Ibn Ezra on Isaiah

Who hath believed, etc. Then the Non-Israelites shall say, Who would have believed, that it would turn out as we have heard. And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed, as it has been revealed to Israel.

And he grew up, etc. That Israelite who is the servant of the Lord, or the whole nation of the Israelites, grew up before him, that is, before the Lord, as a tender plant—comp., his branches shall spread (Hosea 14:7)— and as a root out of dry land, that neither produces fruit, nor distinguishes itself by its size. He hath no form. This expression has the same meaning as the phrase ותארו מבני אדם and his form was marred more than that of the sons of men (52:14). ולא מראה ולא נחמדהו = ולא מראה ונחמדהו there is no beauty, nor do we desire him; the negation לא before מראה, refers also to נחמדהו; comp. Prov. 21:14

וחדל אישים He ceased to be counted with men. איש מכאבות A man of sorrows. The servant of the Lord, or the whole nation of the Israelites; in the latter case איש is to be compared with the same word in the phrase יי איש מלחמה (Exod. 15:3), and to be explained a being; it is in the construct state. Sorrows, grief. The troubles which Israel has to suffer during the exile are meant. And we hid, as it were, our faces from him. Even in our days there are people who turn aside at the sight of a Jew, lest they may be obliged to assist him.

Surely he hath borne, etc. The summary of this verse is: We have caused him grief, and he has borne it; he has endured our sorrow, that is, the sorrow which we have inflicted upon him, and we thought that he was stricken, etc. נגוע Stricken. Comp. נגע plague (Lev. 13:5). מֻבֵּה Smitten of. It is in the construct state. Smitten of God and afflicted. While we deserved to be afflicted with all this grief, because our religion is false, it came instead upon Israel, who follow the true religion. Comp. All we like sheep have gone astray (ver. 6)

מחולל Slain. Comp. חלל slain (Deut. 21:1). The chastisement of our peace was upon him. The chastisement was inflicted upon him for the purpose of prolonging our peace, as we see; for With his stripes we are healed. The meaning of this verse is: God will in future visit those nations that trouble Israel with punishment (comp. Joel 4:21): but at present the chastisement of our peace is upon him; for it is well known that so long as Israel is in exile, the heathen peoples will enjoy happiness; while of the time of our deliverance it is predicted, And there will be a time of trouble (Dan. 12:1); moreover, when the angels said, All the earth is dwelling in peace; one of them asked, How long wilt Thou not pity Jerusalem ? (Zech. 1:11, 12), because he thought that so long as the heathen people have peace, Jerusalem would not find mercy.

All we like sheep, etc. At last they will acknowledge the truth; that it was an error to think him smitten of God (ver. 4), comp. Surely our fathers have inherited lies, etc. (Jer. 16:14). הפגיע Hath laid. Lit. Hath caused to meet; comp. ויפגע and he alighted (Gen. 28:11). עון Lit. iniquity; here it means the punishment for the iniquity. Comp. עון punishment (1 Sam. 28:10; Gen. 15:16; Lam. 4:6). Some explain הפגיע he caused to pray; עון has, according to their opinion, the usual meaning iniquity; and the sense of the whole phrase is: God will accept the prayer of Israel, that peace shall be on earth. Comp. And seek the peace of the city, etc. (Jer. 29:7). But עון in this sense, joined with הפגיע בו, is rather an unusual construction.

נגש He was oppressed. It is Niphal. Yet he opened not his mouth. This requires no explanation; for this is the case with every Jew in exile; when he is insulted he dares not reply, especially the pious one who devotes himself only to the service of God, and does not care for worldly prosperity; nor does he know any prince or chief whom to ask for assistance, when oppressed by man. The phrase Yet he does not open his mouth, is repeated to express the continuity of this fact.

He was taken, etc. God redeemed Israel; namely, those of them that were righteous. God took them from prison, where they were kept by the judgments of vengeance. ישוחח Shall declare. Comp. שיח speak (Job. 12:8). Who could have told his generation that this could happen, since they were already as cut off out of the land of the living. For the transgression of my people was he stricken. Every nation will think: Israel was stricken because of our sins; comp. he was slain for our transgressions (ver. 5). The construction of the sentence is: For the transgression of my people plagues came over them. להם=למו To them, that is, to the Israelites.

