Isaiah 53:8

Isaiah 53:8

He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

1. “He was taken from prison and from judgment…”

a. taken [3947 * laqach] [Strong: a primitive root; to take (in the widest variety of applications):--accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, infold, X many, mingle, place, receive(-ing), reserve, seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win.]

b. prison [6115 * ‘otser] [Strong’s:  constraint.] [Gesenius: shutting up, restraint, oppression, vexation.] [AMG: oppression, barrenness pressure, maltreatment, affliction, refers to military, religious, political, social rejection and oppression in the case of the Suffering Servant.]

c. judgment [4941 * mishpat] [Strong’s: a verdict, a sentence, a formal decree. Justice, a participants right or privilege.]

1). Because I find this verse to be exceedingly hard to understand I want to look at the few translations listed below to assist in the understanding. The wording of “his judgment was taken away”, is actually referring to the fact that justice was not done. The rights of Jesus were taken away in this act of the Sanhedrin.

a). Septuagint: In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: who shall declare his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth: because of the iniquities of my people he was led to death.

b). Contemporary English Version: He was condemned to death without a fair trial. Who could have imagined what would happen to him? His life was taken away because of the sinful things my people had done.

c). NLT: Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people.

d). NRSV: By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people.

2). Most of Isaiah 53:7, 8 is quoted in Acts 8 when Phillip was ministering to the Ethiopian eunuch. Comparing the Septuagint to the text in Acts where the Isaiah passage is quoted we can see the Septuagint was the translation used.

a). Acts 8:32, 33   The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:

8:33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.

3). In his humiliation he became obedient unto death.

a). Philippians 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

4). The following excerpt is from an article  written by Roy Schoeman on the following website: http://www.salvationisfromthejews.com/Sanhedrin.html

Jesus Before The Sanhedrin – The Legality Of Jesus’ Trial Under Jewish Law

“…Even before Jesus was brought to public trial following his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Sanhedrin had already assembled three times in secret and rendered decisions which prove, beyond a doubt, that the death-sentence of Christ was determined upon even before his public accusation.  The first such meeting was held in September of the year preceding the crucifixion. This fact is made clear by St. John the Evangelist in his account of Jesus healing the man born blind, when he states “for the Jews had already agreed that if any man did confess that he was the Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.” (Jn. 9:22)  For only a solemn assembly of the Sanhedrin had power to pronounce such a decree of excommunication.  In excommunicating Jesus’ followers, they indirectly declared Jesus a false prophet, and hence subject to the death penalty.   Is this not a proof, as Nicodemus had implied (Jn. 7:51), that they had already condemned him without having granted him a hearing or listened to a word in his defense? The second such session of the Sanhedrin took place in the month of February, about four and a half months after the first session.  The resurrection of Lazarus was the occasion that called the Sanhedrin into council at this time.(from Jn. 11:47-53) So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council, and said, "What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on thus, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation."  But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all; you do not understand that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish”. So from that day on they took counsel how to put him to death. We see then, that at this second council the death of Christ was decided upon.  In the September session his death was proposed only indirectly, but this time the sentence is passed, the high-priest having himself declared that it were better for one man to die!  This sentence was pronounced without summoning the accused into council, without witnesses, and without making any investigation of his doctrines or his miracles.  Neither was it pronounced because Jesus was found to be seditious or revolutionary, but because it was necessary to put a stop to his miracles, and thus destroy the peoples’ belief in him.  The sentence having been pronounced by the high-priest, it was ratified by the whole assembly “From that day on they took counsel how to put him to death.”  It is a settled question; there remains to be determined only the time and the manner of executing the sentence.  Have we not here ample evidence that the condemnation of Jesus preceded is arrest and trial? The third session was held about three weeks after the second, just two days before the Passion. Now the feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death; for they feared the people. Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and took counsel together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be a tumult among the people."(Lk. 22:1-2, Mt. 26:3-5) We notice that at this gathering the question of the sentence of Christ is no longer debated.  His death had already been determined upon at the second session.  The only things that now remain to be settled are the manner of his death and the proper time for its execution. Now let us sum up the decisions of the three councils.  The first council, in excommunicating the partisans of Christ, denounced him as a false prophet, and consequently guilty of death.  In the second council the question of whether he should die was proposed, and unanimously decided in the affirmative.  In the third council his arrest and execution were appointed to take place at the first favorable opportunity.”

5). The article goes on to mention that in Jesus’ trial there were 27 violations of Jewish law, which just one would invalidate the trial.  

2. “…and who shall declare his generation?...”

a. and [Strong: 853 'eth ayth apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).]

b. who [Strong: 4310 miy me an interrogative pronoun of persons, as 4100 is of things, who? (occasionally, by a peculiar idiom, of things); also (indefinitely) whoever; often used in oblique construction with prefix or suffix:--any (man), X he, X him, + O that! what, which, who(-m, -se, -soever), + would to God.]

c. [shall] declare  [Strong: 7878 siyach see'-akh; a primitive root; to ponder, i.e. (by implication) converse (with oneself, and hence, aloud) or (transitively) utter:-- commune, complain, declare, meditate, muse, pray, speak, talk (with).]

d. [his] generation [Strong: 1755 dowr dore or (shortened) dor {dore}; from 1752; properly, a revolution of time, i.e. an age or generation; also a dwelling:--age, X evermore, generation, (n-)ever, posterity.]

3. “…for he was cut off out of the land of the living…”

a. for [Strong: 3588 kiy kee a primitive particle (the full form of the prepositional prefix) indicating causal relations of all kinds, antecedent or consequent; (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed:--and, + (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-)as, assured(-ly), + but, certainly, doubtless, + else, even, + except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, + nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, + (al- )though, + till, truly, + until, when, whether, while, whom, yea, yet.]

b. He was cut off [Strong: 1504 gazar gaw-zar'; a primitive root; to cut down or off; (figuratively) to destroy, divide, exclude, or decide:--cut down (off), decree, divide, snatch.]

b. [out of the] land [Strong: 776 'erets eh'-rets; from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land):--X common, country, earth, field, ground, land, X natins, way, + wilderness, world.]

c. [of the] living [Strong: 2416 chay khah'-ee; from 2421; alive; hence, raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water, year), strong; also (as noun, especially in the feminine singular and masculine plural) life (or living thing), whether literally or figuratively:--+ age, alive, appetite, (wild) beast, company, congregation, life(-time), live(-ly), living (creature, thing), maintenance, + merry, multitude, + (be) old, quick, raw, running, springing, troop.]

4. “…for the transgression of my people was he stricken.”

a. [for the] transgression [Strong: 6588 pesha` peh'-shah from 6586; a revolt (national, moral or religious):--rebellion, sin, transgression, trespass.]

b. [of my] people [Strong: 5971 ‘am am; from 6004; a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock:--folk, men, nation, people.]

c. [was he] stricken [Strong: 5061 nega` neh'-gah;  from 5060; a blow (figuratively, infliction); also (by implication) a spot (concretely, a leprous person or dress):--plague, sore, stricken, stripe, stroke, wound.]