Bible Strands
Isaiah 53:4
Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The collective "we" of Israel speaks retrospectively about the Servant within the Fourth Servant Song (Isa 52:13–53:12), confessing their misreading of his suffering.
The words — נָשָׂא (nāśā', "he bore") and סָבַל (sāḇal, "he carried") are two distinct Hebrew verbs for bearing weight, used in sequence to stress the fullness of what the Servant took on.
The thread — Matthew 8:17 cites this verse directly as fulfilled in Jesus' healing ministry; 1 Peter 2:24 applies it to Christ bearing sins on the cross.
Why it lands — The "we" confess they mistook bearing for punishment; the reader is asked whether they have done the same with someone's suffering.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Cross-references
- 1 Peter 2:24 He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. “By His stripes you are healed.”
- Matthew 8:17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.”
- Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
- 1 John 2:2 He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
- 1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit,
- Isaiah 53:5 But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
- Hebrews 9:28 so also Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him.
- Isaiah 53:11 After the anguish of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities.
- John 19:7 “We have a law,” answered the Jews, “and according to that law He must die, because He declared Himself to be the Son of God.”
- Psalms 69:26 For they persecute the one You struck and recount the pain of those You wounded.