Appendix E: Rabbinic Sources

This appendix compiles the most significant Jewish interpretive sources on Isaiah 53, as referenced in the Antiquity chapter (Chapter 3) of this study. For each source, the full quotation or extensive excerpt is provided, along with the date of composition, the section referenced, and a brief contextual note explaining its significance for the healing-in-the-atonement discussion.

These sources span from the first century AD (Targum Jonathan) through the medieval period (Rashi). Together, they trace the trajectory of Jewish interpretation of Isaiah 53 --- from a messianic reading that predates Christianity to the corporate-Israel reading that became dominant in the medieval period.

1. Targum Jonathan on Isaiah 52:13—53:12

Source: Targum Jonathan on the Prophets Date of compilation: Final written form likely c. 2nd century AD or later; incorporates traditions that may extend to the 1st century or earlier Language: Aramaic

The Targum Jonathan is the most important Jewish interpretive document for our study. It does two things simultaneously: it explicitly identifies the Servant as the Messiah, and it systematically removes the suffering from the Messiah, reassigning it to the nations or to Israel’s enemies. The following verse-by-verse comparison shows both moves.

Verse-by-Verse Comparison

Isaiah 52:13

Hebrew (MT/KJV): “Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.”

Targum: “Behold, my servant the Messiah shall prosper; he shall be exalted and increase, and shall be very strong.”

The Targum inserts “the Messiah” directly into the text. This is an explicit messianic identification.

Isaiah 52:14

Hebrew (MT/KJV): “As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men.”

Targum: “As the house of Israel looked to him during many days, because their countenance was darkened among the peoples, and their complexion beyond the sons of men.”

The suffering is transferred from the Servant/Messiah to Israel. In the Hebrew, the Servant’s visage is marred. In the Targum, it is Israel’s appearance that is darkened among the nations.

Isaiah 53:3

Hebrew (MT/KJV): “He 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.”

Targum: “Then the glory of all the kingdoms shall be despised and shall cease; they shall be feeble and mourning, behold, as a man of sorrows and appointed for sicknesses; and as when the face of the Shekinah was withdrawn from us, they are despised and not esteemed.”

The suffering is redirected from the Servant to the Gentile kingdoms. In the Hebrew, the Servant is despised and acquainted with grief. In the Targum, it is the kingdoms that are feeble and mourning.

Isaiah 53:4

Hebrew (MT/KJV): “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.”

Targum: “Then he shall pray on behalf of our transgressions, and our iniquities shall be pardoned for his sake, though we were accounted stricken, smitten before the Lord, and afflicted.”

This is a critical verse for the healing question. The Hebrew says the Servant “hath borne our griefs [choliy] and carried our sorrows [makob].” The Targum replaces this with the Messiah praying on behalf of transgressions and pardoning iniquities. The physical-sickness language disappears entirely. The Targum reads the verse as about intercession for sin, not about the bearing of sickness.

Isaiah 53:5

Hebrew (MT/KJV): “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 healed.”

Targum: “But he shall build the sanctuary that was profaned for our transgressions and given up for our iniquities; and by his teaching his peace shall be upon us, and when we follow his words our transgressions shall be forgiven us.”

This is perhaps the most striking transformation in the entire Targum. The Hebrew’s language of physical suffering and physical healing --- “wounded… bruised… chastisement… stripes… healed” --- becomes language of building, teaching, and forgiveness. The Messiah in the Targum is not wounded; he builds the Temple. He is not bruised; he teaches. The healing is not through his stripes but through following his instruction.

Isaiah 53:7

Hebrew (MT/KJV): “He 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.”

Targum: “He was praying, and he was answered, and before he even opened his mouth he was accepted. The mighty ones of the peoples he shall deliver up like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a ewe that is dumb before her shearers, and there shall be none before him opening the mouth and saying a word.”

In the Hebrew, the Servant is silent before his slaughterers. In the Targum, the Messiah delivers up the mighty ones of the peoples like lambs to slaughter. The suffering has been completely inverted: the Messiah does not suffer --- he conquers.

Isaiah 53:10

Hebrew (MT/KJV): “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.”

Targum: “And it was the will of the Lord to refine and to purify the remnant of his people, in order to cleanse their soul from transgressions; they shall see the kingdom of their Messiah, they shall increase sons and daughters, they shall prolong days; and those who observe the Law of the Lord shall prosper by his will.”

