Center For IFO Studies: September 2025

Daniel, Zechariah and the Maccabean War

WHO'S WHO IN THE BOOK OF DANIEL

■ THE STATUE in chapter 2 represents four periods in Jewish history:

•The Babylonian empire (6th century BCE)

•The Medo-Persian empire (5th century)

•The Macedonian empire (4th century)

•The Syrian Wars (3rd century)

■ THE STONE in chapter 2 represents the Maccabean war (2nd century BCE).

■ THE IDOL in chapter 3 represents the image of Zeus placed in the Jewish temple between 167 and 163 BCE.

■ THE THREE FRIENDS in chapter 3 represent the Maccabean leaders, Judas Maccabeus, Johnathan Apphus and Simon Thassi.

■ THE FOURTH FIGURE in the fire in chapter 3 is the archangel Michael, protector of Israel (commonly mistaken for Jesus).

■ THE FOUR BEASTS in chapter 7 represent four periods in Jewish history:

•The Babylonian empire

•The Medo-Persian empire

•The Macedonian empire

•The Seleucid & Ptolemaic empires

(The fourth beast is commonly mistaken for Rome or a future antichrist).

■ THE LITTLE HORN in chapters 7 & 8 represents the Seleucid king Antiochus IV.

■ THE SON OF MAN in chapter 7 represents the Maccabean army (commonly mistaken for Jesus or a future messiah).

■ THE RAM in chapter 8 represents the Medo-Persian empire.

■ THE GOAT in chapter 8 is Alexander the Great.

■ THE BROKEN HORN of the goat in chapter 8 represents the Diodochi - the four generals who became kings after Alexander's death.

■ THE 70 WEEKS OF YEARS in chapter 9 refer to the 400+ years between the reign of Nebuchadnezzar and the reign of Antiochus IV (commonly misinterpreted as terminating in the Roman period, around 30 or 70 CE).

■ THE FINAL WEEK OF YEARS is the seven years between the death of High Priest Onias III (171 or 170 BCE) and the rededication of the temple (164 or 163 BCE) (commonly misrepresented as pertaining to a future end-times "tribulation").

■ THE ANOINTED ONE who is cut off in chapter 9 is High Priest Onias III, removed from office in 171 BCE and murdered a short time later (commonly mistaken for Jesus).

■ THE KING OF THE NORTH (chapter 11) refers to the Seleucid dynasty in Syria.

■ THE KING OF THE SOUTH (chapter 11) refers to the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt.

WHO'S WHO IN DEUTERO-ZECHARIAH

■ THE KING RIDING THE FOAL OF A DONKEY (Zech9:9) is John Hyrcanus (b. 164 BCE), son of Simon Thassi. If the passage is written around 159 BCE, John is 5 or 6 years old. That's why he's riding on a colt rather than a full-grown steed. Calling him "king" is an expression of the regal hopes of his father and uncles who were leaders and high priests before he, too, assumed that roll. Like his brothers, John refused to wear a crown, but his sons, Aristobulus and Alexander, became the first kings of Israel in 482 years.

■ THE SONS OF ZION AGAINST THE SONS OF GREECE (Zech9:13) is an unambiguous reference to the Maccabean war.

■ MOURNING FOR THE ONE THEY HAVE PIERCED (Zech 12:10) refers to the Maccabean war, which was, largely, a civil war between Hellenic and Mosaic Jews who were, in many cases, family, friends and neighbors (commonly mistaken for a prediction of the crucifixion of Jesus and/or his expected return).

■ STRIKE THE SHEPHERD (Zech13:7) refers to the actions of Mattathias, father of the Maccabees, which led to the Maccabean revolt. Mattathias was ordered to officiate a sacrifice to Zeus on a public altar. Instead, he grabbed the sacrificial blade and slew both the Jew who was about to carry out the sacrifice and the Seleucid military official who was forcing Mattathias to participate. People scattered and the Maccabees formed an army. This is the one third of the people God puts "into the fire, to refine them as one refines silver" (Zech13:9).

■ THE FATE OF THE ENEMIES OF GOD (Zech14:12) refers to the deaths of Antiochus IV (163 BCE) and High Priest Alcimus (159 BCE) - the former suffering from severe gangrene; the latter falling victim to a stroke (commonly misinterpreted as an end-times plague or nuclear contamination).

DANIEL'S PROPHETIC TIMELINE

330 BCE Alexander conquers Persia

[Dan2:40, 7:6, 8:7, 11:3]

323 Alexander dies, his kingdom is divided

[Dan2:41, 7:7, 8:8, 11:4]
274-168 Syrian wars (Seleucids vs Ptolemies)

[Dan2:41-42, 7:7, 11:5-20]
c.200 Cistern completed by Simon II

[Zech14:8]
175-170 Demetrius is held captive in Rome; Seleucus IV & son Antiochus are killed

[Dan7:8, 20, 24]
175 Antiochus IV gains power through treachery

[Dan7:8, 8:25, 11:21]
175 Jason gains high priesthood through bribery

[Dan11:39]
171 Antiochus loots temples to provide gifts for a new god (himself)

[Dan8:10, 11:36-39]
171 Menelaus gains high priesthood through bribery

[Dan11:39]
171 Exile and death of High Priest Onias III

[Dan8:11, 9:26]
171 Antiochus begins 7-year covenant with the Hellenists

[Dan9:27a, 11:23]
170 Ptolemy's regents provoke Antiochus

[Dan11:40a]
170 Antiochus invades Egypt

[Dan11:40b-11:42]
170 Antiochus loots the Ptolemaic empire and returns to Syria

[Dan11:42-43]
168 Antiochus attempts a second invasion of Egypt

[Dan11:29]
168 Popilius' “ships of Kittim” force Antiochus out of Egypt

[Dan11:30]
168 Antiochus, alarmed by news of Jason's civil war, sends troops to Jerusalem

[Dan11:44]
167 Antiochus desolates the temple and outlaws Mosaic customs

[Dan7:25, 8:11-12, 9:27b, 11:31, Judith3:8*]

167 Antiochus offers money and power to covenant violators

[Dan11:32]
167 Mattathias and other covenant Jews resist the decree of Antiochus

[Dan3:28,* 6:13,* 11:32-35]
167 Antiochus & Menelaus slaughter thousands in Jerusalem

[Dan7:26, 8:24-25, 11:41]
166 The Maccabees beseech God for help at Mizpah

[Dan7:13, Judith4:14-15*]
166 The Maccabees fight with divine assistance

[Dan7:13, 12:1, Zech9:13-16, 10:5-7, 12:8-9]

164 Judas battles the Ammonites and Idumeans

[Dan11:41, Judith5:2]
164 Antiochus attacks Persepolis

[Dan8:25c]
164 Judas recaptures and rededicates the temple

[Dan8:14, 9:27c, Zech13:2]
163 Antiochus tries to loot Diana's temple at Elymais

[Dan11:37]
163 Antiochus consumed by worms and gangrene

[Zech14:12, Judith16:17]

163 Antiochus dies

[Dan7:26, 8:25d, 9:27c]
163 Judas repatriates Jews from Gilead

[Zech10:8-10]
161 Nicanor meets with Judas on apparently friendly terms

[Judith10:23]
161 Nicanor blasphemes God

[Dan7:25, Judith6:2]
161 Nicanor threatens destruction of the Temple and the Jewish people

[Judith6:3-4]
161 Nicanor camps at Bethoron

[Dan11:45a]
161 Nicanor is killed at the Battle of Adasa

[Dan11:45b]
161 Nicanor's head is displayed

[Judith13:15, 14:11]
161 Nicanor's armies flee

[Zech13:7, Judith15:2]
161 Nicanor's troops are killed as they retreat

[Judith15:3-6]
161- Hasmoneans govern and form international alliances

[Dan2:44, 7:11, 14, 22, 27, 12:1, Zech14:11]

The invasion of Egypt in Daniel 11:40-43 is not a second invasion, but a brief retelling of the first. If Daniel has made a chronological error, he is in good company.

Examples of historical confusion:

Rome was established c.814 BCE (Timaeus) or c.754 (Varro) or c.729 (Almenus)
Plutarch says Romulus either disappeared or was murdered by senators
Pliny says Moses lived thousands of years before Zoroaster
In Chronicles, no king of Judah will ever be as great as Hezekiah and none was ever as great as Josiah
The Talmud lists Persian kings, eliminating several (about 100 years' worth)
Matthew's Jesus is born a decade before Luke's Jesus
Luke has Jesus' family travel to Bethlehem; in Matthew they already live there
John places Jesus' temple riot 3 years earlier, and his death a day earlier, than the Synoptics
Luke's Gamaliel places Judas of Galilee (c.6 CE) as more recent than Theudas (c.40s CE)
Josephus conflates Simon I with Simon II and Onias III with Onias IV
Josephus confuses the battle of Adasa (161 BCE) with the battle of Elasa (160 BCE)
Justin believes David to have lived in 1500 BCE, 500 years before he was born
The Toledoth Yeshu places Jesus during the reign of Alexander Jannaeus (c.100 BCE)
Avenging of the Savior has Titus (b.39 CE) destroying Jerusalem immediately after Jesus' death
Matthew's Judas dies by self-hanging; Luke's by falling; Papias' is crushed by a chariot; in the Gospel of Barnabas, Judas is crucified; the Gospel of Judas implies he was stoned by apostles

Of Antiochus' life and death, we have varying accounts:

He died in Persia...or Babylon...or the Mediterranean Sea
He died fleeing Persia...or rushing to attack Jerusalem
He died from distemper...or after falling from his chariot...or drowning himself
He died an unrepentant pagan...or he felt remorse...or he converted to Judaism
He died after...or while...looting a temple...or attempting to loot a temple...of Artemis...or Aphrodite

And the Roman line in the sand was drawn by Popilius...or Gnaeus Octavius...who died in 168...or 162.

