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Isaiah 53:5
Substitutionary Atonement
Isaiah 53:5
But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed.
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Why it is worth knowing
- The Servant suffers not for his own sin but for ours: substitution is explicit
- “Pierced,” “crushed,” “punishment,” “wounds”: the physical suffering is not minimized
- His suffering produces our peace: the exchange is total
- Written 700 years before Christ, this passage was recognized as messianic
Where it sits: Isaiah 53:4-6
Surely he has borne our sickness and carried our suffering; yet we considered him plagued, struck by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. Everyone has turned to his own way; and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Hear the passage it sits in, sung word for word, on BibleDo's Isaiah page.
Background
Isaiah 53 is the climax of the four “Servant Songs” in Isaiah 40-55. Written around 700 BC, it describes with stunning precision a figure who would suffer vicariously for the sins of others. Philip quoted this passage to the Ethiopian eunuch and used it to preach Jesus (Acts 8). The fourfold description (griefs, sorrows, transgressions, iniquities) covers the full range of human brokenness. Early Christians understood the cross through the lens of this text.