In the Hebrew, the LORD bruises the Servant and makes his soul an offering for sin. In the Targum, the LORD refines and purifies the remnant of his people. The Messiah does not suffer; the people are refined. The sacrificial dimension is eliminated.

What the Targum Reveals

The Targum confirms that a messianic reading of Isaiah 53 was an established Jewish tradition --- it identifies the Servant as “my servant the Messiah” in the very first verse. But it also reveals that the concept of a suffering Messiah was deeply problematic for Jewish interpreters. The Targum’s systematic removal of suffering from the Messiah shows that the idea of a Messiah who is wounded, bruised, and killed was too difficult to accept. The Targum resolves this difficulty by keeping the messianic identity and removing the suffering.

For the healing question specifically, the Targum eliminates both the physical-sickness language of verse 4 and the physical-healing language of verse 5. In its place, it offers intercession, forgiveness, teaching, and obedience. The Targum does not read Isaiah 53 as having anything to do with physical healing.

2. Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b --- “The Leper Scholar”

Source: Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin, folio 98b Date of compilation: c. 5th—6th century AD (incorporates earlier traditions) Translation: Adapted from Soncino/Steinsaltz editions

This passage occurs in a discussion about the name and nature of the Messiah. Different rabbis propose different names:

The Rabbis said: His name is “the leper scholar,” as it is written, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted” [Isaiah 53:4].

The discussion then continues with a narrative:

Rav said: [The Messiah] --- what is he like? --- He is like the leper scholar. As it was taught: Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi found Elijah standing at the entrance to the cave of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai… He said to him: “When will the Messiah come?” He said to him: “Go and ask him yourself.” “Where is he sitting?” “At the entrance to the city.” “And what are his signs?” “He is sitting among the poor who suffer from sicknesses. All of them untie and retie [their bandages] all at once, but he unties and reties one at a time, saying: ‘Perhaps I will be needed; I must not be delayed.’”

[Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi] went to [the Messiah] and said to him: “Peace upon you, my master and teacher.” He said to him: “Peace upon you, son of Levi.” He said: “When will the master come?” He said to him: “Today.” … [Later, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said to Elijah:] “He lied to me, for he said he would come today, and he has not come.” [Elijah] said to him: “This is what he said to you: ‘Today --- if ye will hear his voice’ [Psalm 95:7].”

Contextual note: This passage is extraordinary for several reasons. It explicitly applies Isaiah 53:4 to the Messiah. It identifies the Messiah as a figure afflicted with sickness (leprosy). And it describes the Messiah sitting among the sick, binding his own wounds. The Messiah does not heal sickness from a distance; he is identified with sickness. He sits among those who suffer.

The physical-sickness dimension is preserved: this is not an allegorical reading. The rabbis understood the “griefs and sorrows” of Isaiah 53:4 as including physical sickness, and they connected this to the Messiah.

However, the Talmudic reading differs from the Christian reading in an important way. In Sanhedrin 98b, the Messiah is not suffering for others in a substitutionary sense --- he is sitting among the sick, identified with them. The substitutionary dimension that is central to the Christian reading of Isaiah 53 is largely absent from the Talmudic passage.

3. Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 93b --- Messianic Expectations

Source: Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin, folio 93b Date of compilation: c. 5th—6th century AD Translation: Adapted from Soncino/Steinsaltz editions

This passage discusses the Messiah’s ability to judge by scent rather than by sight, drawing on Isaiah 11:3:

Bar Koziba reigned for two and a half years. He said to the Rabbis: “I am the Messiah.” They said to him: “Of the Messiah it is written that he smells and judges [based on Isaiah 11:3 --- ‘and shall make him of quick understanding (literally: ‘smell’) in the fear of the Lord’]. Let us see whether he can smell and judge.” When they saw that he could not judge by scent, they killed him.

Contextual note: This passage illustrates the rabbinic expectation that the Messiah would possess extraordinary discernment. While it does not directly address Isaiah 53 or healing, it contributes to the broader picture of messianic expectations: the Messiah was expected to be a figure of supernatural ability, not one who merely taught or governed. The passage also shows the seriousness with which messianic claims were tested in rabbinic tradition. Bar Koziba (Simon bar Kokhba) was initially acclaimed as Messiah but was rejected when he failed to demonstrate the expected messianic capabilities.

4. Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 5a --- Yissurim shel Ahavah (Chastisements of Love)

Source: Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Berakhot, folio 5a Date of compilation: c. 5th—6th century AD Translation: Adapted from Steinsaltz edition

This passage develops the concept that suffering can be a sign of God’s special love rather than punishment:

Rava, and some say Rav Chisda, said: If a person sees that suffering comes upon him, let him examine his deeds, as it is said: “Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD” [Lamentations 3:40]. If he examined his deeds and found no sin, let him attribute it to neglect of Torah study, as it is said: “Happy is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law” [Psalm 94:12]. And if he attributed it to that and still did not find cause, they are surely chastisements of love (yissurim shel ahavah), as it is said: “For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth” [Proverbs 3:12].

Rava said in the name of Rav Sechora, who said in the name of Rav Huna: Whoever the Holy One, blessed be He, desires, He crushes with suffering, as it is said: “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief” [Isaiah 53:10]. One might think this is so even if he does not accept them [the sufferings] with love. Therefore it says: “When his soul makes an offering for sin” [Isaiah 53:10]. Just as an offering must be made with the consent of the owner, so too suffering must be accepted with consent.

Contextual note: This passage is significant for two reasons. First, it quotes Isaiah 53:10 and applies it to the theology of suffering --- the righteous may suffer as an expression of God’s love, not as punishment for sin. This concept provides an alternative framework for understanding suffering that neither attributes sickness to personal sin nor promises healing as an automatic right.

Second, the yissurim shel ahavah concept resonates with several New Testament passages that present suffering in a positive light (Romans 5:3—5; James 1:2—4; 1 Peter 1:6—7; 2 Corinthians 12:7—10). It provides a counter-framework to any theology that treats all sickness as either sin’s penalty or faith’s failure.

5. Rashi’s Commentary on Isaiah 53 (c. 1040—1105 AD)

Source: Commentary of Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (Rashi) on Isaiah Date: c. 1040—1105 AD Translation: Adapted from standard editions

Rashi’s commentary on Isaiah 53 marks the decisive turning point in mainstream Jewish interpretation. He identifies the Suffering Servant not as the Messiah but as the nation of Israel.

On Isaiah 52:13

“Behold, my servant shall prosper” --- At the end of days, my servant Jacob, meaning the righteous among Israel, shall prosper.

On Isaiah 53:3—4

“He was despised” --- The people of Israel were despised in the eyes of the nations… “Surely he hath borne our griefs” --- The meaning is: We thought that he [Israel] was stricken, that God had afflicted him for Israel’s own sins. But this was not so; rather, he was wounded for our transgressions --- the suffering which should have come upon us was borne by him.

The nations shall say of Israel: Surely the sickness that should have come upon us, he bore; and the pain that we should have suffered, he endured. But we thought that he was stricken by God for his own sins, not knowing that he was afflicted for our transgressions.

On Isaiah 53:5

“But he was wounded for our transgressions” --- The nations will confess that the people of Israel were wounded and crushed because of the sins of the nations. The chastisement that should have come upon the nations, to bring them peace, was laid upon Israel; and through Israel’s wounds, the nations were healed.

On Isaiah 53:10

“Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him” --- It pleased the Lord to crush and afflict him [Israel] with suffering. If his soul shall acknowledge his guilt, then he shall see offspring and prolong his days.

The Logic of Rashi’s Reading

Rashi’s interpretation is internally coherent. It draws on the fact that Israel is repeatedly called God’s “servant” throughout Isaiah 40—55 (Isaiah 41:8, 44:1, 44:21, 45:4, 48:20, 49:3). He reasons that since the servant in the surrounding context is Israel, the servant in Isaiah 52:13—53:12 should also be Israel.

In Rashi’s reading:

The “Servant” = the nation of Israel (specifically the righteous within Israel)
The “we” who speak = the Gentile nations
The suffering = Israel’s experience of exile and persecution
The “healing” = the nations’ eventual recognition that Israel suffered vicariously on their behalf

Rashi’s Impact

Rashi’s commentary became the dominant Jewish interpretation of Isaiah 53. Before Rashi, messianic readings were well-attested (Targum Jonathan, Talmud Sanhedrin 98b). After Rashi, the corporate-Israel reading became mainstream in Judaism and remains so today. His influence was so substantial that subsequent Jewish commentators who disagreed with him (including some who maintained elements of the messianic reading, such as Alshich and Ibn Crispin) felt compelled to address his interpretation before offering their own.

