Isaiah 53

The Fourth Servant Song: Isaiah 52:13 to 53:12

Yet it was our sickness that he was bearing,

Our suffering that he endured.

We accounted him plagued,

Smitten and afflicted by God;

But he was wounded because of our sins,

Crushed because of our iniquities.

He bore the chastisement that made us whole,

And by his bruises we were healed.

We all went astray like sheep,

Each going his own way;

And the LORD visited upon him

The guilt of all of us.”

– Isaiah 53:4–6, New Jewish Publication Society Translation

Isaiah 52:13–53:12 makes up the fourth of the "Servant Songs" of the Book of Isaiah, describing a "servant" of God who is abused and looked down upon but eventually vindicated.

Text

The original text was written in Biblical Hebrew. This chapter is divided into 12 verses, although the pericope begins in Isaiah 52:13. The pericope thus encompasses 15 verses. The passage survives in a number of independent and parallel manuscript traditions in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and others.

Hebrew

The standard Hebrew edition that serves as the basis for most modern translations is Codex Leningradensis (1008). Other manuscripts of the Masoretic Text tradition include Codex Cairensis (895), the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets (916), and the Aleppo Codex (10th century).

Fragments containing all or parts of this chapter were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. These are the earliest extant witnesses to the Hebrew text of the chapter:

1QIsaa (2nd century BCE.): all verses

1QIsab (1st century BCE): all verses

4QIsab (4Q56): extant verses 11–12

4QIsac (4Q57): extant verses 1–3, 6–8

4QIsad (4Q58): extant verses 8–12

Greek

The translation into Koine Greek, known as the Septuagint, was made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B;

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B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK:

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Parashot

The parashah sections listed here are based on the Aleppo Codex. Isaiah 53 is a part of the Consolations (Isaiah 40–66).

Interpretive options concerning the servant's identity

The central interpretive question to be answered for the passage concerns Isaiah's intended referent for the servant. Related questions include the Isaiah 53 servant's relationship with the servant(s) mentioned in the other songs. Three major classes of interpretation have been proposed for the servant of Isaiah 53:

Individual

The individual interpretation states that the intended referent for the servant is a single Israelite man. The passage's third-person masculine singular nouns and verbs are cited as evidence for this position. Sometimes, the entire pericope is interpreted concerning an individual, and in other cases, only selected verses are so interpreted. Several individual referents have been proposed:

Jesus Christ (Christianity only; Luke 22:37, Acts 8:32-35, 1 Peter 2:21-22)

Rabbi Akiva (Jerusalem Talmud Shekalim 5:1)

Moses (Sotah 14a) Nachmanides

The Jewish Messiah (Targum Jonathan, Sanhedrin 98a–b, Ruth Rabbah 5:6, Midrash Tanhuma Toldot 14, Yalkut Shimoni 476, Midrash Tehillim 2:7, and Maimonides in Iggeret Teiman 13)

Jeremiah (Saadia Gaon)

A Righteous Israelite Remnant

Some interpretations state that the servant is representative of any Israelites who meet a particular standard of righteousness, such that the passage applies to some Israelites and not others. Examples include:

Whoever the Lord is pleased with, he crushes with suffering (Berakhot 5a)

One who is sick and has a seminal emission (Berakhot 57b)

History of interpretation

Hardly any passage of the Hebrew Bible is and has been of such fundamental importance in the history of Jewish–Christian debate, or has played such a central role in it, as has the fourth Servant Song of Second Isaiah. Nor has any other passage experienced such different and sometimes mutually exclusive interpretations as this one.

– Stefan Schreiner, The Suffering Servant

A wide variety of sources across many centuries include interpretations of the chapter. This section will highlight some of the key interpretive sources organized by date of textual origin.

Dead Sea Scrolls (3rd century BCE – 1st century CE)

The Dead Sea Scrolls include both biblical and non-biblical scrolls that reflect the text and the themes of Isaiah 53.

