The Meaning of Isaiah 53:1 Explained

Isaiah 53:1

KJV: Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

YLT: Who hath given credence to that which we heard? And the arm of Jehovah, On whom hath it been revealed?

Darby: Who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of Jehovah been revealed?

ASV: Who hath believed our message? and to whom hath the arm of Jehovah been revealed?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Who hath believed  our report?  and to whom is the arm  of the LORD  revealed? 

What does Isaiah 53:1 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Isaiah marveled at the message that the Lord had revealed to him, that he and the Israelites were to declare to the world as lights to the nations ( Isaiah 42:6; Isaiah 43:10-12; cf. Isaiah 53:3-6; Isaiah 16:6; Isaiah 24:16; Isaiah 42:24; Isaiah 52:15; Isaiah 64:5-6; John 12:38; Romans 10:16). It was almost unbelievable.
"It [1] does not demand a negative answer, but is designed simply to call attention to the paucity of true believers in the world and especially among the Jews." [2]
The prophet also was amazed that the Lord had revealed His arm to His people. When the Lord would bare His arm to save humankind ( Isaiah 51:9-10; Isaiah 52:10; Isaiah 63:12), that manifestation of His strength was not at all impressive. We might say that when God rolled up His sleeve, the arm that He exposed was not the powerful arm of a weight lifter but a very ordinary looking arm. Nevertheless that arm would prove to be stronger than any other arm. The Arm of the Lord appears here as a person distinct from the Lord Himself, namely, the Servant of the Lord.
"When God made the universe, He used His fingers ( Psalm 8:3), and when He delivered Israel from Egypt, it was by His strong hand ( Exodus 13:3). But to save lost sinners, He had to bare His mighty arm!" [3]

Context Summary

Isaiah 53:1-12 - The Rejected And Suffering Redeemer
The common lot of man may be summed up in three words: suffering, sin, and death. Our Lord, the Divine Servant, presents a notable exception to the rest of the race-not in His sufferings, Isaiah 53:3; not in His death, for He died many deaths in one, Isaiah 53:9, r.v. margin, but in His perfect innocence and goodness. His sufferings were due to sins not His own, Romans 5:8. We must make His soul our guilt offering, Isaiah 53:10, r.v. margin. It is the same word as is used in Leviticus 5:1-16. There is no need to summon the aid of another. Do it for yourself!
Jesus shall one day be satisfied. In the glory that shall accrue to the Father; in the redemption of untold myriads; in the character of the redeemed; in the destruction of the results of the Fall, we shall hear His sigh of content and see the triumph on His face. We shall witness His transference of the kingdom to the Father, 1 Corinthians 15:24. We shall behold the satisfactory termination of the mystery of evil. If He is satisfied, we shall be! [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 53

1  The prophet, complaining of incredulity, excuses the scandal of the cross
4  By the benefit of his passion
10  And the good success thereof

What do the individual words in Isaiah 53:1 mean?

Who has believed our report and the arm of Yahweh to whom has been revealed
מִ֥י הֶאֱמִ֖ין ؟ לִשְׁמֻעָתֵ֑נוּ וּזְר֥וֹעַ יְהוָ֖ה עַל־ מִ֥י ؟ נִגְלָֽתָה

הֶאֱמִ֖ין  has  believed 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַן 
Sense: to support, confirm, be faithful.
؟ לִשְׁמֻעָתֵ֑נוּ  our  report 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common plural
Root: שְׁמוּעָה  
Sense: report, news, rumour.
וּזְר֥וֹעַ  and  the  arm 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: זְרֹועַ  
Sense: arm, forearm, shoulder, strength.
יְהוָ֖ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
מִ֥י  whom 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: מִי  
Sense: who?, whose?, whom?, would that, whoever, whosoever.
؟ נִגְלָֽתָה  has  been  revealed 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: גָּלָה  
Sense: to uncover, remove.