Isaiah 53:11
After the anguish of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities.
BSB
Parallel translations (2) ▾
ASV
He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by the knowledge of himself shall my righteous servant justify many; and he shall bear their iniquities.
KJV
He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
⋯
A note on the manuscripts
Most scholars agree
"He shall see light" — a word the Dead Sea Scrolls restored
The Hebrew text copied through the Middle Ages says the Servant "shall see and be satisfied"; the Isaiah scroll from Qumran and the ancient Greek translation both say he shall see *light*, and modern Bibles now print it.
What it changes: No doctrine. Nothing in Christian teaching about the Suffering Servant depends on this word.
Commentary
4 voicesVoices on this verse
loading…Original language & word study
12 tagged words| Original | Transliteration | Meaning | Word study |
|---|---|---|---|
| מֵעֲמַ֤ל | me.'a.Mal | from [the] labor of | H5999 → |
| נַפְשׁוֹ֙ | naf.Sho | self his | H5315 → |
| יִרְאֶ֣ה | yir.'Eh | he will see | H7200 → |
| יִשְׂבָּ֔ע | yis.Ba' | he will be satisfied | H7646 → |
| בְּדַעְתּ֗וֹ | be.da'.To | by knowledge his | H1847 → |
| יַצְדִּ֥יק | yatz.Dik | he will justify | H6663 → |
| צַדִּ֛יק | tza.Dik | [the] righteous [one] | H6662 → |
| עַבְדִּ֖י | 'av.Di | servant my | H5650 → |
| לָֽרַבִּ֑ים | la.ra.Bim | to <the> many [people] | H7227 → |
| וַעֲוֹנֹתָ֖ם | va.'a.vo.no.Tam | and iniquities their | H5771 → |
| ה֥וּא | hu' | he | H1931 → |
| יִסְבֹּֽל׃ | yis.Bol | he will bear | H5445 → |
The walk
Featured studies on this passage
On Isaiah 53:11
The Fulfillment Formula (Matthew's Ten Quotations) MannaFest
Open the study →
On Isaiah 53:11
The Suffering Servant
Isaiah 52:13–53:12 — the single most extensive and specific messianic prophecy in the Old Testament, preserved in a scroll that predates Christ by more than a century.
Open the study →
On Isaiah 53:11
The Ransom — Mark 10:45
Open the study →
Walks through Isaiah 53
The Major Prophets
Open the study →
Walks through Isaiah 53
Chiasmus: the Bible's Mirror Writing
Open the study →
Walks through Isaiah 53
Jesus: Titles & Roles
No single title carries him. Scripture names Jesus by a constellation of titles — Christ, Son of Man, Lamb of God, Logos, High Priest, King of Kings — and each one is a door. This hub gathers every title page on the site and anchors the rest to the verses that confer them.
Open the study →
About Isaiah
