“Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?”
My Notes
What Does Isaiah 53:1 Mean?
Isaiah opens the fourth Servant Song with two questions of astonishment: who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
Who hath believed our report? — the question expresses shock at the lack of faith. Report (shemuah — what is heard, the message, the news proclaimed). The report is the gospel — the message about the suffering servant described in the verses that follow (53:2-12). The who implies: almost no one. The message was proclaimed. It was not believed. The response to the greatest news in history was widespread unbelief.
Our report — the our identifies the speakers as the prophets or the believing remnant who carry the message. The report belongs to them — they are the ones who received it and proclaimed it. But the reception by others was rejection.
And to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? — the arm (zeroa — the instrument of divine power and salvation) of the LORD is the saving power of God made visible. The question asks: who has perceived God's power in the suffering servant? The arm of the LORD typically describes mighty acts — the exodus, the parting of the sea, the conquest of enemies. But in Isaiah 53, the arm of the LORD appears as a suffering, despised, rejected man. Who recognized God's power in that form? Almost no one.
The double question establishes the theme of Isaiah 53: the servant is not recognized. The report is not believed. The arm of the LORD is not perceived. The suffering servant who bears the sins of the world is rejected by the very people he comes to save — because he does not look like what they expected God's power to look like.
John 12:38 and Romans 10:16 both quote this verse. John applies it to the Jewish rejection of Jesus despite his miracles: though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: that the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled. Paul applies it to the Jewish response to the gospel: they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? The unbelief Isaiah described in the Servant Song was fulfilled in the response to Jesus — the suffering servant who came and was not believed.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Why does the message about the suffering servant meet widespread unbelief — and what does that reveal about human expectations?
- 2.How is the 'arm of the LORD' hidden in the suffering, despised form of the servant — and why does that hiddenness prevent recognition?
- 3.How do John 12:38 and Romans 10:16 apply this verse to the response to Jesus and the gospel?
- 4.Where might you be failing to recognize the arm of the LORD because it does not look like the power you expected?
Devotional
Who hath believed our report? The question that opens the most important chapter in the Old Testament. The answer: almost no one. The message was spoken. The report was delivered. The news about the suffering servant — the one who would bear the sins of the world — was proclaimed. And the response was unbelief. The greatest message in history met the smallest audience of faith.
To whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? The arm of the LORD — God's saving power, the instrument of deliverance, the force that parted seas and conquered nations. And no one recognizes it. Because the arm does not look like what anyone expected: not a warrior but a sufferer. Not a king in glory but a man of sorrows. Not impressive power but despised weakness. The arm of the LORD is revealed — but in a form no one anticipated.
The unbelief is not about lack of evidence. It is about the form the evidence takes. The suffering servant does not match the expectations. He has no form nor comeliness (v.2). He is despised and rejected (v.3). He looks like a failure — and the people looking for a triumphant deliverer cannot see the triumph in the suffering. The arm of the LORD is hidden in the very thing the world despises: weakness, pain, rejection.
John says this verse was fulfilled in the response to Jesus (John 12:38). Paul says it was fulfilled in the response to the gospel (Romans 10:16). The pattern is consistent: the message is delivered. The arm is extended. And the world does not believe — because the salvation does not come in the package the world expects.
The question still echoes: who hath believed? The report is still being delivered. The arm of the LORD is still revealed — in the cross, in the gospel, in the suffering that looks like defeat and is actually the greatest victory in history. The question is whether you will be among the almost-no-one who recognizes the arm in the suffering — or among the many who look at the cross and see only failure.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
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Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture