Therefore
will I give him a portion with the great, and he will divide the plunder with the strong; because he poured out his soul to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Isaiah 53:12
Isaiah 53 [4.] Surely he has borne our sickness,
and carried our suffering;
yet we considered him plagued,
struck by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions.
He was crushed for our iniquities.
The punishment that brought our peace was on him;
and by his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray.
Everyone has turned to his own way;
and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed,
yet when he was afflicted he didn’t open his mouth.
As a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and as a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he didn’t open his mouth.
He was taken away by oppression and judgment;
and as for his generation,
who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living
and stricken for the disobedience of my people?
They made his grave with the wicked,
and with a rich man in his death;
although he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
Isaiah 53 [10.] Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him.
He has caused him to suffer.
When you make his soul an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring.
He will prolong his days,
and Yahweh’s pleasure will prosper in his hand.
After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light and be satisfied.
My righteous servant will justify many by the knowledge of himself;
and he will bear their iniquities.
Therefore will I give him a portion with the great,
and he will divide the plunder with the strong;
because he poured out his soul to death,
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Isaiah 54 [1.] “Sing, barren, you who didn’t give birth;
break out into singing, and cry aloud, you who did not travail with child:
for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife,” says Yahweh.
Meaning:
This is the final verse of Isaiah’s fourth Servant Song, which describes a righteous Servant of the Lord who suffers and dies for the sins of others. After the descriptions of his rejection and death, the song ends in victory. God rewards his Servant, and the reason is given: he gave himself completely for sinners.
- “A portion with the great… the plunder with the strong”
The picture is of a victorious king sharing the spoils after battle. The Servant who seemed defeated is honoured among the mighty. Paul describes the same reversal: because Jesus was obedient to death, “God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name” (Philippians 2:9).
- “He poured out his soul to death”
The Servant did not merely die; he gave his life freely, emptying himself like a drink offering poured out. Jesus said that he came “to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
- “Was numbered with the transgressors”
The Servant was counted among criminals. When Jesus was arrested he asked, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to seize me?” and added, “this is so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled” (Mark 14:48-49). Later, “there were two robbers crucified with him, one on his right hand and one on the left” (Matthew 27:38).
- “Yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors”
He was counted as a sinner, yet he was carrying the sins of others. The verse before says, “My righteous servant will justify many by the knowledge of himself; and he will bear their iniquities” (Isaiah 53:11). And he prays for those who wrong him. The Servant not only dies for sinners but pleads with God on their behalf.
The Significance of Isaiah 53:12
- Victory through sacrifice
God’s way to glory passed through humiliation and death. The cross was not Jesus’ defeat but the path to his exaltation.
- Counted with sinners for sinners
Jesus was willing to be numbered with the guilty so that the guilty could be counted righteous. No one is too sinful to be included in the “many” for whom he died.
Cross-References:
Isaiah 53:5: "But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities." The Servant’s substitution.
Mark 10:45: "For the Son of Man also came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Life given for many.
Mark 14:49: "But this is so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled." Jesus treated as a robber.
Conclusion: Isaiah 53:12 concludes the song of the Suffering Servant with his reward: God gives him a share with the great because he poured out his life to death, was counted among transgressors, bore the sin of many and interceded for the guilty. Jesus fulfilled this when he was arrested like a robber, crucified between criminals, and gave his life for sinners. The verse proclaims both the depth of his humiliation and the certainty of his triumph.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible