Isaiah’s description of the servant in Isaiah 53:4-6 shifts back and forth between the servant’s work and the resultant blessing on God’s people. The following chart highlights the numerous links.
Suffering on behalf of others
| Verse | The Servant's Part | The People's Part |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah 53:4 | he took he carried | our infirmities our sorrows |
| Isaiah 53:5 | he was pierced he was crushed his punishment his wounds | for our transgressions for our iniquities brought us peace we are healed |
| Isaiah 53:6 | laid on him | the iniquity of us all |
These verses, perhaps as much as any in the Bible, highlight the servant’s substitutionary (vicarious) suffering on behalf of others.
(Taken from Sidebar 17.2, page 207, in Encountering the Book of Isaiah by Bryan E. Beyer)