In their article on the interpretation of Isaiah 53 in the pre-Christian period, Martin Hengel and Daniel P. Bailey noted a possible messianic reading in the Great Isaiah Scroll for Isaiah 52:14. They wrote,

The first line agrees with the Masoretic Text (MT, though the MT's עָלֶיךָ is here spelled with the final ה mater) and may be translated as "Just as many were astonished at you.": But in the second line, instead of the MT's unclear hapax legomenon מִשְׁחַת or מַשְׁחֵת, “marring,” “disfigurement,” 1QIsaa suffixes a yod to read the qal perfect first singular מָשַׁחְתִּי, "I have anointed." To the last word: אָדָם, 1QIsaa furthermore adds the article: "the human." We may therefore translate:

Just as many were astonished at you, so have I anointed his appearance beyond that of any (other) man, and his form beyond that of the sons of humanity [lit., of the human].

Because this reading indicates God anointed the servant "beyond that of any (other) man," it is likely that the scribe who penned the Great Isaiah Scroll interpreted the servant as a messianic figure.

Another variant is present in two Qumran manuscripts and the LXX. Martin and Hengel write, "The most important variant that Scrolls A and B have in common (see also 4QIsad) is the phrase יראה אור ('he will see light') in 53:11, attested also in the LXX."

It is likely that the Qumran community saw Isaiah 52:7 as the beginning of the pericope, and 52:13 starting a subsection within it. Second Temple Judaism scholar Craig Evans notes that 1QIsaa includes a siglum in the margin at 52:7, just as it does in other major breaks of thought. Evans writes, "Although of uncertain meaning, this manuscript feature likely indicates the beginning of a new section." He notes that the Masoretic Text includes a samek (for seder) at the same verse, and a small samek after 52:12. Evans writes, "Accordingly, both the Great Isaiah Scroll of Qumran and the MT appear to view Isaiah 52:7–12 and 52:13–53:12 as two related units, perhaps with 52:7–12 introducing the hymn."

Septuagint (2nd century BCE)

The Septuagint (LXX) translation of Isaiah 53, dated to roughly 140 BCE, is a relatively free translation with a complicated relationship with the MT. Emanuel Tov has provided LXX/MT word equivalences for the passage, and verse-by-verse commentaries on the LXX of Isaiah 53 are provided by Jobes and Silva, and Hengel and Bailey.

In the LXX, the verbal aspect and subject of many verbs differ from the MT. In 53:8, the child/servant is "led to death," with the translator seeing lamavet (לַמָּוֶת) rather than lamo (לָֽמֹו). Verses 10–12 shift the narrative toward the "we" in the audience, beseeching the reader to perform a sin offering in order to "cleanse" and "justify" the righteous servant/child who was an innocent sufferer. Hengel and Bailey comment, "Therefore in the MT of verse 10, the Servant himself gives his life as an אָשָׁם or 'guilt offering' (NASB; NIV; cf. NJPS), that is, an atoning sacrifice. By contrast, the Greek conditional sentence ἐὰν δῶτε περὶ ἁμαρτίας in verse 10b requires a 'sin offering' from the members of the congregation who previously went astray and who were guilty in relationship to the Servant, in order that they might receive their share of the salvation promised to the Servant." Despite these differences with the MT, the "vicarious suffering" theme of the MT remains intact, as evidenced by the LXX of verses 4–6:

This one carries our sins and suffers pain for us, and we regarded him as one who is in difficulty, misfortune, and affliction. But he was wounded because of our sins, and he became sick because of our lawless acts. The discipline of our peace was upon him; by his bruise we were healed. We all have been misled like sheep; each person was misled in his own path, and the Lord handed him over for our sins. Isaiah 53:4–6, Lexham English Septuagint

While the theme of vicarious suffering is strong in the LXX, the translation avoids saying that the servant actually dies. In verse 4, the MT's imagery that could imply death (מֻכֵּה) is lessened to "misfortune/blow" (πληγῇ). Jobes and Silva also note, "This rendering is only one of several examples where the translator clearly avoids statements that attribute the servant's sufferings to God's action." In verse 8, the servant is "led to death," but in verse 9, God saves the servant before his execution by "giving" the wicked and the wealthy unto death instead of the servant. Hengel notes that the tendency to downplay the idea of vicarious suffering continued in Theodotion's Greek translation:

New Testament (1st century CE)

"For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." – Jesus of Nazareth, Mark 10:45 (ESV)

The New Testament portrays a consistent and singular interpretation of Isaiah 53 by identifying the suffering servant as Jesus. His experiences of crucifixion and resurrection are portrayed as the fulfillment of the text.