As for Nicanor, we have one version of the story: he dies at Adasa in battle with Judas, his troops flee and are killed by the occupants of the surrounding villages, and his head is displayed in Jerusalem (Josephus omits this last detail). The exact date is well known and was celebrated as Yom Nicanor, “the Day of Nicanor.” Antiochus' date of death remains a mystery.

Reasons Daniel 11:44-45 might refer to the death of Nicanor:

It matches the climax of 2 Maccabees and Judith
Antiochus defiled the temple; Nicanor threatened to destroy the temple
Antiochus was repentant, like Nebuchadnezzar; Nicanor was unrepentant, like Belshazzar
Nicanor's tents were pitched at Bethoron, “between the sea and the holy mountain”
Nicanor has a holiday commemorating his death, signifying its importance to 2^nd century Jews

THE LITTLE HORN

7:24a As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise, and another shall arise after them

“After Alexander had reigned twelve years, he died. Then his officers began to rule, each in his own place. They all put on crowns after his death, and so did their sons after them for many years; and they caused many evils on the earth. From them came forth a sinful root, Antiochus Epiphanes, son of Antiochus the king.” 1Macc1:7-10

7:24b he shall be different from the former ones,

They respected non-Greek religions; he did not

7:24c and shall put down three kings.

Seleucus IV, Demetrius I, and Antiochus, son of Seleucus IV

7:25a He shall speak words against the Most High

“[Antiochus] the murderer and blasphemer...” 2Macc9:28
“[Antiochus] spoke with great arrogance.” 1Macc1:24
“[Antiochus] plundered their temple and contemned their God.” Jospehus, Antiquities XII 9:1
“Nicanor has spoken wickedly against thy sanctuary” 1Macc7:42
“When [Jews in Nicanor's army] declared, 'It is the living Lord himself, the Sovereign in heaven, who ordered us to observe the seventh day,' [Nicanor] replied, 'And I am a sovereign also, on earth, and I command you to take up arms and finish the king’s business.'” 2Macc15:4-5

7:25b and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law;

“[Antiochus] directed them...to profane sabbaths and feasts.” 1Macc1:44-45
“The altar was covered with abominable offerings which were forbidden by the laws. A man could neither keep the sabbath, nor observe the feasts of his fathers, nor so much as confess himself to be a Jew. On the monthly celebration of the king’s birthday, the Jews were taken, under bitter constraint, to partake of the sacrifices; and when the feast of Dionysus came, they were compelled to walk in the procession in honor of Dionysus, wearing wreaths of ivy.” 2Macc6:5-7

7:25c and they shall be given into his hand for a time, two times, and half a time.

"Antiochus...spoiled the temple, and put a stop to the constant practice of offering a daily sacrifice of expiation for three years and six months." - Josephus, Wars Bk. I 1:1

7:26 But the court shall sit in judgment, and his dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and destroyed to the end.

“In Syria King Antiochus, wishing to provide himself with money, decided to make an expedition against the sanctuary of Artemis in Elymaïs. On reaching the spot he was foiled in his hopes, as the barbarian tribes who dwelt in the neighborhood would not permit the outrage, and on his retreat he died at Tabae in Persia, smitten with madness, as some people say, owing to certain manifestations of divine displeasure when he was attempting this outrage on the above sanctuary.” - Polybius, Fragments XXXI, 9:1-4
“Antiochus...heard that there was a very rich temple of Diana...he went in haste to Elymais, and assaulted it, and besieged it. But...they drove him away from the city, and went out and pursued after him, insomuch that he fled away as far as Babylon, and lost a great many of his army; and when he was grieving for this disappointment, some persons told him of the defeat of his commanders whom he had left behind him to fight against Judea, and what strength the Jews had already gotten. When this concern about these affairs was added to the former, he was confounded, and, by the anxiety he was in, fell into a distemper, which, as it lasted a great while, and as his pains increased upon him, so he at length perceived he should die in a little time...But if Polybius could think that Antiochus thus lost his life [on account of his attempted plunder of Diana's temple] it is much more probable this king died on account of his sacrilegious plundering of the temple at Jerusalem.” Josephus, Antiquities XII 9:1
“[Antiochus] robbed the temple of Venus Elymais; then died of a wasting disease.” Appian, The Syrian Wars 14:66
“Worms swarmed even from the eyes of this godless man, and while he was still alive and in agony, his flesh rotted off.” 2Macc9:9

8:11 [The little horn] magnified itself, even up to the Prince of the host [High Priest Onias III]; and the continual burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary [the Jewish temple] was overthrown [167 BCE].
8:25a By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand

“Pretending peace, [Antiochus] got possession of the city by treachery.” Josephus, Antiquities XII 5:4
“The king [Antiochus] sent to the cities of Judah a chief collector of tribute, and he came to Jerusalem with a large force. Deceitfully he spoke peaceable words to them, and they believed him.” 1Macc1:29-30

8:25b and in his own mind he shall magnify himself

Antiochus called himself "Epiphanes," which means "glorious" and "God manifest".

8:25c Without warning he shall destroy many

"[Antiochus] suddenly fell upon the city, dealt it a severe blow, and destroyed many people of Israel.” 1Macc1:30
“[Antiochus] left Egypt and took [Jerusalem] by storm. And he commanded his soldiers to cut down relentlessly every one they met and to slay those who went into houses. Then there was killing of young and old, destruction of boys, women, and children, and slaughter of virgins and infants. Within the total of three days eighty thousand were destroyed.” 2Macc5:11-14

8:25d and he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes [a title widely associated with Persian leaders]:

“[Antiochus] determined to go to Persia and collect the revenues from those regions and raise a large fund.” 1Macc3:31
"[Antiochus] entered the city of Persepolis and attempted to plunder its temples and assume control." - 2Macc9:2

8:25e but, by no human hand, he shall be broken

“[Antiochus] fell out of his chariot as it hurtled along [toward Jerusalem to exterminate the Jews], and so violent was his fall that every joint in his body was dislocated.” - 2Macc9:7

–
11:40 “At the time of the end [170 BCE] the king of the south [Ptolemy VI's regents Eulaeus and Lenaeus] shall attack the king of the north; but the king of the north [Antiochus] shall rush upon the king of the south like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall come into countries and shall overflow [with armies] and pass through.
11:42 [Antiochus] shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
11:43 He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt; and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall follow in his train.

“Antiochus... invaded Egypt with a strong force, with chariots and elephants and cavalry and a large fleet. He engaged Ptolemy king of Egypt in battle, and Ptolemy turned and fled before him, and many were wounded and fell. And they captured the fortified cities in the land of Egypt, and he plundered the land of Egypt.” 1Macc1:16-19

11:29a [The king of the north] shall return and come into the south;

About this time Antiochus made his second invasion of Egypt.” 2Macc5:1

11:29b but it shall not be this time as it was before. For ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he shall be afraid and withdraw

“King Antiochus [returned] out of Egypt, for fear of the Romans.” Josephus, Antiquities XII 5:3
“When [Antiochus] had crossed the [Nile] river at Eleusis...the Roman envoys met him...Popilius handed him...the decree of the senate [demanding withdrawal from Egypt]...On reading the decree he said that he would call his friends and consider what he should do. Popilius, in accordance with the usual harshness of his temper, drew a circle around the king with a rod...and said, 'Before you step out of this circle, give me an answer...' After the king had hesitated a moment, struck dumb by so violent an order, he replied, 'I shall do what the senate decrees' ...Later, when Antiochus had quitted Egypt...the Romans sailed for Cyprus, whence they sent away the fleet of Antiochus.” Livy, History of Rome XLV 12:3-7
“While Antiochus was encamped near Alexandria, Popilius came to him as Roman ambassador, bringing an order in writing that he should not attack the Ptolemies. When he had read it he replied that he would think about it. Popilius drew a circle around him with a stick and said, 'Think about it here.' He was terrified and withdrew from the country.” Appian, The Syrian Wars 14:66

11:29c and shall turn back and be enraged and take action against the holy covenant.

“Antiochus returning out of Egypt, for fear of the Romans, made an expedition against the city Jerusalem: and when he was there...he took the city without fighting: those of his own party opening the gates to him. And when he had gotten possession of Jerusalem, he slew many of the opposite party. ... after two years...the king [again] came up to Jerusalem...he left the temple bare...he forbade [the Jews] to offer those daily sacrifices which they used to offer to God, according to the law. ...And when the King had built an idol altar upon God's altar he slew swine upon it, and so offered a sacrifice neither according to the law, nor the Jewish religious worship in that country. He also compelled them to forsake the worship which they paid their own God, and to adore those whom he took to be Gods; and made them build temples, and raise idol altars in every city and village; and offer swine upon them every day... [covenant Jews] were whipped with rods; and their bodies were torn to pieces, and were crucified...They also strangled those women and their sons whom they had circumcised...hanging their sons about their necks as they were upon the crosses. And if there were any sacred book, or the law found, it was destroyed: and those with whom they were found miserably perished also.” Josephus, Antiquities XII 5:3-4
“When news of [Jason's failed coup] reached the king [Antiochus], he took it to mean that Judea was in revolt. So, raging inwardly, he left Egypt and took the city [Jerusalem] by storm. And he commanded his soldiers to cut down relentlessly every one they met and to slay those who went into the houses. Then there was killing of young and old, destruction of boys, women, and children, and slaughter of virgins and infants. Within the total of three days 80,000 were destroyed, 40,000 in hand-to-hand fighting, and as many were sold into slavery as were slain. Not content with this, Antiochus dared to enter the most holy temple in all the world, guided by Menelaus, who had become a traitor both to the laws and to his country. He took the holy vessels with his polluted hands, and swept away with profane hands the votive offerings which other kings had made to enhance the glory and honor of the place.” 2Macc5:11-16

11:30b-31 He shall turn back and give heed to those who forsake the holy covenant. Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the continual burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate.

