Thomas Aquinas Commentary Isaiah 53

1. Who has believed. Here the prophet begins to present the remedies for the aforementioned hindrances.

1. Against their sin, he promises the passion of Christ.
2. Against their humiliation, he promises exaltation: give praise, O you barren (Isaiah 54).
3. Against their poverty, he promises the free enjoyment of goods: all you that thirst (Isaiah 55).

Concerning the first point, he does two things.

1. He shows the loftiness of the mystery, for its message is not easily believed: who has believed our report of these things about Christ which we have heard from you. As it is written, we have heard a rumor (Obadiah 1:1); and, O Lord, I have heard your report, and was afraid (Habakkuk 3:2). Nor is it easily perceived: and to whom is the arm of the Lord—that is, the Son of God, the power of God—revealed? As Job asks, and have you an arm like God? (Job 40:4).
2. He describes the sequence of the event.

2. First, he presents a comparison regarding Christ's exaltation: and he shall rise up—in being born from his mother’s womb, in rising from the dead, in ascending from the earth into heaven, and into the faith of the Gentiles. He will rise up as a tender plant, which grows in height and spreads in width, as stated previously: and there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root (Isaiah 11:1). And regarding his humanity: and as a root out of a thirsty ground, that is, from ground without moisture, which appears unattractive because of its dryness. In the same way, he also arose from his mother without a human father: I am the root and stock of David (Revelation 22:16).

3. Second, he explains the comparison: there is no. This is divided into two parts:

1. Regarding his humiliation.
2. Regarding his exaltation: he was taken away from distress (Isaiah 53:8).

Concerning the first part, he does two things:

1. He describes the humility of Christ.
2. He describes Christ's meekness in the midst of humiliation: he was offered (Isaiah 53:7).

Concerning the humility of Christ, he does three things:

1. He describes the function of his humility.
2. He describes the contempt shown to him in his humiliation: and his look was as it were hidden (Isaiah 53:3).
3. He describes the fruit of his humiliation: but he was wounded (Isaiah 53:5).

4. Concerning the first of these, he does two things. First, Christ’s humility is shown in the concealing of his majesty: there is no form in him, regarding the abundance of interior goodness, nor comeliness, regarding the abundance of exterior goods. Form properly concerns beauty in the symmetry of limbs, while comeliness concerns beauty in the harmony of color and other external features.

Indeed, he had form, for you are beautiful in formSpeciosus forma. DR: “beautiful.” above the sons of men (Psalms 45:2), but it was hidden by the weakness he assumed. He had comeliness, for strength and beauty are his clothing (Proverbs 31:25), but it was hidden by the poverty he embraced. This is why Song of Songs 2:14 says: let your voice sound in my ears: for your voice is sweet, and your face comely. Therefore, we who were then unbelievers and were later converted—in whose person the prophet speaks—have seen him with our own eyes, and there was no magnificent sightliness, according to the saying, the form of Priam is worthy of rule.Porphyry, Isagoge.

5. Second, his humility is shown in the exposure of his weakness, so that we should be desirous of him, eagerly expecting him to come as a great redeemer: behold the desired of all nations shall come (Haggai 2:8). He was expected to be great in dignity, but instead, we saw him despised, without glory, and the most abject of men, because he suffered the most shameful kind of death: let us condemn him to a most shameful death ; I am the most foolish of men (Proverbs 30:2). He was expected to be great in prosperity, but instead, we found him a man of sorrows, as if poor and full of sorrows: O all you that pass by the way, attend, and see if there be any sorrow like to my sorrow (Lamentations 1:12). He was also expected to be great in power, but instead, we found him acquainted with infirmity through experience: for although he was crucified through weakness, yet he lives by the power of God (2 Corinthians 13:4).

6. And his look was as it were hidden. Here the prophet shows the contempt for him in his humiliation.

1. Regarding his majesty, hidden by the removal of honor: as it were hidden, his majesty was hidden under the weakness of the flesh, whereupon we esteemed him not, not giving him the honor that was his due. As it is written, verily you are a hidden God (Isaiah 45:15).
2. Regarding his exposed weakness, the prophet points out the sign of his weakness: truly, as a true man, he has borne—that is, suffered—our infirmities, such as hunger and thirst, and carried our sorrows of the senses, in suffering and sadness. Alternatively, our infirmities—our sins—he has taken from us; or, in our place, he has suffered the punishments for them: he bore our sins in his body upon the tree (1 Peter 2:24). And he describes the contempt: and we have thought him as it were a leper, unclean and a sinner, and therefore struck by God for his own sins (in terms of the punishments he suffered) and afflicted (in terms of the disgraces he endured): for your manifold wickedness and your infinite iniquities (Job 22:5); they abhor me (Job 30:10).