Besides these direct quotations, there are many more allusions to Isaiah 53 throughout the New Testament.

The first recorded words of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark, believed by many to be the earliest gospel, are the following: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel (euangelion, εὐαγγέλιον)" (Mark 1:15). Biblical scholars often point to Isaiah 52:7 as the background to Jesus's proclamation. The Isaiah passage speaks of a messenger who would bring "good news" (LXX: euangelion) of God's kingdom and the announcement of salvation (Heb: yeshuah). Jesus (Heb: Yeshua) identifies himself as both the messenger of Isaiah 52:7 and the suffering servant of Isaiah 53, a linkage that was not unique in Judaism. Craig A. Evans cites multiple sources that link the "good news" of Isaiah 52:7 with the "report" of Isaiah 53:1 (DSS, Targum, Paul, Peter). Thus there is good reason to conjecture that whenever the New Testament authors speak of "the gospel" or "good news," it is a reference to Isaiah 53 as they saw it fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus (i.e., Acts 8:35). The New Testament authors refer to the "good news" (euangelion) 76 times.

Jesus directly quotes and applies Isaiah 53:12 to himself in Luke 22:37. Mark 10:45, quoted above, is not a direct quotation of Isaiah 53, but alludes to it with the theme of serving "many" through death. These two passages provide examples of Jesus's self-understanding as the servant of Isaiah 53.

Several other passages in the Gospels and Acts apply the chapter to Jesus, but not through his own lips. Matthew comments on Jesus's miracles in healing his fellow Israelites, saying that such miracles were a fulfillment of Isaiah 53:4 (Matthew 8:17). A prominent place is given to the chapter in Acts 8:26–40, where an Ethiopian eunuch reads the chapter in the Septuagint and asks Philip, "About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?" (Acts 8:34, ESV). Without elaboration, Acts continues, "Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus" (Acts 8:35, ESV). I. Howard Marshall commented as follows on Philip's response: It "implies that even by this early date [30s CE] the recognition that the job description in Isa. 53 fit Jesus, and only Jesus, was current among Christians."

Pseudepigraphal sources (1st century CE and later)

The first-century pseudepigraphal book 4 Ezra includes the line, "Behold, my people is led like a flock to the slaughter" (4 Ezra 15:9). This may be an allusion to Isaiah 53:7, where the servant is interpreted as "my people." However, it could refer instead to Psalm 44:22, which includes a plural subject. The 4 Ezra passage does not have any atonement overtones, and it is Israel's persecutors who are punished by God rather than Israel itself (see LXX above).

Psalms of Solomon 16 includes a hymn attributed to Solomon that includes themes from Isaiah 53. Solomon confesses that he had sinned greatly, saying, "my soul was poured out to death" (Psa. Solomon 16:2) and was in danger of descending to Hades with "the sinner" (cf. Isaiah 53:12). Solomon then praises God that he saved him from this fate, saying that God "did not count me with the sinners for my destruction" (Psa. Solomon 16:5). This also has overtones of Isaiah 53:12. This application of Isaiah 53 to the sinning Solomon ignores the innocence of the servant.

Sibylline Oracles 8.251–336 includes a hymn about Christ that weaves in the themes of Isaiah 53. This Christian section of the oracle may have been added to an originally Jewish version in the second or third centuries.

Wisdom of Solomon (1st century CE)

The Wisdom of Solomon 2–5, and especially 2:12–24 and 5:1–8, are commonly cited as an early Jewish reworking of the themes of Isaiah 53. The wicked and the righteous are presented as opponents, with the wicked conspiring to oppose and destroy the righteous. After the innocent righteous suffer, the wicked confess their sin and accept the righteousness of the one they rejected.