“[Antiochus] sent an Athenian senator to compel the Jews to forsake the laws of their fathers and cease to live by the laws of God, and also to pollute the temple in Jerusalem and call it the temple of Olympian Zeus.” 2Macc6:1-2
“The king [Antiochus] sent letters by messengers to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah; he directed them to follow customs strange to the land, to forbid burnt offerings and sacrifices and drink offerings in the sanctuary, to profane sabbaths and feasts.” 1Macc1:44-45
“In order to plunder [the temple's] wealth, he [Antiochus] ventured to break the league he had made. So he left the temple bare...and left nothing at all remaining: and by this means cast the Jews into great lamentation. For he forbad them to offer those daily sacrifices which they used to offer to God, according to the law. And when he had pillaged the whole city, some of the inhabitants he slew, and some he carried captive, together with their wives and children: so that the multitude of those captives that were taken alive amounted to about ten thousand. He also burnt down the finest buildings: and when he had overthrown the city walls, he built a citadel in the lower part of the city...and put into it a garrison of Macedonians...And when the King had built an idol altar upon God’s altar he slew swine upon it, and so offered a sacrifice neither according to the law, nor the Jewish religious worship in that country. He also compelled them to forsake the worship which they paid their own God, and to adore those whom he took to be gods; and made them build temples, and raise idol altars in every city and village; and offer swine upon them every day.” Josephus, Antiquities XII 5:4

11:32a He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant

"[Antiochus'] officers spoke to Mattathias as follows: 'You are a leader, honored and great in this city...Now be the first to come and do what the king commands...and you and your sons will be honored with silver and gold and many gifts.'” 1Macc2:17-18
"[Antiochus] assured [Eleazar's son] on oath that the moment he abandoned his ancestral customs he would make him rich and prosperous by enrolling him as a King's Friend and entrusting him with high office.” 2Macc7:24]
“I [Antiochus] can be a benefactor to those who obey me. Trust me, then, and you will have positions of authority in my government if you will renounce the ancestral tradition of your national life.” 4Macc8:6-7

11:32b but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action

“But many in Israel stood firm and were resolved in their hearts not to eat unclean food. They chose to die rather than to be defiled by food or to profane the holy covenant.” 1Macc1:62-63
“A Jew came forward in the sight of all to offer sacrifice [to Zeus] upon the altar in Modein, according to the king’s command. When Mattathias saw it, he burned with zeal and his heart was stirred. He gave vent to righteous anger; he ran and killed him upon the altar. At the same time he killed the king’s officer who was forcing them to sacrifice, and he tore down the altar.” 1Macc2:23-24
“There came one of the Jews into the midst of them, and sacrificed, as Antiochus had commanded. At which Mattathias had great indignation; and ran upon him violently, with his sons, who had swords with them; and slew both the man himself that sacrificed, and Apelles the King's general, who compelled them to sacrifice; with a few of his soldiers. He also overthrew the idol altar.” Josephus, Antiquities XII 6:2

11:36a The king shall do according to his will;

"Because you [Antiochus] have authority among men, mortal though you are, you do what you please." 2Macc7:16

11:37a He shall give no heed to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women;

“In Syria King Antiochus, wishing to provide himself with money, decided to make an expedition against the sanctuary of Artemis in Elymaïs.” - Polybius, Fragments XXXI, 9:1-4
“[Antiochus] robbed the temple of Venus Elymais; then died of a wasting disease.” Appian, The Syrian Wars 14:66
[Antiochus] erected altars to Zeus while calling himself Epiphanes "God (Zeus) Manifest" - and when the Samaritans wrote him about dedicating their unnamed temple to Zeus, they address their letter to "king Antiochus the god Epiphanes." (see Josephus, Antiquities XII 5:5)]

11:37b he shall not give heed to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all

“Antiochus carried off eighteen hundred talents from the temple, and hurried away to Antioch, thinking in his arrogance that he could sail on the land and walk on the sea, because his mind was elated.” 2Macc5:21
“[Antiochus], who had just been thinking that he could command the waves of the sea, in his superhuman arrogance, and imagining that he could weigh the high mountains in a balance, was brought down to earth, and carried in a litter” 2Macc9:8

11:38 He shall honor the god of fortresses

“[The forces of Antiochus] trust to arms and acts of daring,” [Judas] said, “but we trust in the Almighty God, who is able with a single nod to strike down those who are coming against us and even the whole world.” 2Macc8:18

11:39a Those who acknowledge him he shall magnify with honor.

“I [Antiochus] can be a benefactor to those who obey me. Trust me, then, and you will have positions of authority in my government.” 4Macc8:6-7

11:39b He shall make them rulers over many and shall divide the land for a price.

"Menelaus, thanks to the greed of those in power, remained in office." 2Macc4:50
“Menelaus...when presented to the king...secured the high priesthood for himself, outbidding Jason by three hundred talents of silver.” 2Macc4:23-24

11:41 He shall come into the glorious land. And tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites.

[Note: these neighboring regions had no problem with Hellenism and were active combatants against the Maccabees]
“The Idumeans, who had control of important strongholds, were harassing the Jews.” 2Macc10:15
“[Judas] crossed over to attack the Ammonites, where he found a strong band and many people with Timothy as their leader. He engaged in many battles with them and they were crushed before him; he struck them down.” 1Macc5:6-7
“Judas and his brothers went forth and fought the sons of Esau in the land of the south.” 1Macc5:65
“[Judas] fell upon the Idumeans, the posterity of Esau, at Acrabattene; and slew a great many of them...After this he went thence in haste against the Ammonites; who had a great and a numerous army; of which Timotheus was the commander.” Josephus, Antiquities XII 8:1

11:44 But tidings from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go forth with great fury to exterminate and utterly destroy many

“[Antiochus] departed from [Persia] to return to Babylon. Then someone came to him in Persia and reported that the armies which had gone into the land of Judah had been routed, that Lysias had gone first with a strong force, but had turned and fled before the Jews, that the Jews had grown strong from the arms, supplies, and abundant spoils which they had taken from the armies they had cut down; that they had torn down the abomination which he had erected upon the altar in Jerusalem; and that they had surrounded the sanctuary with high walls as before, and also Bethzur, his city. When the king heard this news, he was astounded and badly shaken.” - 1Macc6:4-8
“About that time...Antiochus had retreated in disorder from the region of Persia. For he had entered the city called Persepolis, and attempted to rob the temples and control the city. Therefore the people rushed to the rescue with arms, and Antiochus and his men were defeated, with the result that Antiochus was put to flight by the inhabitants and beat a shameful retreat. While he was in Ecbatana, news came to him of what had happened to Nicanor and the forces of Timothy [defeated by the Maccabees]. Transported with rage, he conceived the idea of turning upon the Jews the injury done by those who had put him to flight; so he ordered his charioteer to drive without stopping until he completed the journey...'When I get there I will make Jerusalem a cemetery of Jews.'” 2Macc9:1-4

11:45 And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him.

[We have no way of determining the exact location of Antiochus' death, but we can figure out where his “palatial tents” were likely stationed. The regions of Emmaus and Bethoron are situated between Jerusalem and the coastal town of Joppa, and were used as bases of operations by more than one Syrian general or governor]
“Seron, who was general of the army of Coelesyria...came as far as Bethoron, a village of Judea; and there pitched his camp.” - Josephus, Antiquities XII 7:1
“Lysias [Syrian governor] chose...mighty men among the friends of [Antiochus], and sent with them 40,000 infantry and 7,000 cavalry to go into the land of Judah and destroy it, as the king had commanded. So they departed with their entire force, and when they arrived they encamped near Emmaus in the plain.” 1Macc3:38-40
“Judas...and his mighty men moved out to attack the king's force in Emmaus.” 1Macc4:3
"But now for Nicanor, when he was gone out of Jerusalem, and was at a certain village called Bethoron, he there pitched his camp." - Josephus, Antiquities XII 10:5
“Bacchides then returned to Jerusalem and built...the fortress in Jericho, and Emmaus, and Bethoron...” 1Macc9:50

TIME CALCULATION

8:13 Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to the one that spoke, “For how long is the vision concerning the continual burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled under foot?”

8:14 “For two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings [6 1/4 years]; then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.”

"The city continued seven years without a high priest." - Josephus, Antiquities XX 10:1

9:26a From the going forth of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks.

[49 years from 587 to 538 BCE]

9:26b Then for 62 weeks it shall be built again, with squares and moat, but in a troubled time.

[434 years, from 605 to 171 BCE]

9:26c And after the 62 weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing;

[The exile and murder of High Priest Onias III in 171 BCE]

9:26d and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end their shall be war; desolations are decreed

9:27a And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week [7 years];

"In those days lawless men [Jason & Menelaus] came forth from Israel, and misled many, saying, 'Let us go and make a covenant with the Gentiles round about us, for since we separated from them many evils have come upon us.' This proposal pleased them, and some of the people eagerly went to the king [Antiochus]. He authorized them to observe the ordinances of the Gentiles." 1Macc1:11-13

7:25c and they shall be given into his hand for a time, two times, and half a time.
9:27b and for half of the week [3 1/2 years] he shall cause sacrifice and offering to cease
12:7 I heard [the man dressed in linen] swear by the one who lives for ever that it would be for a time, two times and half a time; and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end, all these things would be accomplished.

"Antiochus...spoiled the temple, and put a stop to the constant practice of offering a daily sacrifice of expiation for three years and six months." - Josephus, Wars, Book One, 1:1

THE SON OF MAN

7:13 With the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him

"Judas and his brothers...and the congregation assembled to be ready for battle, and to pray and ask for mercy and compassion...so they assembled and went to Mizpah, opposite Jerusalem, because Israel formerly had a place of prayer in Mizpah. They fasted that day, put on sackcloth and sprinkled ashes on their heads, and rent their clothes. And they opened the book of the law to inquire into those matters about which the Gentiles were consulting the images of their idols. They also brought the garments of the priesthood and the first fruits and the tithes...and they cried aloud to Heaven, saying...'Thy sanctuary is trampled down and profaned, and thy priests mourn in humiliation. And behold, the Gentiles are assembled against us to destroy us; thou knowest what they plot against us. How will we be able to withstand them, if thou dost not help us?' Then they sounded the trumpets and gave a loud shout. After this Judas appointed leaders of the people, in charge of thousands and hundreds and fifties and tens." 1Macc3:42-55
“When...the enemy was already close at hand with their army drawn up for battle, the elephants strategically stationed and the cavalry deployed on the flanks, Maccabeus, perceiving the hosts that were before him and the varied supply of arms and the savagery of the elephants, stretched out his hands toward heaven and called upon the Lord who works wonders; for he knew that it is not by arms, but as the Lord decides, that he gains the victory for those who deserve it. And he called upon him in these words: 'O Lord, thou didst send thy angel in the time of Hezekiah king of Judea, and he slew fully a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of Sennacherib. So now, O Sovereign of the heavens, send a good angel to carry terror and trembling before us. By the might of thy arm may these blasphemers who come against thy holy people be struck down.' With these words he ended his prayer. Nicanor and his men advanced with trumpets and battle songs; and Judas and his men met the enemy in battle with invocation to God and prayers. So, fighting with their hands and praying to God in their hearts, they laid low no less than thirty-five thousand men, and were greatly gladdened by God’s manifestation.” 2Macc15:20-27

7:21 As I looked, this horn made war with the saints, and prevailed over them,

“In his malice toward the Jewish citizens, Antiochus sent Apollonius...with an army of 22,000, and commanded him to slay all the grown men and to sell the women and boys as slaves...[Apollonius] killed great numbers of people.” 2Macc5:23-26

7:22a until the Ancient of Days came

"The Almighty fought on their side." 2Macc8:24
“Maccabeus and his followers, the Lord leading them on, recovered the temple and the city.” 2Macc10:1
“'It is not the size of the army that victory in battle depends, but strength comes from Heaven...[God] himself will crush them before us; as for you, do not be afraid of them.' When Judas finished speaking, he rushed suddenly against Seron and his army, and they were crushed before him.” 1Macc3:19-22
“[Nicanor was] not expecting the judgment from the almighty that was about to overtake him.” 2Macc8:11

THE KINGDOM

7:22b and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints received the kingdom. ...

7:27 And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them.

[Judas, encouraging his soldiers:] “Besides such glorious rewards as those of the liberty of your country, of your laws, of your religion, you shall then obtain everlasting glory.” Josephus, Antiquities XII 7:3
“[Judas] extended the glory of his people. Like a giant he put on his breastplate; he girded on his armor of war and waged battles, protecting the host by his sword. He was like a lion in his deeds, like a lion's cub roaring for prey. He searched out and pursued the lawless; he burned those who troubled his people. Lawless men shrank back for fear of him; all the evildoers were confounded, and deliverance prospered by his hand. He embittered many kings, but he made Jacob glad by his deeds, and his memory is blessed for ever. He went through the cities of Judah; he destroyed the ungodly out of the land; thus he turned away wrath from Israel. He was renowned to the ends of the earth; he gathered in those who were perishing.” 1Macc3:3-9
[Judas secured the backing of Rome, which was a formidable international force]: "If war comes first to the nation of the Jews, the Romans shall willingly act as their allies, as the occasion may indicate to them. Thus...the Romans make a treaty with the Jewish people... And concerning the wrongs which King Demetrius is doing to them we have written to him as follows, ‘...we will defend their rights and fight you on sea and on land.’” 1Macc8:27-32
"Jonathan...sent ambassadors to [Bacchides, Syrian governor] about a league of friendship and mutual assistance; and that they might restore those they had taken captive on both sides. So Bacchides...made a league of friendship with Jonathan...they swore that they would not any more make war one against another. Accordingly he restored the captives, and took his own men with him, and returned to the King at Antioch. And after his departure he never came into Judea again. Then did Jonathan take the opportunity of this quiet state of things, and went and lived in the city Michmash. And there governed the multitude; and punished the wicked, and ungodly; and by that means purged the nation of them." Josephus, Antiquities XIII 1:6
“The land had rest all the days of Simon. He sought the good of his nation; his rule was pleasing to them, as was the honor shown him, all his days. To crown all his honors he took Joppa for a harbor, and opened a way to the isles of the sea. He extended the borders of his nation, and gained full control of the country. He gathered a host of captives; he ruled over Gazar′a and Beth-zur and the citadel, and he removed its uncleanness from it; and there was none to oppose him. They tilled their land in peace; the ground gave its increase, and the trees of the plains their fruit. Old men sat in the streets; they all talked together of good things; and the youths donned the glories and garments of war. He supplied the cities with food, and furnished them with the means of defense, till his renown spread to the ends of the earth. He established peace in the land, and Israel rejoiced with great joy. Each man sat under his vine and his fig tree, and there was none to make them afraid. No one was left in the land to fight them, and the kings were crushed in those days. He strengthened all the humble of his people; he sought out the law, and did away with every lawless and wicked man. He made the sanctuary glorious, and added to the vessels of the sanctuary.” 2Macc14:4-15

# # #

Isaiah 53 and the Babylonian Exile

Is Isaiah 53 a prediction of the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus? Or is it a poetic account of Israel's Babylonian exile, the post-exilic restoration of Jerusalem and the building of the second temple? To find out, let's compare these verses (Is52:13-53:12) with other passages in the exilic literature - some poetic, some prosaic; the former as examples of the sort of lyricism at work in Isaiah's anthropomorphic imagery, and the latter to show how Isaiah 53 fits the historical context of the exile.

First, a brief summary of the central themes permeating the exilic literature:

•God is angry with Israel for the sin of idolatry practiced or condoned by eighth- and seventh-century kings and priests, therefore...

•God punishes Israel with the sixth-century destruction of Jerusalem and the 70-year captivity in Babylon, however...

•God redeems Israel and sends Cyrus to free the captives who return to rebuild the temple and the nation.

These themes are key to understanding Isaiah 53 and many of the prophetic writings of the Hebrew Bible.

______________________________

How do we know Isaiah 53 is about Israel in Babylon? Isaiah 52 provides the context:

My people went..into Egypt...and the Assyrian oppressed them... Now what have I here... seeing that my people are taken away... [Is52:4-5]

This refers to the Babylonian exile.

“You who bear the vessels of the Lord” (52:11) refers to the return of the Levites from Babylon with the vessels of the temple which had been relocated to a Babylonian temple by Nebuchadnezzar.

Isaiah 53 is known as one of Isaiah's "servant songs." Who are the singers of the servant songs? Isaiah identifies them in several passages:

In the earlier songs (44:23, 49:13), the singers are the heavens and the earth:

Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it; shout, O depths of the earth; break forth into singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and will be glorified in Israel. [Is44:23]

Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his afflicted. [Is49:13]

Likewise, the verse immediately preceding Isaiah 53 identifies the singer of the forthcoming song as the “waste places of Jerusalem”:

Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. [Is52:9]

Isaiah 54 continues with Jerusalem as the singer, here called “the barren one” and "the desolate one":

Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in travail! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her that is married, says the Lord. [Is54:1]

Notice that the singers we've mentioned thus far have not been human (indeed, we haven't mentioned that the “mountains and the hills” break forth into singing in 55:12). The one time Isaiah mentions human singers in these passages, they are the watchmen of Jerusalem celebrating the return of the exiles and the temple vessels from Babylon:

Hark, [Jerusalem's] watchmen lift up their voice, together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the Lord to Zion. [Is52:8]

There are three singers of Isaiah 53: 1) God, 2) the nations surrounding Israel and 3) "the waste places of Jerusalem" and her watchmen.

We have broken Isaiah 53 into 5 sections. By viewing it as five overlapping chiasms, we see that the changes in narrative fit perfectly with lines of demarcation found in the chiasms, enabling us to identify the narrative voices:

Section 1

52:13-15: God (1st half of 1st chiasm)

53:1-3: the Nations (2nd half of 1st chiasm)

Section 2

53:3-4: Jerusalem (2nd chiasm)

Section 3

53:4-7: Jerusalem (3rd chiasm)

Section 4

53:7-8: Jerusalem (4rd chiasm)

Section 5

53:8-10: Jerusalem (1st half of 5th chiasm)

53:11-12: God (2nd half of 5th chiasm)

A Behold, my servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. As many were astonished at him

B his appearance was so marred,

beyond human semblance,

C and his form beyond that

of the sons of men

D so shall he startle many nations;

kings shall shut their mouths

because of him;

for that which has not been told them

they shall see,

E and that which

they have not heard

F they shall understand.

E Who has believed

what we have heard?

D And to whom has the arm

of the Lord been revealed?

C For he grew up before him

like a young plant,

and like a root out of dry ground;

he had no form or comeliness

that we should look at him,

B and no beauty

that we should desire him.

A He was despised and rejected by men;

B a man of sorrows,

C and acquainted with grief;

D and as one from whom

men hide their faces

E he was despised,

D and we esteemed him not.

C Surely he has borne our griefs

B and carried our sorrows;

A yet we esteemed him stricken,

smitten by God, and afflicted.

B But he was wounded

for our transgressions,

he was bruised for our iniquities;

C upon him was the chastisement

that made us whole,

D and with his stripes we are healed.

C All we like sheep have gone astray;

we have turned

every one to his own way;

B and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

A He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

B yet he opened not his mouth;

C like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

and like a sheep

that before its shearers is dumb,

B so he opened not his mouth.

A By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?

B they made his grave with the wicked

and with a rich man in his death,

although he had done no violence,

and there was no deceit in his mouth.

C Yet it was the will of the Lord

to bruise him; he has put him to grief;

when he makes his soul

an offering for sin,

D he shall see his offspring,

he shall prolong his days;

E the will of the Lord

shall prosper in his hand;

D he shall see the fruit of the travail

of his soul and be satisfied;

C by his knowledge

shall the righteous one, my servant,

make many to be accounted righteous;

and he shall bear their iniquities.