7. Note that on the words, to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? (Isaiah 53:1), Christ is an arm:

• For scourging demons: with the arm of your strength you have scattered your enemies (Psalms 89:10).
• For supporting the weak, as written above: he shall take up the lambs with his arm (Isaiah 40:11).
• For defending the faithful: with his holy arm he will defend them .

8. Also, on the words, tender plant (Isaiah 53:2),Virgultum. note that Christ is a rod:Virga.

• For striking: a star shall rise out of Jacob and a rodVirga. DR: “sceptre.” shall spring up from Israel: and shall strike the chiefs of Moab (Numbers 24:17).
• For supporting: your rod and your staff, they have comforted me (Psalms 23:4).
• For setting things right: the rodVirga. DR: “sceptre.” of your kingdom is a rod of uprightness (Psalms 45:6).

9. Also, on the words, root out of a thirsty ground, note that Christ is a root:

• Because he is hidden: to whom has the root of wisdom been revealed? .
• Because he supplies nourishment: he shall be as a tree that spreads out its roots towards moisture (Jeremiah 17:8).
• Because he supports the entire tree: you do not support the root (Romans 11:18).

10. But he was wounded. Here the prophet describes the fruit of his humiliation, or of his passion. First, he gives the motivating reason: but he was—not as we thought—wounded by thorns, nails, and the lance, for our iniquities, taking them away. He was bruised by scourges and blows. Or, he was wounded corresponds to where the previous verse says, he was struck; and he was bruised corresponds to where it says, afflicted: the breath of our mouth, Christ the Lord, is taken in our sins (Lamentations 4:20).

11. Second, he shows the resulting benefit in the reconciliation of peace: the chastisement of our peace was upon him. That is, he endured the chastisement that brought correction for us, and through this peace we have access to God: for if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son (Romans 5:10). And he shows the benefit in the restoration of our broken spiritual health: by his bruises—which he received from the scourges—we are healed: by whose stripes you were healed (1 Peter 2:24); who forgives all your iniquities: who heals all your diseases (Psalms 103:3).

12. Third, he shows the urgent necessity on our part, for all are sick, and thus all need a physician, and no one else can offer a sufficient remedy. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, since all have sinned and are in need of penance (Romans 3:22–23). All we like sheep have gone astray: for you were as sheep going astray (1 Peter 2:25).Cf. Matthew 9:36.

13. He was offered. Here the prophet shows his meekness in suffering.

1. He describes meekness itself, first regarding his voluntary offering of himself: He was offered to God the Father as a victim for us, because it was his own will: I will freely sacrifice to you (Psalms 54:6). Second, regarding his patient suffering: and he opened not his mouth, as if to contradict or argue. Before Herod, he also answered nothing (Luke 23:9): from the mouth of the Most High (Lamentations 3:38).
2. He presents a comparison: as a sheep to the slaughter, because he was killed without resistance, and as a lamb, because he suffered injury without protest: I was as a meek lamb, that is carried to be a victim (Jeremiah 11:19).

14. Note that on the words, the most abject of men (Isaiah 53:3), Christ was the most abject:

• Because of the bitterness of his sorrow: O all you that pass by the way, attend, and see if there be any sorrow like to my sorrow (Lamentations 1:12).
• Because of the shamefulness of his death: let us condemn him to a most shameful death .
• Because of the greatness of the charge imposed upon him: I am the most foolish of men, and the wisdom of men is not with me (Proverbs 30:2).

15. Also note that on the words, a man of sorrows (Isaiah 53:3), Christ was full of sorrows:

• Because of the necessity of our disease, as written above: from the sole of the foot unto the top of the head, there is no soundness therein (Isaiah 1:6).
• Because of his pouring out of graces: and of his fullness we all have received: and grace for grace (John 1:16).
• Because of our obligation: for to this end Christ died (2 Corinthians 5:15).Cf. Romans 14:9, but St. Thomas rightly looked to 2 Corinthians 5:21.

