Yet 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.

ISAIAH 53:10KJV
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Isaiah 53:10 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 53:10 mean?

Isaiah 53:10 describes how it was the LORD’s will for his servant to suffer and be crushed, making his life a sacrifice for sin, but also promises that this servant will see his descendants, live long, and succeed in carrying out God’s purpose. The verse holds together both suffering and the hope of future blessing for the servant.

In the setting of Isaiah, the prophet is speaking to the people of Israel about a mysterious “servant” figure who suffers not for his own wrongdoing, but as part of God’s plan. This verse emphasizes that the servant’s suffering is not an accident, but something God allows for a greater purpose, and it hints that this suffering will lead to life, legacy, and fulfillment of God’s intentions.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 53:10

  • "pleased" (חָפֵץ, chafetz): This word means to delight in or take pleasure in. Here, it shows that the servant’s suffering is not random, but part of what God has chosen for a reason, even if it is hard to understand.
  • "bruise" (דָּכָא, daka’): This word carries the sense of being crushed or broken. It highlights the depth of the servant’s suffering, not just physical pain but deep affliction.
  • "offering for sin" (אָשָׁם, asham): This term refers to a specific type of sacrifice in the Hebrew Bible, offered to make things right when someone has done wrong. Using this word shows that the servant’s suffering is seen as a sacrifice that deals with sin.
  • "seed" (זֶרַע, zera’): Literally “offspring” or “descendants.” In context, it suggests that the servant’s life will have lasting results, even after suffering, pointing to a future and a legacy.

Why Isaiah 53:10 matters

  • Isaiah 53:10 clarifies that the servant’s suffering is not a sign of failure or defeat, but is actually part of God’s plan, which would have been surprising to the original audience.
  • The verse connects the servant’s suffering with the idea of a sin offering, showing that his pain has a purpose related to dealing with wrongdoing, not just random hardship.
  • By mentioning the servant seeing his “seed” and having prolonged days, the verse hints at hope and restoration after suffering, tying together themes of sacrifice and future blessing that run through the whole chapter.

Where else these words appear

“bruise” Hebrew H1792 · used in 18 verses

  • Job 4:19 How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?
  • Job 34:25 Therefore he knoweth their works, and he overturneth them in the night, so that they are destroyed.
  • Isaiah 3:15 What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

“prolong” Hebrew H748 · used in 34 verses

  • Genesis 26:8 And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.
  • Deuteronomy 22:7 But thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days.
  • Proverbs 19:11 The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.

“pleasure” Hebrew H2656 · used in 38 verses

  • 1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
  • Psalms 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
  • Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

“sin” Hebrew H817 · used in 41 verses

  • Genesis 26:10 And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.
  • Leviticus 7:37 This is the law of the burnt offering, of the meat offering, and of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecrations, and of the sacrifice of the peace offerings;
  • Numbers 6:12 And he shall consecrate unto the LORD the days of his separation, and shall bring a lamb of the first year for a trespass offering: but the days that were before shall be lost, because his separation was defiled.