B Therefore I will

divide him a portion with the great,

and he shall divide the spoil

with the strong;

because he poured out his soul to death

A and was numbered with the transgressors;

yet he bore the sin of many,

and made intercession

for the transgressors.

______________________________

We will now proceed to a comparative examination of the text.

SECTION I (52:15-53:3)

As we open, the narrative voice is that of God:

ISAIAH 52:13a Behold, my servant...

Israel is God's servant:

•Israel, my servant. [Is41:8]

•Jacob my servant. [Is44:1, 44:2, Jer30:10, 46:27, 46:28]

•My servant Israel. [Is44:21, 49:3]

•My servant Jacob. [Ezek28:25, 37:25]

•His servant Jacob. [Is48:20]

•My servant Job (an allegorical representation of Israel) [Job 1:8, 2:3, 42:7-8].

Also the house of David:

•My Servant David [2Kings19:34, Is37:35, Jer33:21-22, 26, Ezek34:23-24, 37:24-25]

•Zerubbabel my servant...I have chosen you [Haggai 2:23]

•My servant the Branch (Zerubbabel) [Zech3:8]

•"We [Zerubbabel and Joshua] are the servants of the God of heaven and earth [Ezra5:11]

•Zerubbabel, the servant of the Lord [1Esdras6:27]

Also Daniel [Dan6:20, 10:17], Jonah [2Kings14:25], and other prophets [2Kings24:2, Ezra9:11, Jer7:25, 25:4, 26:5, 29:19, 35:15, 44:4, Ezek38:17, Dan9:6, 10, Amos3:7, Zech1:6], including Elijah (2Kings9:36, 10:10) and Moses (at least a dozen times between Exodus and Malachi). For the issue at hand, it will suffice to note that Daniel and the exilic prophets (Ezekiel and Jeremiah) are called servants and are therefore an important component of what Isaiah labels "the servant."

ISAIAH 52:13b ...[my servant] shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up and shall be very high.

Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations, the servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.” [Is49:7]

[The nations] shall bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders. Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you. [Is49:22-23]

The sons of those who oppressed you shall come bending low to you... Whereas you have been forsaken and hated...I will make you majestic for ever. [Is60:14-15]

At the time when I gather you together; yea, I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth. [Zeph3:20]

ISAIAH 52:14 As many were astonished at him—his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the sons of men—

[The nations] have despised my people so that they are no longer a nation in their sight. [Jer33:24]

[God] has made my flesh and my skin waste away, and broken my bones. [Lam3:4]

[Zion's princes] are not recognized in the streets; their skin has shriveled upon their bones, it has become as dry as wood. [Lam4:8]

When the fire has consumed [the vine] and it is charred, can it ever be used for anything?... Like the wood of the vine...which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give up the inhabitants of Jerusalem. [Ezek15:5-6]

ISAIAH 52:15a So shall he startle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him;

The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might; they shall lay their hands on their mouths; their ears shall be deaf. [Micah7:16]

ISAIAH 52:15b ...for that which has not been told them they shall see, and that which they have not heard they shall understand.

I will send survivors to the nations...to the coastlands afar off, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations. [Is66:18-19]

This city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them; they shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it. [Jer33:9]

Note: For the next three verses (53:1-53:3), the narrative voice is that of the nations surrounding Israel, witnessing as they are destroyed, taken captive, and liberated from captivity.

ISAIAH 53:1a Who has believed what we have heard?

The kings of the earth did not believe, or any of the inhabitants of the world, that foe or enemy could enter the gates of Jerusalem. [Lam4:12]

Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. For lo, I am rousing the Chalde′ans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize habitations not their own. [Hab1:5-6]

Thus says the Lord: Ask among the nations, who has heard the like of this? The virgin Israel has done a very horrible thing... they burn incense to false gods... Like the east wind I will scatter them before the enemy. [Jer18:13-17]

I will punish Bel in Babylon, and take out of his mouth what he has swallowed. The nations shall no longer flow to him; the wall of Babylon has fallen. “Go out of the midst of her, my people! Let every man save his life from the fierce anger of the Lord! Let not your heart faint, and be not fearful at the report heard in the land, when a report comes in one year and afterward a report in another year, and violence is in the land, and ruler is against ruler. [Jer51:44-46]

ISAIAH 53:1b And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations. [Is52:10]

I will trouble the hearts of many peoples, when I carry you captive among the nations, into the countries which you have not known. I will make many peoples appalled at you, and their kings shall shudder because of you, when I brandish my sword before them; they shall tremble every moment, every one for his own life, on the day of your downfall. For thus says the Lord God: The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon you. [Ezek32:9-11]

ISAIAH 53:2a For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground;

The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting. [Is5:7]

Jacob shall take root, Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots, and fill the whole world with fruit. [Is27:6]

I planted you a choice vine...How then have you turned degenerate and become a wild vine? [Jer2:21]

The Lord once called you, “A green olive tree”...The Lord of hosts, who planted you, has pronounced evil against you, because of the evil which the house of Israel and the house of Judah have done, provoking me to anger by burning incense to Ba′al. [Jer11:16-17]

Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will repent of the evil that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will repent of the good which I had intended to do to it. Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: "Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping evil against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your doings." [Jer18:6-11]

I will plant them in this land in faithfulness. [Jer32:41]

ISAIAH 53:2b ...he had no form or comeliness that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.

Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. Our holy and beautiful house...has been burned by fire, and all our pleasant places have become ruins. [Is64:10-11]

Say to the king and the queen mother: “Take a lowly seat, for your beautiful crown has come down from your head.” [Jer13:18]

Like the bad figs which are so bad they cannot be eaten, so will I treat Zedekiah the king of Judah, his princes, the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those who dwell in the land of Egypt. I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a reproach, a byword, a taunt, and a curse in all the places where I shall drive them. [Jer24:8-9]

I will make them like vile figs which are so bad they cannot be eaten...and will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth... a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them. [Jer29:16-18]

How like a widow has she become, she that was great among the nations! She that was a princess among the cities has become a vassal. [Lam1:1]

From the daughter of Zion has departed all her majesty. [Lam1:6]

Zion stretches out her hands, but there is none to comfort her; the Lord has commanded against Jacob that his neighbors should be his foes; Jerusalem has become a filthy thing among them. “The Lord is in the right, for I have rebelled against his word; but hear, all you peoples, and behold my suffering; my maidens and my young men have gone into captivity. [Lam1:17-18]

All who pass along the way clap their hands at you; they hiss and wag their heads at the daughter of Jerusalem; “Is this the city which was called the perfection of beauty, the joy of all the earth?” All your enemies rail against you; they hiss, they gnash their teeth, they cry: “We have destroyed her! Ah, this is the day we longed for; now we have it; we see it!” The Lord has done what he purposed, has carried out his threat; as he ordained long ago, he has demolished without pity; he has made the enemy rejoice over you, and exalted the might of your foes. [Lam2:15-17]

How the gold has grown dim...The precious sons of Zion, worth their weight in fine gold, how they are reckoned as earthen pots. [Lam4:1-2]

SECTION II (53:3-4)

ISAIAH 53:3a He was despised

All who despised you shall bow down at your feet; they shall call you the City of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. [Is60:14]

Have you not observed what these people are saying, “the Lord has rejected the two families which he chose”? Thus they have despised my people. [Jer33:24]

Now you have become like [your sister Sodom] - an object of reproach [for] those round about who despise you. [Ezek16:57]

Jerusalem sinned grievously...all who honored her despise her. [Lam1:8]

All her people groan as they search for bread; they trade their treasures for food to revive their strength. “Look, O Lord, and behold, for I am despised.” [Lam1:12]

You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts, and so I make you despised and abased before all the people. [Malachi 2:8-9]

Hear, O our God, for we are despised. [Neh4:4]

Even young children despise me. [Job19:18]

ISAIAH 53:3b ...and rejected [forsaken] by men;

But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me.” [Is49:14]

The Lord has called you like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit...when she is cast off...For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will gather you. [Is54:6-7]

They shall call you the City of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, with no one passing through, I will make you majestic for ever. [Is60:14-15]

The Lord has rejected them. [Jer6:30]

The Lord has rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath. [Jer7:29]

Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? [Jer14:19]

Have you not observed what these people are saying, “The Lord has rejected the two families which he chose”? [Jer33:24]

Hast thou utterly rejected us? [Lam5:22]

I am rejected because of my sins. [Prayer of Manasseh1:10]

ISAIAH 53:3c a man of sorrows

The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. [Is51:11]

You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow. [Ezek23:33]

ISAIAH 53:3d and acquainted with grief;

The Lord has called you like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit. [Is54:6]

ISAIAH 53:3e and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised,

Thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast delivered us into the hand of our iniquities. [Is64:3]

The Chaldeans are coming in to fight and to fill them with the dead bodies of men whom I shall smite in my anger and my wrath, for I have hidden my face from this city because of all their wickedness. [Jer33:5]

The house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity, because they dealt so treacherously with me that I hid my face from them and gave them into the hand of their adversaries...I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their transgressions, and hid my face from them. [Ezek39:23-24]

ISAIAH 53:3f ...and we esteemed him not.

All of them curse me. [Jer15:10]

They have called you an outcast: “It is Zion, for whom no one cares!” [Jer30:17]

I will make you a desolation and an object of reproach among the nations round about you and in the sight of all that pass by. You shall be a reproach and a taunt, a warning and a horror, to the nations round about you. [Ezek5:14-15]

They shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer suffer the reproach of the nations. [Ezek34:29]

Many nations are assembled against you,

saying, “Let her be profaned, and let our eyes gaze upon Zion.” [Micah4:11]

SECTION III (53:4-7)

Note: The narrative voice changes here to that of the wastelands of Jerusalem, and remains so from verses 4 through 10.