16. He was taken away from distress. Having described the humility of his passion, the prophet now begins to describe the glory of his exaltation, which is the reward for his passion, as it says in Philippians 2:9: for which cause, God also has exalted him.

This is explained in four points:

1. Regarding his escape from dangers.
2. Regarding vengeance against his enemies: and he shall give the ungodly (Isaiah 53:9).
3. Regarding the justification of humanity: if he shall lay down (Isaiah 53:10).
4. Regarding his victory over the rebellious: therefore will I distribute to him (Isaiah 53:12).

17. Concerning the first point, he does two things.

1. He describes the reward: He was taken away in the resurrection from the distress of his passion and from the unjust judgment by which he was condemned by others: the just is delivered out of distress (Proverbs 11:8).
2. He describes his merit, explaining the worthiness of the one who suffered, so that the merit of the passion is measured by the status of the person. His generation—his eternal generation from a Father without a mother, or his temporal generation from a mother without a father—who shall declare? As if to say: No one can by natural reason, though it is possible to some extent by divine inspiration: who sawVidit. Vg.: videbit. DR: “shall see.” him, and shall declare him? . He describes the suffering inflicted on him: because he is cut off—through death by the Jews—out of the land of the living, that is, from this life: come, let us put wood on his bread, and cut him off from the land of the living (Jeremiah 11:19). And he describes the acceptance of this suffering on the part of God the Father: for the wickedness of my people have I struck him, that is, I allowed him to be struck: Christ also died once for our sins (1 Peter 3:18).

18. And he shall give the ungodly. Here the prophet describes the second point: his vindication against his persecutors.

1. He describes their reward: And he shall give the ungodly—the Jews, into the hands of the Romans—for his burial, because they had him guarded in the tomb: the wicked is delivered up for the just (Proverbs 21:18).
2. He describes his merit regarding the innocence of his life: because he has done no iniquity (regarding sins of deed), neither was there deceit in his mouth (regarding sins of word): who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth (1 Peter 2:22). And regarding the obedience of his death: and the Lord—the Father—was pleased, and he was obedient to the Father to the point of death: becoming obedient unto death (Philippians 2:8); the weakness of God is stronger than men (1 Corinthians 1:25).

19. If he shall lay down. Here the prophet describes the third point: that through him, the justification of humanity was completed.

1. He describes the reward for the sorrow of his death: if he shall lay down his life of his own will—I lay down my life (John 10:17)—he shall see a long-lived seed, that is, sons reborn for him through the power of his death, lasting until the end of the world: unless the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, itself remains alone. But if it die it brings forth much fruit (John 12:24–25). And the will of the Lord shall be directed—that is, fulfilled—in his hand, meaning in his work: this is the will of God, your sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3). And he describes the reward for the labor of his teaching: because his soul has labored in preaching and teaching, he shall see the Gentiles converted to him and be filled, as if having achieved what he intended: I have food to eat that you do not know about (John 4:32).
2. He describes his merit regarding the exercise of his preaching: by his knowledge, that is, by his teaching, many will be justified: justified freelyGratis. Vg. omits. Cf. Romans 3:24. by faith (Romans 5:1); Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life (John 6:68). And regarding the torment of his death: he shall bear their iniquities, that is, the punishments for their iniquities, as written above: I have made you, and I will bear (Isaiah 46:4).

20. Therefore will I distribute. Here the prophet describes the fourth point: his victory over his enemies.

1. He describes the subjection of the enemies: therefore will I distribute to him—as if to say, I will give him his portion—very many who will believe in him. And the spoils of the strong—that is, those held captive by demons—he shall divide among his disciples, setting different disciples over different nations: he shall carry off the treasure of every desirable vessel (Hosea 13:15); the king of powers is of the beloved, of the beloved; and the beauty of the house shall divide spoils (Psalms 68:12).
2. He gives the reason for their subjection, which relates to his death: because he has delivered his soul unto death. And it relates to the kind of death he endured: and was reputed with the wicked: and with him they crucify two criminals (Luke 23:32);Cf. Matthew 27:38. I am counted among them that go down to the pit (Psalms 88:4).
3. He describes the salvation of those made subject to him, for he does not subject them to himself like a tyrant to abuse them, but to save them: and he has borne—that is, taken away—the sins of many (efficaciously, though sufficiently for all), and has prayedOravit. Vg.: rogavit. for the transgressors: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34).