“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.”
My Notes
What Does Isaiah 53:11 Mean?
Isaiah prophesies about the suffering servant's vindication: after the travail of his soul, he shall see the result and be satisfied. The suffering was not pointless. It produced something that satisfies the one who endured it.
"He shall see of the travail of his soul" — the servant will see the fruit of his suffering. The agony was not wasted. It produced offspring, results, lives saved. And the sight of that fruit brings satisfaction.
"By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many" — the servant's knowledge (intimate, experiential understanding) produces justification for many. Not a few. Many. The scope of the redemption is vast.
"For he shall bear their iniquities" — the mechanism is substitution. The servant carries what others deserved. The justification of the many is made possible by the bearing of the one.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does it mean that Jesus is 'satisfied' when he sees the result of his suffering — including you?
- 2.How does the servant's 'knowledge' (experiential bearing of sin) produce justification?
- 3.What does 'bearing their iniquities' look like — how is substitution the mechanism of salvation?
- 4.How does knowing you satisfy Jesus change your sense of worth?
Devotional
He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied. After everything — the rejection, the wounds, the death — the servant looks at what his suffering produced. And he is satisfied.
Satisfied. The word is powerful because of what preceded it. Isaiah 53 has described the most devastating suffering in prophetic literature. Despised. Rejected. Wounded. Bruised. Cut off. And now: satisfied. The agony had a yield. And the yield was worth the cost.
By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many. The suffering servant's knowledge — his intimate experience of bearing sin — is what justifies. He knows what he bore because he bore it. And that bearing declares the many righteous.
For he shall bear their iniquities. The many are justified because the one bore their sin. The math of the gospel: one dies, many live. One is crushed, many are healed. One bears the iniquity, many are declared righteous.
The servant — Jesus — looked at the cross from the other side and saw what it produced: justified people. Forgiven people. Redeemed people. You. And he was satisfied.
Your existence satisfies the Son of God. The suffering he endured was worth it — because you were the result.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied,.... "The travail of his soul" is the toil and labour he…
He shall see of the travail of his soul - This is the language of Yahweh, who is again introduced as speaking. The sense…
Shall be satisfied "And be satisfied" - The Septuagint, Vulgate, Sryiac, and a MS. add the conjunction to the verb,…
In the foregoing verses the prophet had testified very particularly of the sufferings of Christ, yet mixing some hints…
An amplification of the meaning of Isa 53:53. He shall see &c. Lit. Of the travail of his soul he shall see, shall be…
Cross References
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