The commentary that follows (in the next 5 posts) seeks to conform to a pattern of observation, interpretation, and application. A few observations will be made about the servant in each section, followed by thoughts that combine interpretation and application. I seek to understand how the original audience understood the words and transition into how present-day believers should understand what was written. Application will flow from the historic and modern interpretation.
The author of the Expositors Bible helpfully points out that the passage can be broken into five parts, “we observe that, as arranged in the Canon, there are fifteen verses in the prophecy. These fifteen verses fall into five strophes of three verses each.”[1] We will use these strophes (or sections) to provide an outline for our study. In consideration of the application of this passage, Tiemeyer points out, “Isa 52:13-53:12 contains three human dramatic personae and that the audience / reader can identify with any one of them. The audience can identify with the “they” in that they are aware of the Servant and ponder his fate. They can also identify with the “we” if they accept that the suffering of the innocent is on their behalf. Finally, they can identify with the Servant, a person who is a complete victim in that he does and says nothing but lets everything happen to him. In this way, the Servant Songs provide a model for the target audience.”[2] These posts discusses application from each of personas while focused primarily on the second.
[1] Smith, George Adam. “The Book of Isaiah. 2 vols. The Expositor’s Bible series.” (1904).
[2] Tiemeyer,
Lena-Sofia. For the Comfort of Zion: The Geographical and Theological Location
of Isaiah 40-55, BRILL, 2010. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/westernseminary-ebooks/detail.action?docID=593762.
Created from westernseminary-ebooks on
2018-12-08 12:58:53.
With Wills 