Servant Songs

Biblical Text and Content

"Servant Songs" is a collective name for four poems in Isaiah 40–55 concerning a figure whom God calls "my servant." The expression does not appear in the biblical text itself; it is a name given by scholars. It came into wide use after the German Old Testament scholar Bernhard Duhm set these four passages apart in his 1892 commentary on Isaiah. Scholars differ somewhat on where each passage begins and ends, but the following four are commonly identified.

• First Song (Isaiah 42:1-4): The servant, chosen by God and endowed with His Spirit, brings forth justice to the Gentiles. The servant does not cry out; "a bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench."
• Second Song (Isaiah 49:1-6): The servant speaks in his own voice. Called from the womb, he not only restores the tribes of Jacob but also becomes "a light to the Gentiles," bringing salvation to the end of the earth.
• Third Song (Isaiah 50:4-9): The servant, given "the tongue of the learned," endures beatings and spitting without turning away, confident of God's help.
• Fourth Song (Isaiah 52:13–53:12): The despised and rejected servant bears the transgressions and sins of others, suffering and dying in their place. In the end, however, he is exalted and justifies many. This passage is also referred to separately as the Suffering Servant.

Background

The Hebrew word for "servant," ebed, is used both for a king's officials and for those entrusted with God's work, such as Moses and David. Isaiah 40–55 addresses the comfort and return of Israel during the Babylonian exile, and it also mentions the Persian king Cyrus by name (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1). Views differ on the authorship of this section. Historical-critical scholars regard it as the work of "Second Isaiah" (Deutero-Isaiah), another prophet writing during the exile. Conservative evangelical scholars hold that the prophet Isaiah of the eighth century BC wrote it, foreseeing future events.

Reception in the New Testament

The New Testament applies the Servant Songs to Jesus Christ. Matthew 12:18-21 quotes the First Song. Many interpreters also see a resemblance between Isaiah 42:1 and the heavenly voice heard at Jesus' baptism (Matthew 3:17). Paul and Barnabas cited Isaiah 49:6 as the basis for their mission to the Gentiles (Acts 13:47). The Fourth Song is quoted especially often. Philip used this passage to proclaim Jesus to the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:32-35), and 1 Peter 2:22-25 likewise draws on this song to explain the sufferings of Christ.

Interpretation and Issues

• Who is the servant?: Isaiah 49:3 calls the servant "Israel." On this basis, Jewish interpretation since the Middle Ages has generally read the servant as the suffering people of Israel. Some Aramaic translations (the Targums), however, are known to interpret the servant of 52:13 as the Messiah. Protestant denominations generally hold that the Servant Songs were fulfilled in Jesus. Scholars differ, however, on whether to read these songs as direct prophecies pointing to Jesus from the outset or as texts with an original historical meaning that were fully realized in Christ.
• "We are healed": Interpretations differ concerning the "healing" of Isaiah 53:5 ("with his stripes we are healed"). Pentecostal churches, appealing to Matthew 8:16-17, hold that it includes physical healing (divine healing) along with the forgiveness of sins. Other denominations generally read it, in light of the context of 1 Peter 2:24, as restoration from sin.
• The text and later embellishments: The phrase "he hath no form nor comeliness" in Isaiah 53:2 is sometimes taken as a description of Jesus' actual appearance. The text, however, is poetic language and does not describe any specific physical features.

In the Korean Church

Isaiah 53 is frequently read and preached in services during Holy Week and on Good Friday. Verses from Isaiah 53 also appear as lyrics in Part II of Handel's oratorio Messiah, which church choirs sometimes perform around Christmas.