6. The Interpretive Trajectory

The Jewish sources collected in this appendix trace a clear arc:

Timeline

Period	Source	Reading of Isaiah 53	Messiah Suffers?	Physical Healing?
1st—2nd c. AD	Targum Jonathan	Messianic --- “my servant the Messiah”	No --- suffering reassigned to nations	No --- replaced by teaching/forgiveness
5th—6th c. AD	Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b	Messianic --- “the leper scholar”	Yes --- Messiah is among the sick	Not as atonement provision
5th—6th c. AD	Talmud, Berakhot 5a	Applied to righteous sufferers	Yes --- suffering as divine love	Suffering is purposeful, not a sign of faithlessness
11th c. AD	Rashi	Corporate Israel --- “my servant Jacob”	Not the Messiah; Israel suffers	”Healing” = nations’ restoration
Post-Rashi	Mainstream Judaism	Corporate Israel (dominant)	---	---

The Arc of the Shift

Pre-Christian and early period: The messianic reading was well-established. The Targum confirms this by inserting “the Messiah” directly into the text, even while sanitizing the suffering.
Talmudic period: Messianic readings persisted alongside other interpretations. Sanhedrin 98b’s “leper scholar” passage preserves a messianic reading that includes the Messiah’s identification with physical sickness.
Medieval period: Rashi’s corporate-Israel reading became dominant. The shift was driven by both internal textual factors (the servant-Israel language in Isaiah 40—55) and external pressure from Christian apologetics that used Isaiah 53 as a central messianic proof text.
Modern period: The corporate-Israel reading remains the standard Jewish interpretation. Some modern Jewish scholars acknowledge the messianic elements in the passage or hold that it operates on multiple levels, but the mainstream reading follows Rashi.

What the Trajectory Proves and Does Not Prove

It proves that the messianic reading is ancient. The identification of Isaiah 53’s Servant with the Messiah did not originate with Christianity. It is attested in the Targum Jonathan and in the Babylonian Talmud. When Christians applied Isaiah 53 to Jesus, they were drawing on an existing Jewish interpretive tradition.

It proves that the shift away from the messianic reading correlates with Christianity’s use of the passage. The timing is significant: the corporate-Israel reading gained dominance after Christianity adopted the messianic reading as its central proof text. This does not prove that the shift was caused solely by Christian pressure --- internal factors also contributed --- but the correlation is strong.

It does not prove that healing is in the atonement. Even if the original reading was messianic, this does not automatically resolve the physical-vs-spiritual healing question. A messianic reading of Isaiah 53 is compatible with a purely spiritual understanding of “healed” in verse 5. The identity of the Servant tells us who suffers; it does not, by itself, tell us what the healing includes.

It does not prove that the corporate-Israel reading is wrong. The corporate reading has genuine textual support and addresses real interpretive challenges. The fact that it gained prominence partly in response to Christian claims does not invalidate it as an interpretation.

Note on the Concept of Yissurim shel Ahavah

The rabbinic concept of yissurim shel ahavah (“chastisements of love”) deserves special attention because it provides a theological framework for suffering that is neither the healing-in-the-atonement position nor the “suffering as punishment” position. In this framework:

Suffering is not necessarily caused by personal sin
Suffering is not necessarily a sign of inadequate faith
Suffering can be a mark of God’s special love and attention
Suffering refines character, deepens faith, and prepares the soul for greater reward
Suffering should be accepted with consent, as an offering

This concept resonates with the Christian “already/not yet” framework and with New Testament teaching on the redemptive purpose of suffering (Romans 5:3—5; 2 Corinthians 4:17; 1 Peter 1:6—7). It provides a perspective that honors both the reality of suffering and the goodness of God, without requiring either the claim that all sickness is a failure of faith or the claim that all sickness should be immediately healed.

The rabbinic tradition thus contributes a nuanced perspective to the healing debate --- one that takes suffering seriously without treating it as God’s final word, and one that trusts God’s purposes without demanding that those purposes always include physical deliverance in this life.