In Wisdom 2:13, the righteous is called "the servant of the Lord (παῖς κυρίου)" (cf. Isa. 52:13 LXX). The wicked say (Wisdom 2:14), "[The servant] has become a reproof to us of our thoughts; he is burdensome for us even to see," paralleling Isaiah 53:3. The solution of the wicked is, "Let us examine him by insult and torture, that we might know his gentleness and judge his patience. Let us condemn him to a shameful death; for his examination will be by his words” (Wisdom 2:19–20). In Wisdom 5, the wicked recognize their sin and confess. Bailey comments,

The wicked condemn the righteous man to a shameful death in Wis. 2:20. At the final judgment, the wicked “will be amazed” (ekstēsontai) at the unexpected salvation of the righteous man (Wis. 5:2), just as Isaiah's many “will be amazed” (ekstēsontai) at the Servant (Isa. 52:14). Moreover, Wisdom's “we” confess, “it was we who strayed (eplanēthēmen) from the way (hodos) of truth” (Wis. 5:6), just as Isaiah's “we” confess, “All we like sheep have gone astray (eplanēthēmen), each … in his own way (hodos)” (Isa. 53:6). Both groups realize an error in their thinking and the correct alternative.

Although the servant is called a "son of God" who calls God his "father" (Wisdom 2:16–18), the passage does not give any indication that an individual messianic or salvific figure is in view. Bailey comments, "There is no vicarious suffering or sin-bearing of Wisdom's righteous man on behalf of sinners." Wisdom 3:1 says, with an emphasis on the plural, "Righteous souls are in the hand of God, and torment will never touch them." Thus, it would appear that the singular "righteous man" in Wisdom stands as a paradigm for the way the wicked often treat righteous individuals within Israel. The individual represents the pattern of the righteous within the nation, rather than being a singular individual with a unique experience in the nation.

Patristic sources (1st through 5th centuries CE)

Isaiah 53 was extensively quoted and applied to Jesus by the church fathers. Patristic quotations and allusions to the chapter are innumerable. This section will highlight various important witnesses to the patristic and Jewish views of the chapter as reported in patristic sources.

The earliest example outside the New Testament may be found in 1 Clement 16, circa 95 CE. Another early example is the Epistle of Barnabas 5:2, circa 100 CE. Irenaeus quotes it of Christ in Against Heresies 2.28.5, and Tertullian in Adversus Judaeos 10.

Justin Martyr, a second-century Platonic philosopher who converted to Christianity, interpreted Isaiah 53 at length with reference to Jesus. Both Justin's First Apology 50–51 and his Dialogue with Trypho include extended quotations and explanations of the text.

The Dialogue with Trypho (ca. 155 CE) is a purported debate between Justin and the Jewish man Trypho. Scholars disagree on the historicity of the debate, but the Trypho in question may have been Rabbi Tarfon.

Daniel P. Bailey has provided a nearly 100-page chapter on Justin Martyr's use of Isaiah 53 in the Dialogue with Trypho. Bailey writes, "Justin Martyr's Dialogue with Trypho makes the greatest use of Isaiah 53 of any Christian work of the first two centuries." He counts up to 42 different passages that quote or directly allude to Isaiah 53. This includes an extended quotation of the Septuagint version of Isaiah 52:10 through 54:6 in Dialogue 13. According to Bailey, the debate between Justin and Trypho concerning Isaiah 53 was twofold: 1) Do the Hebrew Scriptures in general, and Isaiah 53 in specific, predict a suffering (παθητός, pathetos) Messiah? 2) Does Jesus fit the criteria for being the suffering Messiah so predicted? The men agreed on the first point and disagreed on the second.

Justin's contention is that the Scriptures do predict a suffering Messiah, and he quotes Isaiah 53 repeatedly to make that point. After much argument, Trypho eventually responds,

‘You know very well,’ said Trypho, ‘that we Jews all look forward to the coming of the Christ, and we admit that all your Scriptural quotations refer to Him.... But we doubt whether the Christ should be so shamefully crucified, for the Law declares that he who is crucified is to be accursed (Deuteronomy 21:23). Consequently, you will find me very difficult to convince on this point. It is indeed evident that the Scriptures state that Christ was to suffer, but you will have to show us, if you can, whether it was to be the form of suffering cursed by the Law.’ (Dialogue 89)

Midrash (Talmudic Era and later)

Midrash Tanchuma Buber interprets Isaiah 52:13 concerning the greatness of Messiah:

What is the meaning of Who are you, O great mountain? This is the Messianic King. Then why does it call him great mountain? Because he is greater than the ancestors, as stated (in Is. 52:13): Behold, my servant shall bring low. He shall be exalted, lifted up, and become exceedingly tall. He shall be exalted (rt.: RWM) more than Abraham, lifted up more than Moses, and become exceedingly tall, more so than the ministering angels.

