< Mosiah 14 >
Isaiah 53 breakdown
Isaiah 53 fits Jesus' life, death, and resurrection with remarkable precision. It is often broken it into five stanzas:
v. 1: “Who hath believed our report?” Most people will reject the Messiah when He comes
v. 2: The Messiah will come in lowliness, not royalty: Christ will come humbly, not as a political king, they will reject Him because He doesn’t fit their expectations
v. 3: “Despised and rejected of men”: Christ’s rejection is foretold prophecy. The priests’ rejection of Abinadi foreshadows Israel’s rejection of Christ
v. 4. He suffers for OUR sins, not His: This is the heart of the Atonement, Christ’s suffering is substitutionary, The Messiah saves through suffering and sacrifice, not political deliverance, Healing comes through His stripes (His suffering). Abinadi will expound on this furtherin Mosiah 15: “God himself shall come down among the children of men…” / “The flesh becoming subject to the Spirit.” / “He will take upon him the pains and sicknesses of his people.”
v. 5: We have all gone astray
Isaiah 53:6: Universal sin → universal need for a Redeemer and the law alone cannot save. Christ carries our iniquity — the core point Abinadi is proving. He uses this to dismantle the priests’ reliance on the Law of Moses without Christ.
v. 6: The Messiah will be silent before His accusers: Christ’s meekness = fulfillment of prophecy. He literally stays silent before the Sanhedrin (Matthew 26:57-69)
v. 7: Cut off from the land of the living: Christ must die, His death is for ourtransgressions. He is not just a teacher, but a sacrificial redeemer.
v. 8: Burial with the wicked and the rich: Literally fulfilled in Christ’s crucifixion between thieves and burial in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb. More importantly: the Messiah identifies with sinners. He dies innocently
v. 9: His suffering is God’s will — for our salvation: Christ’s suffering is divinely ordained, He is the sin offering and the Law of Moses sacrifices point to Him.
v. 10: He will see His seed — resurrection and spiritual offspring: Abinadi interprets “His seed” in Mosiah 15 as: “the prophets and those who have believed in his words.” This is critical: Christ’s “seed” are the people redeemed through His Atonement — including Alma, who is listening.
v. 11. Justification by the knowledge of Christ: Through Christ’s Atonement we are justified. This is the doctrine of grace in the Book of Mormon. The law alone cannot justify. Christ is the one mediator
v. 12. He bears the sins of many and intercedes: He mediates between God and man and he advocates for sinners. His suffering leads to victory over sin and death.
- 53:1–3 — His rejection
- 53:4–6 — His substitutionary suffering
- 53:7–9 — His unjust death
- 53:10–11 — His sacrificial purpose and resurrection
- 53:12 — His exaltation and intercession
v. 1: “Who hath believed our report?” Most people will reject the Messiah when He comes
- Only the spiritually prepared will recognize Him
- Noah’s priests are exactly the kind of people Isaiah predicted would deny Him
- The “arm of the Lord” = God’s power revealed in Christ
v. 2: The Messiah will come in lowliness, not royalty: Christ will come humbly, not as a political king, they will reject Him because He doesn’t fit their expectations
v. 3: “Despised and rejected of men”: Christ’s rejection is foretold prophecy. The priests’ rejection of Abinadi foreshadows Israel’s rejection of Christ
v. 4. He suffers for OUR sins, not His: This is the heart of the Atonement, Christ’s suffering is substitutionary, The Messiah saves through suffering and sacrifice, not political deliverance, Healing comes through His stripes (His suffering). Abinadi will expound on this furtherin Mosiah 15: “God himself shall come down among the children of men…” / “The flesh becoming subject to the Spirit.” / “He will take upon him the pains and sicknesses of his people.”
v. 5: We have all gone astray
Isaiah 53:6: Universal sin → universal need for a Redeemer and the law alone cannot save. Christ carries our iniquity — the core point Abinadi is proving. He uses this to dismantle the priests’ reliance on the Law of Moses without Christ.
v. 6: The Messiah will be silent before His accusers: Christ’s meekness = fulfillment of prophecy. He literally stays silent before the Sanhedrin (Matthew 26:57-69)
v. 7: Cut off from the land of the living: Christ must die, His death is for ourtransgressions. He is not just a teacher, but a sacrificial redeemer.
v. 8: Burial with the wicked and the rich: Literally fulfilled in Christ’s crucifixion between thieves and burial in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb. More importantly: the Messiah identifies with sinners. He dies innocently
v. 9: His suffering is God’s will — for our salvation: Christ’s suffering is divinely ordained, He is the sin offering and the Law of Moses sacrifices point to Him.
v. 10: He will see His seed — resurrection and spiritual offspring: Abinadi interprets “His seed” in Mosiah 15 as: “the prophets and those who have believed in his words.” This is critical: Christ’s “seed” are the people redeemed through His Atonement — including Alma, who is listening.
v. 11. Justification by the knowledge of Christ: Through Christ’s Atonement we are justified. This is the doctrine of grace in the Book of Mormon. The law alone cannot justify. Christ is the one mediator
v. 12. He bears the sins of many and intercedes: He mediates between God and man and he advocates for sinners. His suffering leads to victory over sin and death.
v.1 Yea, even doth not Isaiah say: Who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
Clearly Jesus fills this role: Because after Christians began using Isaiah 53 as a key proof-text for Jesus, medieval rabbis (especially Rashi, 11th century) shifted the standard interpretation to:
The servant = Israel.
