Jewish interpretation of the book of isaiah

Isaiah 53 the forbidden chapter one for israel ministry. The speaker, according to horsley, personates the repenting jews in the latter ages of the world coming over to the faith of the redeemer. Although elijah, elisha, and other great prophets preceded isaiah, he stands out as one of the most prominent in jewish history. Second and consistent with all jewish teaching at the time, jesus own disciples didnt view isaiah 53 as a messianic prophecy. As depicted in chapters 9, isaiah declared that yhwh intended to punish judah for social and cultic infractions. Isaiah 53 is the fiftythird chapter of the book of isaiah in the hebrew bible or the old testament of the christian bible. Do you have questions about the meaning of life and spirituality. The subject was never discussed in my prewarpoland hebrew school. Messianic commentaries from the rabbis about isaiah 53 is isaiah 53 talking about. The last book in the new testament canon, yet in fact one of the oldest.

Admittedly, the great visions of peace and harmony in isaiah embrace not the jewish people alone, but the whole world. The original interpretation of isaiah 53 by jewish rabbis has been that it is speaking of an individual messiah himself. This is one of the most thorough examinations of this most significant chapter in the entire book of isaiah. These visions are, to adopt the usual jargon employed in. Because of the christological interpretation given to the chapter by christians, it is omitted from the series of. The following paragraphs contain some of the more outstanding reasons why the jewish view of isaiah 53 is in complete harmony with the jewish scriptures. Isaiah with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. The underlying purpose for the book is to equip fellow believers in using isaiah 53 as a tool to share the gospel with jewish people in a sensitive and effective way p. It is not called in question, moreover, that in the time of our lord the book existed in the form in which we now have it. Konig, the exiles book of consolation, edinburgh, 1899 camp. Chapters 4055 are known as deuteroisaiah and date from the. It is identified by a superscription as the words of the 8thcentury bce prophet isaiah ben amoz, but there is extensive evidence that much of it was composed during the babylonian. Therefore, when both ancient and modern rabbinic commentators expound on the clear meaning of the text, they ascribe the suffering servant in isaiah 53 to the nation of israel. What is the traditional jewish interpretation of isaiah 14.

There is a good basis for thinking that he belonged to a distinguished priestly and perhaps noble family, judging from his education and culture and from his contacts with the court and nobility of the kingdom of judah. The fifty third chapter of isaiah according to the jewish. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet isaiah, and is one of the neviim. This article is excerpted from the jps bible commentary. It presents the book as a revelation which god gave. Of all the texts in the hebrew and christian scriptures, perhaps no book has a more colorful history of interpretation than isaiah. The phrase like sheep to the slaughter, used to describe alleged jewish passivity during the holocaust, derives from isaiah 53. Practically, the analytic criticism of isaiah goes back to koppe, the author of the notes to the german edition of bishop lowths isaiah 177981. In addition to being an evangelistic tool, the gospel according to isaiah 53 is a serious study of one of the most important messianic passages in the old testament. Isaiah 53 is the fiftythird chapter of the book of isaiah in the hebrew bible or the old testament. Daniel, book of, a book of the third division of the hebrew bible, the hagiographa, named for a man daniel whose fortunes and predictions are the subject of the book. There are 66 chapters in all, and these are usually divided up in three sections.

To interpret isaiah 53 as speaking of messiah in not non jewish. The section of isaiah discussed here comes from the early part of the book, written by isaiah ben amoz. The introductory verse betrays the complicated character of the whole work. While little is known of the personal life of the prophet, he is considered to be one of the greatest of them all. The fiftythird chapter of isaiah according to the jewish interpreters, ktav publishing house, new york, 1969. The concept of a messiah ben joseph and a messiah ben david reflect this. In fact, the wellknown term messiah ben yosef is actually from this very text. Jewish messianic interpretations of isaiah 53 jews for jesus. Browse other questions tagged isaiahyeshayathebook. Learning from isaiah norman podhoretz, commentary magazine. Bible, identify israel as the suffering servant of isaiah 53. This position sees the servant as an example of corporate personality, where an individual can represent a. The jewish view of isaiah 53 is supported extensively in several ways. We find the same interpretation in the babylonian talmud.

