John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 53:3

"He was despised, and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised; and we esteemed him not." — Isaiah 53:3 (ASV)

Despised and rejected. This verse conveys the same statement as the preceding one: namely, that Christ will be “rejected” by people as a result of their seeing in him nothing but grief and infirmity. These things often needed to be repeated to the Jews, so that they would not form a false conception of Christ and his kingdom. For, in order to know his glory, we must proceed from his death to his resurrection. Many stumble at his death, as if he had been vanquished and overwhelmed by it; but we ought to contemplate his power and majesty in the resurrection. And if anyone chooses to begin with the resurrection, he will not follow the order laid down by the Prophet, nor comprehend the Lord’s strength and power.

We hid the face from him. Not without reason does he use the first person, we; for he declares that there will be a universal judgment, and no one will ever be able to comprehend it by his own understanding until the Lord corrects and forms him anew by his Spirit. Although he appears chiefly to censure the Jews, who ought not to have so haughtily rejected the Son of God promised and offered to them, and therefore counts himself as one of their number because he was an individual belonging to that nation; yet let us learn from this passage that all people are accursed and condemned for ingratitude in despising Christ. This is because they do not even consider him worthy of being looked at, but turn away their eyes as if from something detestable.