The big picture
Isaiah 53 opens in verse 1 with “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?”, reaches its middle movement near verse 6 with “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the…”, and closes in verse 12 with “Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with…” Repeated or prominent terms include LORD, mouth, soul, afflicted, death. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Isaiah · King James Version · 12Isaiah 53:1-6
1–6: Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD…
Isaiah 53:1–6 opens with “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?” and reaches “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Isaiah 53 develops its own movement around LORD, mouth, soul, afflicted, death, with particular weight carried by despised, LORD, sorrows.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?” The question slows the passage down. Notice who is being pressed to answer, what the question assumes, and whether the next lines provide a response.
Isaiah 53:1-6
King James Version1Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:7-12
7–12: He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he…
Isaiah 53:7–12 opens with “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to…” and reaches “Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Isaiah 53 develops its own movement around LORD, mouth, soul, afflicted, death, with particular weight carried by mouth, soul, death.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as…” The line’s distinctive content terms include mouth, afflicted, dumb. Its relationship to verses 8 shows what work it does in this passage.
“He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land…” The question slows the passage down. Notice who is being pressed to answer, what the question assumes, and whether the next lines provide a response.
Isaiah 53:7-12
King James Version7He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11He 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.
12Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Isaiah 53:1 begins with “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?”
Where the chapter turns
Isaiah 53:5 forms a natural hinge: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are…”
The final note
Isaiah 53:12 leaves the reader with “Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he…”
A word trail through the chapter
The words LORD, mouth, soul, afflicted, death, despised help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
KJV words made clear
- unto
- to
- thou
- you
- hath
- has
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.