Ruth Rabbah 5.6 includes multiple interpretations of Boaz' statement to Ruth in Ruth 2.14. The fifth interpretation includes a reference to Isaiah 53:5, interpreted as describing the sufferings of Messiah: "The fifth interpretation makes it refer to the Messiah. Come hither:' approach to royal state. And eat of the bread refers to the bread of royalty; And dip thy morsel in the vinegar refers to his sufferings, as it is said, But he was wounded because of our transgressions (Isaiah 53:5). And she sat beside the reapers, for he will be deprived of his sovereignty for a time."

Although the allusion is not certain, it is possible that Sifre Numbers 131 identifies Pinchas (cf. Numbers 25:13) with the one in Isaiah 53:12 who makes atonement for the people of Israel.

Sifre Deuteronomy 355 interprets Isaiah 53:12 as an end-times description of Moses' honor at the head of Israel's scholars.

Numbers Rabbah, quoting Isaiah 53:12, interprets the verse in terms of Israel's final redemption: "Because Israel exposed their souls to death in exile-as you read, Because he bared his soul unto death (Isa. LIII, 12) – and busied themselves with the Torah which is sweeter than honey, the Holy One, blessed be He, will therefore in the hereafter give them to drink of the wine that is preserved in its grapes since the six days of Creation, and will let them bathe in rivers of milk."

The Pesikta of Rav Kahana includes extended interpretations of the one who brings "good news" in Isaiah 52:7. Various interpretations are given, including Isaiah himself and the returned exiles of Israel in the era of redemption (Supplement 5.1–2). The verse is also interpreted of king Messiah in two places (Piska 5.9, Supplement 5.4). In Piska 5.9, Rabbi Johanan interprets as follows:

Modern views

According to some modern scholars (among whom include Christians), the suffering servant described in Isaiah chapter 53 is actually the Jewish people in its original context. Other scholars argue that the servant is an individual figure.

A number of Christian scholars presented a view developed by Walter C. Kaiser and popularized by Raymond E. Brown, in which the Latin phrase sensus plenior is used in biblical exegesis to describe the supposed deeper meaning intended by God but not by the human author.

Brown defines sensus plenior as

That additional, deeper meaning, intended by God but not clearly intended by the human author, which is seen to exist in the words of a biblical text (or group of texts, or even a whole book) when they are studied in the light of further revelation or development in the understanding of revelation.

John Goldingay claimed that the citation of Isaiah 7:14 in Matthew 1:23 is a "stock example" of sensus plenior. In this view, the life and ministry of Jesus is considered the revelation of these deeper meanings, such as with Isaiah 53, regardless of the original context of passages quoted in the New Testament.

Legacy

Jewish–Christian relations

The earliest known example of a Jew and a Christian debating the meaning of Isaiah 53 is the example from 248 cited by Origen. In Christian church father Origen's Contra Celsum, written in 248, he writes of Isaiah 53:

Now I remember that, on one occasion, at a disputation held with certain Jews, who were reckoned wise men, I quoted these prophecies; to which my Jewish opponent replied, that these predictions bore reference to the whole people, regarded as one individual, and as being in a state of dispersion and suffering, in order that many proselytes might be gained, on account of the dispersion of the Jews among numerous heathen nations.

The discourse between Origen and his Jewish counterpart does not seem to have had any consequences for either party. This was not the case for the majority of centuries that have passed since that time. In Ecclesiastes Rabbah 1:24, written in the 700s, a debate about a much less controversial topic results in the arrest of the Jew engaging in the debate.