This became the dominant view in Rabbinic Judaism for:
But historically, it was not the only view — and may not have been the earliest one.
SUMMARY OF JEWISH VIEWS
1. Modern Jewish view: Isaiah 53 = Israel (collective servant)
2. Ancient Jewish view (pre-Christian & early Rabbinic): Isaiah 53 = The Messiah (a suffering, atoning individual)
1. Targum Jonathan (Aramaic paraphrase of the Prophets)
This ancient Jewish translation paraphrases Isaiah 53 as the Messiah:
“My servant the Messiah shall prosper…”
It explicitly inserts “the Messiah” into the passage.
2. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 98b)
One rabbi refers to the Messiah as:
“The Leper Scholar,”
based on Isaiah 53:4 — “surely he has borne our diseases.”
The Talmud applies Isaiah 53 to a single suffering Messianic figure.
3. Midrash Rabbah (5th century)
Interprets parts of Isaiah 53 as relating to the Messiah’s suffering for Israel’s sins.
4. Zohar (Jewish mystical text)
Explicitly connects Isaiah 53 to the sufferings of the Messiah who bears the sins of the world.
5. Early Jewish commentators (pre-Rashi)
Many saw Isaiah 53 as describing:
3. Some Jewish mystical/medieval views: The passage applies to a righteous individual who atones for others (not necessarily Jesus, but still messianic in type).
Clearly Jesus fills this role: Because after Christians began using Isaiah 53 as a key proof-text for Jesus, medieval rabbis (especially Rashi, 11th century) shifted the standard interpretation to:
The servant = Israel.
This became the dominant view in Rabbinic Judaism for:
- theological reasons
- polemical reasons
- apologetic reasons
But historically, it was not the only view — and may not have been the earliest one.
SUMMARY OF JEWISH VIEWS
1. Modern Jewish view: Isaiah 53 = Israel (collective servant)
2. Ancient Jewish view (pre-Christian & early Rabbinic): Isaiah 53 = The Messiah (a suffering, atoning individual)
1. Targum Jonathan (Aramaic paraphrase of the Prophets)
This ancient Jewish translation paraphrases Isaiah 53 as the Messiah:
“My servant the Messiah shall prosper…”
It explicitly inserts “the Messiah” into the passage.
2. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 98b)
One rabbi refers to the Messiah as:
“The Leper Scholar,”
based on Isaiah 53:4 — “surely he has borne our diseases.”
The Talmud applies Isaiah 53 to a single suffering Messianic figure.
3. Midrash Rabbah (5th century)
Interprets parts of Isaiah 53 as relating to the Messiah’s suffering for Israel’s sins.
4. Zohar (Jewish mystical text)
Explicitly connects Isaiah 53 to the sufferings of the Messiah who bears the sins of the world.
5. Early Jewish commentators (pre-Rashi)
Many saw Isaiah 53 as describing:
- Messiah son of Joseph, a suffering messiah
- or Messiah son of David
- or a righteous individual
- Rabbi Moshe Kohen ibn Crispin (14th century) said the “Servant” is not Israel, but a righteous individual suffering for others.
- Nachmanides (Ramban, 13th century) argued in debate with Christians that the passage could apply to the Messiah.
3. Some Jewish mystical/medieval views: The passage applies to a righteous individual who atones for others (not necessarily Jesus, but still messianic in type).
v. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Peter's favorite scripture
When my brother was on his mission in the Philippines, his testimony of the savior really impacted me. I had never seen such a strong faith from my brother and it made me want to serve a mission as well. Something that I have admired about my brother is that he has such a strong testimony of the atonement of Christ and despite his own shortcomings or difficulties, he is true to that knowledge of the love of the savior. His mission and his testimony has shown me the strength that comes from relying on God in our trials.
Peter's favorite scripture
When my brother was on his mission in the Philippines, his testimony of the savior really impacted me. I had never seen such a strong faith from my brother and it made me want to serve a mission as well. Something that I have admired about my brother is that he has such a strong testimony of the atonement of Christ and despite his own shortcomings or difficulties, he is true to that knowledge of the love of the savior. His mission and his testimony has shown me the strength that comes from relying on God in our trials.