Isaiah son of amoz towers among the giants of classical biblical prophecy repeatedly challenging the. The first lesson the book of isaiah has to teach us today, then, is that the jews must not and will not ever disappear. Another christian interpretation combines aspects of the traditional christian and the jewish interpretation. This had already been suggested by 12th century rabbi abraham ibn ezra, who pointed out that the prophesies in chapters 40 to 66, and in chapters 34 and 35, were written in a language very different from the rest of the book, and make no mention of. The book is a collection of oracles, prophecies, and reports. Isaiah 53 is a wellknown passage of scripture to the avid student of the bible. Learning the haftorah of chazon devarim, part 1 video. The sages teach that isaiah was privy to a most sublime. At least parts of isaiah were written after the prophet had died.

The theory therefore of a double authorship of the book, much. Yeshayahu isaiah chapter 1 tanakh online torah bible. An impressive and stimulating contribution to the early history of biblical interpretation. Conservative christians, on the other hand, strongly argue against the jewish interpretation of isaiah 53 for a number of expected reasons. So many of isaiahs prophecies, in fact, focused on mankinds sinfulness and a coming, divine redeemer that isaiah often is referred to as the bibles first evangelist. Isaiah 53, then, is in reality no proof at all, but rather a contrived confirmation for someone who has already chosen christianity. The book of isaiah is the first of the latter prophets in the hebrew bible and the first of the major prophets in. Best commentaries and books on isaiah logos bible software. It is identified by a superscription as the words of the. The book of tanach containing isaiahs prophecies, including his vision of the merkavah and many prophecies regarding the messianic era.

The fifty third chapter of isaiah according to the jewish commentators, to the sixteenth century ph. Its important to understand were not just talking about a christian interpretation here the jewish sages of ancient times also always interpreted isaiah 53 to be about the messiah. Isaiah 53 commentary commentary critical and explanatory on. Rashi was probably the first champion of the contemporary israel interpretation, as th. After the psalms, isaiah is the old testament book most quoted in the new testament. In the rabbinical training i had received, the fiftythird chapter of the.

See page 15, specifically, which brings abraham ibn ezras interpretation of the verse, consistent with this answer, which expounds upon. The 17th century jewish historian, raphael levi, admitted that long ago the rabbis used to read isaiah 53 in synagogues, but after the chapter caused. In the original text there were no chapters and breaks. Jun 25, 2019 chapter 53 of the book of isaiah may be the most hotly disputed passage in all of scripture with good reason. Oswalt also provides substantial discussions of several issues crucial to the book of isaiah.

Mar 23, 2012 this is one of the most thorough examinations of this most significant chapter in the entire book of isaiah. According to jewish tradition isaiah shall have been persecuted by the impious king manasseh son of king hezekiah and sawn asunder in a hollow trunk compare with hebrews 11. One of messiahs names will be yinnon according to rabbinic interpretation of psalm 72. But most people are not avid bible students and have not read this. This position sees the servant as an example of corporate personality, where an individual can represent a group, and vice versa.

There was, according to these writings, no hope in anything that was. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to know how various people have viewed this chapter and why a messianic personal interpretation far out weighs the commonly held jewish interpretation that it is not messianic but rather refers to the nation of israel as the suffering servant. A comprehensive history of this interpretation between the prophet malachi and the first days of christianity, joseph blenkinsopps opening the sealed book traces three different prophetic traditions in isaiah the man of god, the critic of social structures. Isaiah, the book of definition and meaning bible dictionary. Christians are so convinced that jesus is the messiah, they are utterly astounded that the jews, of all people, consider this claim preposterous. Two eminent jewish rabbis, abraham ibn ezra and isaac abravanel, were the first who showed a tendency to disintegrate the book of isaiah, but their subtle suggestion had no consequences. Now you can have your questions answered with this great resource, isaiah 53 explained. There are messianic interpretations in the talmud, which will cite parts of isaiah 53.

The suffering servant of isaiah jewish awareness ministries. Christianity claims that these verses in isaiah 53 foretell a specific, individual person as the messiah, or savior of the world from sin, while judaism maintains they point instead to a faithful remnant group of the jewish people. I will not attempt a praeparatio evangelica on a large scale, and will leave on one side the claimants of messiahship, whose history would form an interesting chapter in a christian apologia. The jewish sages thought isaiah 53 was about the messiah.