In 1263, at the Disputation of Barcelona, Nachmanides expressed the Jewish viewpoint of Isaiah 53 and other matters regarding Christian belief about Jesus's role in Hebrew Scripture. The disputation was awarded in his favor by James I of Aragon, and as a result the Dominican Order compelled him to flee from Spain for the remainder of his life. Passages of Talmud were also censored.

The use of Isaiah 53 in debates between Jews and Christians still often occurs in the context of Christian missionary work among Jews, and the topic is a source of frequent discussion that is often repetitive and heated. Some devout Christians view the use of the Christian interpretation of Isaiah 53 in targeted conversion of Jews as a special act of Christian love and a fulfillment of Jesus Christ's teaching of the Great Commission. The unchanged common view among many Jews today, including Karaites, is that if the entire book of Isaiah is read from start to finish, in Hebrew, then it is clear that Isaiah 53 is not talking about one individual but instead the nation of Israel as a whole. Some believe the individual to be Hezekiah, who, according to Isaiah 38:5, lived another 15 years (i.e., "prolonging his days") after praying to God while ill (i.e., "acquainted with grief"). His son and successor, Manasseh, was born during this time, thereby allowing Hezekiah to see his "offspring."

Christian Music

The King James Version of verses 3–6 and 8 from this chapter is cited as texts in the English-language oratorio Messiah by George Frideric Handel (HWV 56).

The New International Version of verse 6 from this chapter is used as the basis for the 1996 song ‘Isaiah 53:6’ by Colin Buchanan.

Jewish literature

Talmud

The Talmud refers occasionally to Isaiah 53:

The first book of the Talmud—Berachot 5a applies Isaiah 53 to the people of Israel and those who study Torah—"If the Holy One, blessed be He, is pleased with Israel or man, He crushes him with painful sufferings. For it is said: And the Lord was pleased with [him, hence] He crushed him by disease (Isa. 53:10). Now, you might think that this is so even if he did not accept them with love. Therefore it is said: "To see if his soul would offer itself in restitution" (Isa. 53:10). Even as the trespass-offering must be brought by consent, so also the sufferings must be endured with consent. And if he did accept them, what is his reward? "He will see his seed, prolong his days" (Isa. 53:10). And more than that, his knowledge [of the Torah] will endure with him. For it is said: "The purpose of the Lord will prosper in his hand" (Isa. 53:10). It has been taught: R. Simeon b. Yohai says: The Holy One, blessed be He, gave Israel three precious gifts, and all of them were given only through sufferings.. These are: The Torah, the Land of Israel and the World To Come."

Sotah 14a in the Babylonian Talmud associates Isaiah 53:12 with Moses and Jerusalem Talmud Shekalim 5:1 applies this verse to Rabbi Akiva, because they were amongst the transgressors and both stood up for the nation of Israel.

Sanhedrin 98b in the Babylonian Talmud speculates rather ironically about the undisclosed name of the unrevealed Jewish Messiah to come, so as to say it could be anyone: leper of the school (a hint on rabbinical disciples cast out of their seminary/school) based on Isaiah 53:4, Rabbi Nachman based on Jeremiah 30:21, Shiloh based on Genesis 49:10, Yinon based on Psalm 72:17, Rabbi Hanina reckons it is him, based on Jeremiah 16:13, Menachem ben Hizkija based on Lamentations 1:16.

Both the Talmud and Midrash apply Isaiah 53 to the sick:

Talmud—Berachoth 57b

Six things are a good sign for a sick person, namely, sneezing, perspiration, open bowels, seminal emission, sleep and a dream. Sneezing, as it is written: His sneezings flash forth light.15 Perspiration, as it is written, In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread.16 Open bowels, as it is written: If lie that is bent down hasteneth to be loosed, he shall not go down dying to the pit.17 Seminal emission, as it is written: Seeing seed, he will prolong his days.18 Sleep, as it is written: I should have slept, then should I have been at rest.19 A dream, as it is written: Thou didst cause me to dream and make me to live.20

Midrash

The midrashic method of biblical exegesis, is "... going more deeply than the mere literal sense, attempts to penetrate into the spirit of the Scriptures, to examine the text from all sides, and thereby to derive interpretations which are not immediately obvious":