Some refer this verse to those Israelites that die in exile; others derive במתיו from במה high place; comp. במתימו their high places (Deut. 33:29), and refer it to the building erected over the grave; so that קברו=במתיו his tomb. רשע=עשיר Wicked. The heathen nations that are rich in comparison with Israel are meant. I think that this verse describes the trouble of the Israelites in exile, which is so great, that they long to die with the nations; comp. Let me die with the Philistines (Jud. 16:20). As to ויתן he longed to give; comp. וילחם and he intended to fight (Jos. 24:9). That this longing for death is caused by the great pains, may be inferred from the words which follow: because he had done no violence. The heathen nations oppress Israel without cause; he neither deserves such ill-treatment, by any wrong act nor by any ambiguous, deceitful word. If the objection should be made that בׇּמוׂת does not change in the construct state into בְּמוׂת, as is the case in בְּמׂתׇיו, I answer, that this noun has two forms in the plural, like סריס officer: סׇרִיסֵי (Gen. 40:7); and סְרִיסֵי (Est. 6:14)

דַּכְּאוׂ To bruise him. It is in form similar to דַּבְּרוׂ, to speak with him (Gen. 37:4). It is Piel. החלי He hath put him to grief. It is a verb ל״ה, but conjugated like a verb ;ל״א comp. תחלואיה אשר חלה the sicknesses which the Lord hath laid upon it (Deut. 29:21). God was pleased to bruise him, to chastise him with exile. אם תשים אשם נפשו If his soul shall set his guilt before him, that is, if he will confess and fear the Lord. He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days. He and his children will enjoy the salvation, which the Lord will grant them. This refers to that generation which will return to God, that is, to the law of God, in the days of Messiah. And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. The true religion shall prosper, all nations will accept it.

מעמל נפשו יראה ישבע For the travail of his soul he shall see, he shall be satisfied. He shall see the reward of his forbearance, and shall find his desire fulfilled; or he shall enjoy prosperity in such a degree that he will be satisfied, because צדיק עבדי לרבים בדעתו יצדיק By his knowledge he will cause many to be just. He will teach the nations how to live according to the Law. And he shall bear their iniquities. Israel will sympathise with the heathen nations in their misfortunes, which have come upon them for their many sins; although they do not sympathise with Israel in his afflictions. The meaning of the phrase might also be this: The Israelites will pray to God for the other nations, and thereby take away their sins; comp. (Zech. 14:18). I approve of the latter explanation, since its correctness is evidenced by the words which follow.

Therefore will I divide him, etc. All commentators agree that in this verse the prophet speaks of those that die for the unity of God, explaining the expression ברבים with the great—comp. רב chief (Est. 1:8)—to signify the prophets, and understand by עצומים the strong the patriarchs. According to this explanation the meaning of the whole verse is, The merit of those that die for the unity of God, is equal to the merit of the prophets and patriarchs. We know that this is true, but the subject has no connection with the context of this chapter. I explain it as follows: I will certainly give to Israel a portion of the spoil and booty taken from many nations; מן עצומים = את עצומים of the strong; comp. את העיר from the city (Exod. 9:29). תחת For. The reward for having poured out, etc. הערה He poured out. Some render it, he has discovered; that is, he has done publicly. I think it is to be compared with ותער and she emptied (Gen. 24:20), though of a different conjugation, and especially with אל תער נפשי do not pour out my soul (Psalm 141:8), and to be rendered he poured out. ואת And with. פשעים Transgressors of the word of God. And with the transgressors he was numbered, etc. Israel was considered like people that transgress the will of God. And he bare the sin of many. In consequence of the troubles of Israel, the other nations had peace; the punishment which the latter deserved was inflicted upon the former. And made intercession for the transgressors. He prayed to God for the transgressors. Comp. Jer. 29:7. By the transgressors, the heathen nations are meant. I have thus explained the whole passage, on the supposition that it refers to Israel; but my opinion is, that my servant, mentioned here (52:13), is the same as that of 42:1, 49:3, 53:11, the same who says of himself, I gave my back to the smiters, etc. (50:6). In my commentary on chap. xl., I mentioned briefly the leading principle of my opinion, which considers all these chapters (from xl.) as connected with each other.