Sawyer documents that the vision of isaiah has had a peculiarly prominent place in the life and faith of jewish and christian communities. Aug 08, 2009 no other bible portion has created as much controversy between christian and jewish people as the suffering servant in the book of isaiah 52. Haftarot and is reprinted with permission from the jewish publication society. Our people, originally published in 1946, was the first jewish history book for the english speaking reader. Book of isaiah oxford research encyclopedia of religion. Isaiah yesa yahu yahweh is salvation is one of the most outstanding and most important of the prophets. Historically, the church has relentlessly used isaiah 53 as its most important prooftext in order to demonstrate the veracity of the gospels. Illuminated page of isaiah from a manuscript bible, said to be of the twelfth century. Posted on december 4, 20 by john oakes wrote in bible interpretation, general, historical and messianic prophecy, other religions. The book of isaiah through jewish eyes the jerusalem post. There are more reasons for such, but a more complete examination of this issue is beyond the scope of this faq. Christians traditionally see the servant as jesus christ. There is a remarkable passage in the very old book. In the introduction to this work, oswalt considers isaiahs background, unity of composition, date and authorship, canonicity, hebrew text, theology, and problems of interpretation, and he offers a select bibliography for further research.

Isaiah 53 the most debated chapter in jewish scriptures. The message of isaiah the book of isaiah is one of the most important books of the old testament. It describes the downfall of the king of babylon, starting with verse 4 and continuing through to verse 22. Isaiah s book, according to jewish tradition written some 2,700 years ago in firsttempleperiod jerusalem, is a singularly rich source of the jewish understanding of the end times and the messiah. The use of different language style is also a telltale clue. Read today, it still provides a comprehensive outline of. The chief note of the book of isaiah is varietyvariety of tone, of style, of thought, and of historical background. Christian versions of the bible appear to include 9. And of course, it cannot be jesus because he simply fails to meet the description. Chapter 53 of the book of isaiah may be the most hotly disputed passage in all of scripture with good reason. In the bible, in the book of isaiah, chapter 53 the prophet prophesies about.

Approximately 1,000 years earlier, the jewish prophet isaiah had alluded to the same thing isa. Of his divine call isaiah tells as follows in the year of king uzziahs death meaning, when he was stricken with leprosy and was isolated, i saw the lrd sitting. This is, according to rabbinic interpretation, the pshat, or the plain meaning of the text in isaiah 52. It was written by isaiah who was a prophet from 619533 b. It is a lesserknown passage, however, because it is not. The book of isaiah is a compilation of prophetic poetry and narratives, named for an 8thcentury bce judahite prophet. Sometimes the statement is phrased as, judaism teaches that isaiah 53 refers to the nation of israel. Isaiah reveals more about the messiahs divine nature in isaiah 9.

Why did isaiah 53 emerge as the most debated chapter in the jewish scriptures. When the book of daniel is examined for content and literary character, it falls naturally into two roughly equal parts which may be designated daniel a. Isaiah 53 is the fiftythird chapter of the book of isaiah in the hebrew bible. Isaiahs greatness lies not only in his ethical teachings, but in his central involvementand prophetic interventionin the political events of his day. Joseph blenkinsopp brings his enormous learning to the use of the book of isaiah in a later generation of jewish and christian reading. From hebrew bible to christian bible from jesus to christ the.

Nov 07, 2006 of all the texts in the hebrew and christian scriptures, perhaps no book has a more colorful history of interpretation than isaiah. Collins, holmes professor of old testament, yale university. No other bible portion has created as much controversy between christian and jewish people as the suffering servant in the book of isaiah 52. Isaiah became one of the preeminent prophets of israel during the first jewish commonwealth. The first one to expound this view was shlomo yizchaki, also known as rashi 1040 1105 a. The arrogant king nebuchadnezzar, who hoped to ascend as high as gd himself, will be cast down into the lowest pit.

Scripture that has the potential to revolutionize your life. In jewish interpretation of prophecy, professor cheyne begins as follows. This essay subjects the fourth servant song to a rigorous analysis in which the jewish interpretation of isaiah 53 is tested against a combination of the teachings of the hebrew bible and the historical record. My jewish learning is a notforprofit and relies on your help. Messianic commentaries from the rabbis about isaiah 53. It is said that the chapter talks about jesus, or does it. It was during the middle age that the presumption was first made which said that not all 66 chapters of the book originated from isaiah himself. First, one must read the entire book of isaiah in context and from an accurate jewish translation such as an artscroll mesorah publication bible. Even if some parts of the book are true representations of the words of isaiah, certainly major parts of the book are not. The challenges of reading the gospel of isaiah for preaching. Biblical scholar mark hamilton discusses the history of these ancient texts and their significance for early christians and their jewish contemporaries. The book was written in fluid format and therefore, must be read as a whole.