The exegetical Midrash Ruth Rabbah, which expounds the Book of Ruth chapter by chapter, verse by verse, and, sometimes, word by word, states that the Messiah is coming to descend from Ruth through King David. Ruth Rabbah relates to events within the narrative reality of the Book of Ruth (Ruth 1) as allegorical allusions to the future of her descendants. Ruth's modesty, her great beauty, her uprightness narrate the positive picture of her as a righteous gentile woman in the bible. Her acts of kindness toward Naomi (Ruth Rabbah 2:14) was associated with Isaiah 53:5. In Ruth Rabbah 2:14, Rabbi Ze'ira's classic midrashic statement: "R. Zei'ra said: This scroll [of Ruth] tells us nothing either of cleanliness or of uncleanliness, either of prohibition or permission. For what purpose then was it written? To teach how great is the reward of those who do deeds of kindness...."

Numbers Rabbah 13:2 applies Is 53:12 to Israel in exile—"There can be almost no doubt that the redactor of Numbers Rabbah had before him an ancient Midrash on Numbers, and perhaps on other books as well, which has not come down to us and which we do not know of today. From the nature of the passages that were incorporated from this work and that remain in the Numbers Rabbah that we have today, one may conclude that this Midrash belonged to the group of Tanhuma-style Midrashim."

Eliyahu Rabbah, which scholars agree was written in the end of the tenth century, has 3 citations referenced to Isaiah 53 in the Midrash known as Tana Devei Eliyahu, applying them to the righteous of Israel (chapters 6, 13, 27).

Midrash Psalms 94:2 applies Isaiah 53:10 to the righteous in general (also in other earlier writings—Mechilta De Rabbi Ishmael)

Midrash Rabbah—Exodus XIX:6

In this world, when Israel ate the paschal lamb in Egypt, they did so in haste, as it is said: And thus shall ye eat it, etc. (Ex. XII, 11), For in haste didst thou come forth out of the land of Egypt (Deut. XVI, 3), but in the Messianic era, we are told: For ye shall not go out in haste, neither shall ye go by flight (Isa. LII, 12).

Zohar

The Zohar is the foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical Kabbalah. It references to Isaiah 53 in a wide variety:

52:13–14 is applied to the Angel Metatron in Zohar Volume I 182a.

53:5 is applied to Elijah the prophet in Zohar Volume II 115b.

53:5 is applied to Moshiach ben Yosef in Zohar Volume III 276b.

52:13 is applied to Moshe in Zohar Volume III page 153b.

52:13, 53:2,5 is applied to Moshe in Zohar Volume III 280a.

53:1 is applied to Moshe in Tekunei HaZohar page 43a.

53:5 is applied to Moshe in Tekunei HaZohar page 54b and 112a.

53:5,7 is applied to Moshe in Zohar Volume III 125b.

53:5–7 is applied to Moshe in Zohar Volume III 282b.

53:7 is applied to Moshe in Zohar Volume I 187a.

53:10 is applied to Moshe in Zohar Volume II 29b.

52:12 is applied to the Righteous of Israel in Zohar Chadash page 15a

52:13 is applied to the Righteous of Israel in Zohar Volume I 181a.

53:5 is applied to the Righteous of Israel in Zohar Volume III 218a, 231a, 247b

53:10 is applied to the Righteous of Israel in Zohar Volume I 140a; Volume II 244b; Volume III 57b

Commentators

Kuzari also identifies Isaiah 53 as the nation of Israel.

Chovot ha-Levavot also identifies Isaiah 53 as the nation of Israel.

The Mahari Kara (R' Yosef Kara, a contemporary of Rashi 11th century) on Isaiah Isaiah 52:13: Quote: "Behold My servant shall prosper: Israel My servant shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. And [according to] the teachings of our Rabbis: He shall be more exalted than Abraham, as it is written: "I have raised my hand toward the Lord...." [Gen 14:22]. He shall be more lifted up than Moses, as it is written: "... as the nurse lifts up the suckling...." And he [Israel] shall be higher than the ministering angels, as it is written: "And they had backs, and they were very high...." [Ezek 1:18].