The verse highlights a profound misunderstanding: people saw his suffering as divine punishment for his own sin, completely missing that he was actually bearing their sorrows. This reveals how easily we can misinterpret hardship, failing to see God's redemptive purpose in the midst of pain.
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage describes the humble and suffering Servant of the Lord, who is misunderstood by his own people. While he is silently bearing the pain and sorrow of humanity, the people mistakenly believe he is being punished by God for his own sins. This misinterpretation stands in stark contrast to the reality of his vicarious suffering for their transgressions.
When we see someone in pain, our first thought might be 'What did they do to deserve this?' But this verse flips that script entirely.
Isaiah 53:4 presents a profound contrast: the suffering Servant bore our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we wrongly judged Him.
The True Cause of Suffering
The text makes it clear that His pain wasn't for His own transgressions. As the commentaries explain, His suffering was vicarious – He was standing in our place. The Hebrew words for 'borne' and 'carried' suggest more than just enduring; they imply a taking upon oneself, a lifting and removing of a burden.
Our Misunderstanding
In our blindness, we looked at His suffering and concluded it was a punishment from God for His own sins. The word 'stricken' here, often associated with severe, divinely-sent sicknesses like leprosy, highlights the depth of our misjudgment. We saw Him afflicted and assumed it was divine retribution, failing to grasp that He was taking on the penalty for our sins. This misunderstanding is a hallmark of human perspective versus God's redemptive plan.
It's easy to judge based on appearances, but what happens when our judgments are completely backward?
The second part of Isaiah 53:4 reveals a stark reality: 'yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.' This wasn't God's judgment on the Servant, but flawed perception.
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A Divine Comedy of Errors
Commentators highlight that the Jewish people, and by extension humanity, saw the Servant's suffering as evidence of divine disapproval. Words like 'stricken' and 'smitten' were often used for severe diseases or divine judgments. We assumed His pain was a just consequence of His own supposed sins, leading us to reject Him.
The Reversal of Judgment
This passage is a powerful indictment of human blindness. We looked at the Servant, the innocent one, enduring immense suffering, and condemned Him. We failed to see that His affliction was precisely the means by which our own sin and its consequences were being dealt with. The very thing that made Him seem cursed to us was, in fact, His greatest act of love and redemption.
Understand the original words
pesha' · Hebrew Noun
A term denoting a failure to observe the law, a violation of a trust, or an act of rebellion against God’s authority. It implies a conscious breach of the covenant relationship.
avon · Hebrew Noun
A moral term referring to twistedness, perversity, or guilt. It signifies an act that deviates from the moral standard established by God, often carrying the idea of associated guilt and the need for punishment.
musar · Hebrew Noun
Discipline, correction, or punishment intended to bring about repentance or restoration. In a substitutionary context, it refers to the penalty suffered by one party to secure the welfare or peace of another.
shalom · Hebrew Noun
A state of wholeness, completeness, or reconciliation with God. It encompasses not just the absence of conflict, but the presence of divine well-being and covenantal harmony.
nakah · Hebrew Verb (Passive Participle)
To be struck down, beaten, or scourged. In a theological context, it is often used to describe divine judgment or the severe punishment inflicted upon an offender.
anah · Hebrew Verb (Passive Participle)
To be humbled, bowed down, or oppressed. It describes a state of suffering, whether physical, emotional, or situational, often under the heavy hand of external circumstances or judgment.
choli · Hebrew Noun
Literally 'sickness' or 'illness,' but used metaphorically to describe the frailty, pain, and suffering inherent in human life, especially as linked to the effects of sin.
This passage directly quotes Isaiah 53:4, applying it to Jesus' healing of the sick, showing how his bearing of our griefs extended to physical suffering.
1 Peter 2:24Peter alludes to Isaiah's description of bearing sins, specifically linking Christ's suffering and death on the cross to the carrying away of our sins.
John 1:29While not a direct quote, John the Baptist's declaration of Jesus as the 'Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world' echoes the concept of bearing and removing suffering, as described in Isaiah.
Romans 5:12This passage explains the universal impact of sin, mirroring Isaiah's assertion that 'all we like sheep have gone astray,' setting the stage for the Servant's redemptive work.
Philippians 2:6-8This text describes Christ's humility and self-emptying, from heavenly glory to suffering and death, which resonates with the Servant's willingness to bear our griefs despite being wrongly judged.
bensonIsaiah 53:4: "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted."
Isaiah 53:4-5 . Surely he hath borne our griefs — Whereas it may seem an incredible thing, that so excellent and glorious, and so innocent and holy a person should meet with this usage, it must be known that his griefs and miseries were not laid upon him for his own sake, but wholly for the sake of sinful men, in whose stead he stood, and for whose sins he suff…
clarkeIsaiah 53:4: "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted."
Surely he Bath borne our griefs "Surely our infirmities he hath borne" - Seven MSS. (two ancient) and three editions have חליינו cholayeynu in the plural number. And carried our sorrows "And our sorrows, he hath carried them" - Seventeen MSS. (two ancient) of Dr. Kennicott's, two of De Rossi's, and two editions have the word הוא hu, he, before סבלם sebalam,…
The verse highlights a profound misunderstanding: people saw his suffering as divine punishment for his own sin, completely missing that he was actually bearing their sorrows. This reveals how easily we can misinterpret hardship, failing to see God's redemptive purpose in the midst of pain.
This passage describes the humble and suffering Servant of the Lord, who is misunderstood by his own people. While he is silently bearing the pain and sorrow of humanity, the people mistakenly believe he is being punished by God for his own sins. This misinterpretation stands in stark contrast to the reality of his vicarious suffering for their transgressions.
This passage describes the humble and suffering Servant of the Lord, who is misunderstood by his own people. While he is silently bearing the pain and sorrow of humanity, the people mistakenly believe he is being punished by God for his own sins. This misinterpretation stands in stark contrast to the reality of his vicarious suffering for their transgressions.
"Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was…" — The verse highlights a profound misunderstanding: people saw his suffering as divine punishment for his own sin, completely missing that he was actually bearing their sorrows. This reveals how easily…
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Last reviewed October 2026