ISAIAH 53:4a Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;

You, O son of man [Ezekiel]...I will lay the punishment of the house of Israel upon you...you shall bear their punishment...and bear the punishment of the house of Judah. [Ezek4:1-6]

You [Ezekiel] shall lift the baggage upon your shoulder, and carry it out in the dark; you shall cover your face, that you may not see the land; for I have made you a sign for the house of Israel. [Ezek12:6]

ISAIAH 53:4b ...yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God,

I smote him...but he went on backsliding. [Is57:17]

The king of Babylon smote them. [2Kings25:21]

I will punish you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst. Then you will know that I am the Lord, who smite. [Ezek7:9]

In vain have I smitten your children, they took no correction. [Jer2:30]

The virgin daughter of my people is smitten with a great wound. [Jer14:17]

Why hast thou smitten us? [Jer14:19]

I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they shall die of a great pestilence. Afterward, says the Lord, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people in this city who survive the pestilence, sword, and famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of their enemies, into the hand of those who seek their lives. He shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not pity them, or spare them, or have compassion. [Jer21:6-7]

The Chaldeans are coming in to fight and to fill [the houses of Jerusalem] with the dead bodies of men whom I shall smite in my anger and my wrath. [Jer33:5]

I have begun to smite you, making you desolate because of your sins. [Micah6:13]

You have kept the statutes of Omri, and all the works of the house of Ahab; and you have walked in their counsels; that I may make you a desolation, and your inhabitants a hissing; so you shall bear the scorn of the peoples. [Micah6:16]

Happy is the man whom God reproves; therefore despise not the chastening of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he binds up; he smites, but his hands heal. [Job5:17-18]

ISAIAH 53:4c ...and afflicted.

I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. [Is48:11]

The Lord has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his afflicted. [Is49:13]

Hear this, you who are afflicted...I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering; the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more; and I will put it into the hand of your tormentors. [Is51:21-23]

O afflicted one...I will set your stones in antimony, and lay your foundations with sapphires. [Is54:11]

The Lord has anointed me [Cyrus] to bring good tidings to the afflicted; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening [of the shackles] to those who are bound. [Is61:1]

I also will choose affliction for them [because] they did what was evil in my eyes. [Is66:4]

I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and their daughters, and every one shall eat the flesh of his neighbor in the siege and in the distress, with which their enemies and those who seek their life afflict them. [Jer19:9]

Judah has gone into exile because of affliction. [Lam1:3]

Jerusalem remembers in the days of her affliction and bitterness all the precious things that were hers from days of old. [Lam1:7]

O Lord, behold my affliction. [Lam1:10]

I [Jeremiah] am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath. [Lam3:1]

Remember my affliction and my bitterness, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me. [Lam3:19-20]

In that day, says the Lord, I will assemble the lame and gather those who have been driven away, and those whom I have afflicted. [Micah4:6]

ISAIAH 53:5a But he was wounded...

For the wound of the daughter of my people is my heart wounded. [Jer8:21]

The virgin daughter of my people is smitten with a great wound. [Jer14:17]

Her wound is incurable; and it has come to Judah, it has reached to the gate of my people, to Jerusalem. [Micah1:9]

Happy is the man whom God reproves; therefore despise not the chastening of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he binds up; he smites, but his hands heal. [Job5:17-18]

ISAIAH 53:5b ...for our transgressions,

The Levites who went far from me, going astray from me after their idols when Israel went astray [in the first temple period], shall bear their punishment [in the second temple period]. They shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the temple, and serving in the temple; they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall attend on the people, to serve them. Because they [pre-exilic Levites] ministered to them before their idols and became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel, therefore I have sworn concerning them, says the Lord God, that they [post-exilic Levites] shall bear their punishment. [Ezek44:10-12]

The roads to Zion...and [Zion] herself suffers bitterly...the Lord has made her suffer for the multitude of her transgressions; her children have gone away, captives before the foe. [Lam1:4-5]

ISAIAH 53:5c ...he was bruised for our iniquities;

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. [Is40:2]

I will repay into their bosom their iniquities and their fathers’ iniquities together, says the Lord; because they burned incense upon the mountains and reviled me upon the hills, I will measure into their bosom payment for their former doings. [Is65:6-7]

The Lord...he kindled a fire in Zion, which consumed its foundations...This was for the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who shed in the midst of her the blood of the righteous. [Lam4:11-13]

The punishment of your iniquity, O daughter of Zion, is accomplished, he will keep you in exile no longer. [Lam4:22]

ISAIAH 53:5d ...upon him was the chastisement that made us whole,

The chastisement of the daughter of my people has been greater than the punishment of Sodom. [Lam4:6]

You shall be a reproach and a taunt, a warning and a horror, to the nations round about you, when I execute judgments on you in anger and fury, and with furious chastisements. [Ezekiel5:15]

They shall stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords...I will make you stop playing the harlot...So will I satisfy my fury on you, and my jealousy shall depart from you; I will be calm, and will no more be angry.[Ezek16:40-42]

I will come against the wayward people to chastise them; and nations shall be gathered against them when they are chastised for their double iniquity. [Hos10:9-10]

O Lord, thou hast ordained [the Chaldeans] as a judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast established them for chastisement. [Hab1:12]

I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, says the Lord. [Jer23:3-4]

I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation; I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way. [Jer32:37-38]

ISAIAH 53:5e ...and with his stripes/wounds we are healed.

[Jerusalem's] iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. [Is40:2]

Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel, for you are my servant; I formed you, you are my servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me. I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you. [Is44:21-22]

Go forth from Babylon, flee from Chaldea, declare this with a shout of joy, proclaim it, send it forth to the end of the earth; say, “The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob!” [Is48:20]

I will not contend for ever, nor will I always be angry...Because of the iniquity of his covetousness I was angry, I smote him, I hid my face and was angry; but he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart. I have seen his ways, but I will heal him. [Is57:16-18]

Your healing shall spring up speedily. [Is58:8]

I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal...I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob...the city shall be rebuilt...the palace shall stand where it used to be. [Jer30:17-18]

Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands afar off; say, "He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock." For the Lord has ransomed Jacob, and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him. They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall be like a watered garden, and they shall languish no more. [Jer31:10-12]

Just as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so I will bring upon them all the good that I promise them. [Jer32:42]

I have hidden my face from this city because of all their wickedness. Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first. I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me. And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them; they shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it. [Jer33:5-9]

I will restore their fortunes, and will have mercy upon them. [Jer33:26]

They shall not defile themselves any more with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. [Ezek37:23]

Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn, that he may heal us; he has stricken, and he will bind us up. [Hos6:1]

O daughter of Zion...you shall go to Babylon. There you shall be rescued, there the Lord will redeem you from the hand of your enemies. [Micah4:10]

Despise not the chastening of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he binds up; he smites, but his hands heal. [Job5:17-18]

ISAIAH 53:6a All we like sheep have gone astray;

My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray. [Jer50:6]

The people wander like sheep; they are afflicted for want of a shepherd. [Zech10:2]

ISAIAH 53:6b ...we have turned every one to his own way;

The shepherds also have no understanding; they have all turned to their own way, each to his own gain, one and all. [Is56:11]

I spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices. [Is65:2]

These have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations. [Is66:3]

Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: "Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping evil against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your doings." But they say, "That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart." [Jer18:11-12]

My people have forgotten me, they burn incense to false gods; they have stumbled in their ways, in the ancient roads, and have gone into bypaths, not the highway. [Jer18:15]

ISAIAH 53:6c and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

For your iniquities you were sold, and for your transgressions your mother was put away. [Is50:1]

Now [High Priest] Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with rich apparel.” [Zech3:3-4]

SECTION IV (53:7-8)

ISAIAH 53:7a He was oppressed

When the Lord has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve, you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: “How the oppressor has ceased, the insolent fury ceased! The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers..." [Is14:3-5]

I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh. [Is49:26]

The sons of those who oppressed you shall come bending low to you. [Is60:14]

ISAIAH 53:7b ...and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth;

The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the ground in silence; they have cast dust on their heads and put on sackcloth; the maidens of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground. [Lam2:10]

It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone in silence when he has laid it on him; let him put his mouth in the dust—there may yet be hope; let him give his cheek to the smiter, and be filled with insults. [Lam3:25-30]

ISAIAH 53:7c ...like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

I [Jeremiah] was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. [Jer11:19]

Thou hast made us like sheep for slaughter, and hast scattered us among the nations. [Ps44:11]

For thy sake we are slain all the day long, and accounted as sheep for the slaughter. [Ps44:22]

ISAIAH 53:7d ...and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.

I was not rebellious, I turned not backward. I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard. [Is50:5-6]

Israel as sheep:

Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!...You have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will set shepherds over them who will care for them. [Jer23:1-4]

Hark, the cry of the shepherds, and the wail of the lords of the flock! For the Lord is despoiling their pasture, and the peaceful folds are devastated, because of the fierce anger of the Lord. [Jer25:36-37 ]

Israel is a hunted sheep driven away by lions. First the king of Assyria devoured him, and now at last Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon has gnawed his bones....I will restore Israel to his pasture... [Jer50:17, 19]

The house of Israel are my people...and you are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture. [Ezek34:30-31]

ISAIAH 53:8a By oppression and judgment...

Behold, I, even I, am against you; and I will execute judgments in the midst of you in the sight of the nations. [Ezek5:8]

I will execute judgments on you, and any of you who survive I will scatter to all the winds. [Ezek5:10]

You shall be a reproach and a taunt, a warning and a horror, to the nations round about you, when I execute judgments on you. [Ezek5:15]

[I] will judge you according to your ways; and I will punish you for all your abominations. [Ezek7:3, 8]

ISAIAH 53:8b ...he was taken away;

Some of your own sons...shall be taken away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. [Is39:7]

My people are taken away for nothing. [Is52:5a]

Devout men are taken away. [Is57:1]

The Lord has made her suffer for the multitude of her transgressions; her children have gone away, captives before the foe. [Lam1:5]

They shall be carried to Babylon and remain there until the day when I give attention to them, says the Lord. Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place. [Jer27:22]

SECTION V (53:8-12)

ISAIAH 53:8c ...and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living,

I [Jeremiah] did not know it was against me they devised schemes, saying, “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be remembered no more.” [Jer11:19]

ISAIAH 53:8d ...stricken for the transgression of my people?

The Lord sent against him bands of the Chaldeans, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the Ammonites, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord which he spoke by his servants the prophets. Surely this came upon Judah at the command of the Lord, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done. [2Kings24:2-3]

ISAIAH 53:9a ...And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death,

As a thief is shamed when caught, so the house of Israel shall be shamed: they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets. [Jer2:26]

The bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of its princes, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be brought out of their tombs; and they shall be spread before the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven, which they have loved and served...and they shall not be gathered or buried. [Jer8:1-2]

Thus says the Lord: "Behold, I will fill with drunkenness all the inhabitants of this land: the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will dash them one against another, fathers and sons together, says the Lord. I will not pity or spare or have compassion, that I should not destroy them.” [Jer13:13-14]

The king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and also slew all the princes of Judah at Riblah. He put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in fetters, and the king of Babylon took him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death. [Jer52:10-11]

Those who feasted on dainties perish in the streets; those who were brought up in purple lie on ash heaps. For the chastisement of the daughter of my people has been greater than the punishment of Sodom. [Lam4:5-6]

I am against you, and will draw forth my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from you both righteous and wicked. [Ezek21:3]

[Nebuchednezzar] slew...such as were of the greatest dignity, together with their king Jehoiakim, whom he commanded to be thrown before the walls, without any burial...he also took the principal persons in dignity for captives, three thousand in number, and led them away to Babylon; among which was the prophet Ezekiel. [Josephus, Antiquities X.6:3]

ISAIAH 53:9b ...although he had done no violence,

I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard. [Is50:6]

I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. [Jer11:19]

Is evil a recompense for good? Yet they have dug a pit for my life. [Jer18:20]

He who goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live and shall have his life as a prize of war. [Jer21:9]

Let him give his cheek to the smiter, and be filled with insults. [Lam3:30]

ISAIAH 53:9c ...and there was no deceit in his mouth.

I will remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones...I will leave in the midst of you a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord, those who are left in Israel; they shall do no wrong and utter no lies, nor shall there be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue. [Zeph3:11-13]

My lips will not speak falsehood, and my tongue will not utter deceit. [Job27:4]

ISAIAH 53:10a Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush/bruise him;

Who gave up Jacob to the spoiler, and Israel to the robbers? Was it not the Lord, against whom we have sinned...But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you." [Is42:24-43:1]

For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing wrath for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer. [Is54:7-8]

They made you desolate, and crushed you from all sides, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, and you became the talk and evil gossip of the people. [Ezek36:3]

Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon has devoured me, he has crushed me; he has made me an empty vessel, he has swallowed me like a monster. [Jer51:34]

The Lord has made her suffer for the multitude of her transgressions; her children have gone away, captives before the foe. [Lam1:5]

The Lord flouted all my mighty men in the midst of me; he summoned an assembly against me to crush my young men; the Lord has trodden as in a wine press the virgin daughter of Judah. [Lam1:15]

ISAIAH 53:10b he has put him to grief;

Sigh therefore, son of man; sigh with breaking heart and bitter grief before their eyes. [Ezek21:6]

Though he cause grief, [the Lord] will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love. [Lam3:31-33]

My eye has grown dim from grief, and all my members are like a shadow. [Job17:7]

ISAIAH 53:10c when he makes himself an offering for sin,

They shall bring all your brethren from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the Israelites bring their cereal offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord. And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the Lord. [Is66:20-21]

They offered at the dedication of this house of God one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel twelve he-goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. [Ezra6:17]

The returned exiles, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel, twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and as a sin offering twelve he-goats; all this was a burnt offering to the Lord. [Ezra8:35]

In the ninth year of the reign of Darius, on the twenty-third day of the twelfth month...the priests, and Levites, and the other multitude of the Israelites, offered sacrifices, as the renovation of their former prosperity after their captivity, and because they had now the temple rebuilt, a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and twelve kids of the goats, according to the number of their tribes, and this last for the sins of every tribe. [Josephus, Antiquities XI 4:7]

ISAIAH 53:10d-53:11a ...he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand; he shall see the fruit of the travail of his soul and be satisfied;

I will pour my Spirit upon your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring. [Is44:3]

Sing, O barren one, who did not bear...For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her that is married, says the Lord. [Is54:1]

Your descendants will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities. [Is54:3]

All your sons shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the prosperity of your sons. [Is54:13]

This is my covenant with them, say the Lord: my spirit which is upon you, and my words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your children, or out of the mouth of your children’s children, says the Lord, from this time forth and for evermore. [Is59:21]

Their descendants shall be known among the nations, and their offspring in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed. [Is61:8]

I will extend prosperity to her like a river. [Is66:12]

I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. [Jer23:3]

Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, ‘It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, by famine, and by pestilence': Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation; I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them; and I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. [Jer32:36-40]

As the host of heaven cannot be numbered and the sands of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the descendants of David my servant, and the Levitical priests who minister to me.” [Jer33:22]

They shall dwell in the land where your fathers dwelt that I gave to my servant Jacob; they and their children and their children’s children shall dwell there for ever; and David my servant shall be their prince for ever. [Ezek37:25]

The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity. [Haggai2:9]

The house of the great God...is being built with huge stones, and timber is laid in the walls; this work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands. [Ezra5:8]

The elders of the Jews built and prospered, through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by command of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia; and this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. [Ezra6:14-15]

As we near the end of the chapter, God returns as the narrator:

ISAIAH 53:11b ...by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous;

[God] says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel;
I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth." [Is49:6]

Behold, you shall call nations that you know not, and nations that knew you not shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. [Is55:5]

The foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants...these I will bring to my holy mountain...their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Thus says the Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered. [Is56:6-8]

The Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended. Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land for ever, the shoot of my planting, the work of my hands, that I might be glorified. [Is60:20-21]

If you return, O Israel, says the Lord, to me you should return. If you remove your abominations from my presence, and do not waver, and if you swear, “As the Lord lives,” in truth, in justice, and in uprightness, then nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory. [Jer4:1-2]

ISAIAH 53:11c ...and he shall bear their iniquities.

Our fathers sinned, and are no more; and we bear their iniquities. [Lam5:7]

From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt; and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to utter shame, as at this day. [Is65:6-8]

ISAIAH 53:12a Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;

The abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. [Is60:5]

The coastlands shall wait for me, the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your sons from far, their silver and gold with them, for the name of the Lord your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he has glorified you. [Is60:9]

Your gates shall be open continually...that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations, with their kings led in procession. [Is60:11]

You [Israel] shall be called the priests of the Lord, men shall speak of you as the ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their riches you shall glory. Instead of your shame you shall have a double portion, instead of dishonor you shall rejoice in your lot; therefore in your land you shall possess a double portion; yours shall be everlasting joy. [Is61:6-7]

I will extend prosperity to her like a river, and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream. [Is66:12]

[The nations] do not know the thoughts of the Lord, they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered [the exiles] as sheaves to the threshing floor. Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, for I will make your horn iron and your hoofs bronze; you shall beat in pieces many peoples, and shall devote their gain to the Lord, their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth. [Micah4:12-13]

I [Darius] make a decree regarding what you shall do for these elders of the Jews for the rebuilding of this house of God; the cost is to be paid to these men in full and without delay from the royal revenue, the tribute of the province from Beyond the River. And whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, or sheep for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, or oil, as the priests at Jerusalem require—let that be given to them day by day without fail, that they may offer pleasing sacrifices to the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king and his sons. [Ezra6:8-10]

In the first year of the reign of Cyrus, King Cyrus ordered the building of the house of the Lord in Jerusalem...the cost to be paid from the treasury of Cyrus the king. and that the holy vessels of the house of the Lord, both of gold and of silver, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the house in Jerusalem and carried away to Babylon, should be restored to the house in Jerusalem, to be placed where they had been.” So Darius commanded...those who were appointed as local rulers in Syria and Phoenicia...to permit Zerubbabel, the servant of the Lord and governor of Judea, and the elders of the Jews to build this house of the Lord on its site. “And I [Darius] command that it be built completely, and that full effort be made to help the men who have returned from the captivity of Judea, until the house of the Lord is finished; and that out of the tribute of Coelesyria and Phoenicia a portion be scrupulously given to these men, that is, to Zerubbabel the governor, for sacrifices to the Lord...regularly every year, without quibbling, for daily use as the priests in Jerusalem may indicate, in order that libations may be made to the Most High God for the king and his children.” [1Esdras6:24-31]

ISAIAH 53:12b ...because he poured out his soul to death,

My eyes are spent with weeping; my soul is in tumult; my heart is poured out in grief because of the destruction of the daughter of my people. [Lam2:11]

Cry aloud to the Lord! O daughter of Zion! Let tears stream down like a torrent day and night! Give yourself no rest, your eyes no respite! Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the watches! Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord! Lift your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint for hunger at the head of every street. [Lam2:18-19]

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I [Jeremiah] will hope in him.” the Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. [Lam3:24-25]

My soul is poured out within me; days of affliction have taken hold of me. [Job30:16]

ISAIAH 53:12c ...and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many,

Our fathers sinned, and are no more; and we bear their iniquities. [Lam5:7]

You, O son of man [Ezekiel]...I will lay the punishment of the house of Israel upon you...you shall bear their punishment...and bear the punishment of the house of Judah. [Ezek4:1-6]

You [Israel] bear the penalty of your lewdness and your abominations. [Ezek16:58]

ISAIAH 53:12d ...and made intercession for the transgressors.

