G-d's servant and will be raised high in the messianic era. Then in YY'shayahu / Isaiah 53:1 - 9 the gentile nations themselves speak -- again from the vantage of the messianic age, looking back in time. They are shocked at the identity of one they thought despised -- one they murdered and abused thinking he was disgusting -- is actually G-d's servant and has been loyal to G-d all along. Then we reach verses 10-12 and G-d speaks again. So, in Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:11 G-d is speaking. He is saying that His servant “will cause the masses to be righteous” – not the mistranslation often found: “he will justify the many." Y'shayahu / Isaiah chapter 49 speaks of the Jewish nation's role as a light to the other nations. The very first line says "Hearken, you islands, to me, and listen closely, you nations, from afar; the L-rd called me from the womb, from the innards of my mother He mentioned my name." Y'shayahu / Isaiah chapter 49:1. "And He said to me, "You are My servant, Israel, about whom I will boast." Y'shayahu / Isaiah chapter 49:3. And He said, "It is too light for you to be My servant, to establish the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the besieged of Israel, but I will make you a light of nations, so that My salvation shall be until the end of the earth." Y'shayahu / Isaiah chapter 49:6. 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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