If you will not listen, my [Jeremiah's] soul will weep in secret for your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears, because the Lord’s flock has been taken captive. [Jer13:17]

Woe is me... [Jeremiah], a man of strife and contention to the whole land...all of them curse me. So let it be, O Lord, if I have not entreated thee for their good, if I have not pleaded with thee on behalf of the enemy in the time of trouble and in the time of distress! [Jer15:10-11]

They have dug a pit for my life. Remember how I [Jeremiah] stood before thee to speak good for them, to turn away thy wrath from them? [Jer18:20]

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OBJECTIONS AND REBUTTALS

Now let's dive into the first of many objections raised by evangelical apologists.

OBJECTION 1: The servant can't be Israel because an individual servant is mentioned elsewhere in Isaiah's servant songs. This individual is supposed to gather Israel to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. "Well," observed Dr. Michael Brown of One For Israel Ministries, "could Israel lead Israel back to Israel? That doesn't make sense." Ergo, it must refer to a future messiah.

REBUTTAL: The apologists I've seen making this argument never address the fact that Cyrus the Great is mentioned by name in Isaiah 44 (where he is God's "shepherd") and 45 (where he is God's "anointed...for the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen"). It follows, then, that the context of the servant songs is the return of the exiles from Babylon through Cyrus (anointed king of Persia), Governor Zerubbabel (anointed descendent of David), and High Priest Joshua (anointed descendent of Aaron).

"I am the Lord who made all things...who confirms the word of his servant, and performs the counsel of his messengers; who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited,’ and of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built, and I will raise up their ruins’; who says to the deep, ‘Be dry, I will dry up your rivers’; who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose’; saying of Jerusalem. ‘She shall be built,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’” Is44:24-28

Cyrus commanded [to] permit the servants of God, the Jews and their rulers [Zerubbabel and Joshua], to build the temple. [Josephus, Antiquities XI 4:6]

"We [Zerubbabel and Joshua] are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished. But because our fathers had angered the God of heaven, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried away the people to Babylonia. However in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree that this house of God should be rebuilt.” [Ezra5:6-13]

OBJECTION 2: Israel suffered for Israel's own sins, and the Servant is suffering for the sins of others. "On the one hand," says the Asbury Bible Commentary, "much of the description [of the suffering servant] would apply to the exilic community, which has been disfigured and disgraced and reckoned as dead (vv.8-9) but which is now exalted and restored. This exiled community had in some measure the role of redemptive suffering. Yet the opening verses of this section (40:1ff.) [the servant songs], and indeed the majority of the book of Isaiah, suggest that the people’s suffering was deserved. It was due to their own iniquities, not someone else’s."

REBUTTAL 1 - Israel was collectively punished for the sins of Manasseh and other wicked and idolatrous kings:

The Lord sent against him bands of the Chaldeans, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the Ammonites, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord which he spoke by his servants the prophets. Surely this came upon Judah at the command of the Lord, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done. 2Kings24:2-4

Note that Manasseh died 38 years before the first captives were taken by Nebuchadnezzar and 52 years before the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. A majority of the exiles weren't born, or old enough to sin at any rate, when Manasseh was alive.

REBUTTAL 2 - The innocent were punished along with the guilty ("I will cut off from you both righteous and wicked" - Ezek21:4). These included the prophets Daniel, Ezekiel and Jeremiah, as well as children and babies:

Infants and babes faint in the streets of the city. They cry to their mothers, “Where is bread and wine?” as they faint like wounded men in the streets of the city, as their life is poured out on their mothers’ bosom. [Lam2:12]

Your children, who faint for hunger at the head of every street. [Lam2:19]

The tongue of the nursling cleaves to the roof of its mouth for thirst; the children beg for food, but no one gives to them. [Lam4:4]

Upon her children also I will have no pity, because they are children of harlotry. For their mother has played the harlot; she that conceived them has acted shamefully. [Hos2:4-5]

What sin did babies commit?

OBJECTION 3: Isaiah meant spiritual, not biological, offspring.

REBUTTAL: Did Jesus' spiritual offspring prosper? Dr. Brown (cited above) argues that this couldn't be about Israel because they are still suffering throughout history, ignoring or not grasping the fact that Isaiah is writing about the exile and the return from exile, not anything later than that. What's more, the apologists overlook another fact: that Jesus' "spiritual" offspring did not exactly prosper. His teachings were largely abandoned by the church thanks to the preaching of Paul, and the entire early church seems to have met a grizzly end.

So what did Jesus really see at the end of, and after, his own life?

Depending on his vantage point at the time, he saw:

Disciples debating which among them would be "greatest" in the kingdom. (Lk22:24)

Peter doubting his mission. (Mt16:23)

Peter, James & John sleeping on the job (three times) when Jesus ordered them to stand guard. (Mt26:40-45)

Judas betraying him. (Lk22, Jn18)

Peter attacking the high priest's servant. (Jn18:10)

The disciples fleeing as their king is arrested. (Mt26:56)

Peter, swearing an oath, thrice denying him. (Mt26:72, Mk14:71)

Judas hanging himself. (Mt27:5)

Disciples doubting stories of his resurrection. (Lk24:11, Jn20:25)

Disciples casting lots to replace Judas instead of consulting Jesus. (Acts1:26)

Philip welcoming Simon Magus into the church. (Acts8:13)

Peter taking "a sister as a wife." (1Cor9:5)

Paul contradicting his teachings vis-a-vis the Law of Moses.

Disciples being imprisoned, tortured, crucified, beheaded and burned.

A FEW BRIEF OBSERVATIONS:

1. Are Christians "made whole" (Is53:5a)? Count the denominations: Unitarians, Binitarians, Trinitarians, Docetists, Ebionites, proto-Orthodox, Simonians, Nicolaitans, Cerinthians, Menanderists, Saturninians, Basilideans, Marcionites, Valentinians, Marcosians, Encratites, Cataphrygians, Cainites, Sethians, Ophites, Carpocratians, Algoi, Manichaeans, Arians, Nestorians, Paulinists, Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Iconoclasts, Cathars, Templars, Anabaptists, Lutherans, Calvinists, Presbyterians, Anglicans, Voodooists, Methodists, Baptists, Mennonites, Amish, Quakers, Shakers, Pentecostals, Episcopalians, Darbyists, Preterists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, Branch Davidians, Mormons, Danites, Spiritualists, Ku Klux Klan, Christian Scientists, Rastafarians, Moonies, Jesus Freaks, Jews for Jesus, Army of God, Christian Identity, Ickeites, Aum Shinrikyo, Eastern Lightning, UFO Christians, and Q-Anon, to name a few.

2. Are Christians "healed" by the stripes of Jesus (Is53:5b)?

•John the Baptist was beheaded

•Judas hanged himself

•Stephen was stoned to death

•James the Just was clubbed to death

•James BarZebedee was put to the sword

•Paul had an infirmity

•Paul left Trophimus "sick in Miletus"

•Timothy suffered "frequent ailments"

•Peter was crucified

•Andrew was crucified

•Matthias was beheaded

•Bartholomew was crucified

•Thomas was impaled with a spear

•Philip was crucified

•Paul was beheaded

•Barnabas was burned alive

•Mark was dragged to death

•Luke was hanged

•John was imprisoned

•Clement was drowned

•Ignatius was torn apart by bears and lions

•Polycarp was burned alive

•Justin Martyr was beheaded

•Christian Jerusalem was twice overthrown

•Christian Europe twice suffered the bubonic plague

•To the degree there was once a nearly unified Church, it has been irreparably divided by the Protestant Reformation

•Churches are perpetually lacking the funds required to spread the Gospel to "every creature."

3. Did Jesus "open not his mouth" (Is53:7)?

•"Remove this cup from me..." (Lk22:42)

•"You betray the son of man with a kiss?" (Lk22:48)

•"Have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs to capture me?" (Mt26:55, Mk14:48, Lk22:52)

•"I have taught nothing in secret..." (Jn18:20)

•"Why do you ask me [about my teachings]? Ask those who have heard me, what I said to them; they know what I said.” (Jn18:21)

•“Do you say [I'm king of the Jews] of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” (Jn18:34)

•"My kingship is not of this world..." (Jn18:36)

•“You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice.” (Jn18:37)

•“You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above" (Jn19:11)

•"Thou sayest [I am king of the Jews]" (Mt27:11, Mk15:2, Lk23:3)

•"You will see the son of man coming with power." (Mt26:64, Mk14:62)

•"They know not what they do..." (Lk23:34)

•"My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Mt27:46, Mk15:34)

•"I thirst!" (Jn19:28)

And Jesus cried again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. (Mt27:50)

4. Was Jesus non-violent (Is53:9a)?: Jesus destroyed a herd of swine (Mk5:13), attacked the temple (Jn2:15), instructed his disciples to buy swords (Lk22:36), then stood by as his chief disciple drew a sword and assaulted the servant of the High Priest. (Jn18:10)

5. Was there no deceit in Jesus' mouth (Is53:5b)? Jesus lied to the High Priest of Israel, saying, "I have taught nothing in secret" (Jn18:20), having earlier confided in his disciples, "to you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables" (Mk4:11). He lied to his brothers about attending the festival of tabernacles (Jn7:8-10). He denied knowing his own mother and brothers (Mk3:33), he misapplied prophecies to himself (Mt21:5-7, Mk14:62, Lk4:16-21, Lk22:37, Jn5:46), and when the real Elijah didn't show up to anoint him as messiah, he told his disciples that the recently executed John the Baptist (supposedly his cousin) had been the second coming of Elijah (Mt17:12-13).

6. Did Jesus divide a portion with the great or spoil with the strong (Is53:12)? Is he planning to do this upon his return? Who are the great and strong with whom he is sharing his plunder?

Conclusion: Isaiah 53 is about the suffering and redemption of ancient Israel. It has no relation to Jesus of Nazareth or any future messiah.

Sources

Apocrypha, Revised Standard Version, 1957

Asbury Bible Commentary, 1992

Bible, King James Version, 1611

Bible, Jewish Publication Society, 1917

Bible, Revised Standard Version, 1952

Brown, Michael - Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus, 2000

Josephus - Antiquities, Translated by William Whiston, 1737

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