The Meaning of Isaiah 53:12 Explained

Isaiah 53:12

KJV: Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

YLT: Therefore I give a portion to him among the many, And with the mighty he apportioneth spoil, Because that he exposed to death his soul, And with transgressors he was numbered, And he the sin of many hath borne, And for transgressors he intercedeth.

Darby: Therefore will I assign him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong: because he hath poured out his soul unto death, and was reckoned with the transgressors; and he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

ASV: Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors: yet he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Therefore will I divide  him [a portion] with the great,  and he shall divide  the spoil  with the strong;  because he hath poured out  his soul  unto death:  and he was numbered  with the transgressors;  and he bare  the sin  of many,  and made intercession  for the transgressors. 

What does Isaiah 53:12 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Because of His work and its results, God would exalt the Servant (cf. Philippians 2:9-11; Revelation 5:12). He would give Him a reward with the many great ones whom He justified, and would divide this booty with the many who would become strong by virtue of His work for them (cf. Ephesians 4:8; Ephesians 6:10-17). Another interpretation sees Yahweh giving the Servant the many great ones (believers) as booty, specifically as a token of redemption completed. He would also give the Servant the strong ones (unbelievers) as spoil, which the Servant would dispose of at the proper time. [1]
"The thought is that the servant will be as successful and triumphant in his mission as other victors were in theirs. There are many who are victors and they will receive the spoils of their victory. Among them is the servant." [2]
The reason for the Servant"s exaltation is that He would surrender Himself to death (cf. Matthew 26:38-39; Matthew 26:42) and consent to being numbered among the rebels against God; He would take His place among sinful humans (cf. Matthew 26:50-54; Mark 15:27; Luke 22:37). Yet He would do more than simply identify with the rebels. He would bear their sin (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:21) and intercede for them (cf. Hebrews 7:25). This intercession is more than prayer; it would also involve intervention (cf. Isaiah 59:16; Hebrews 9:12-14).
This final promise of exaltation returns to the thought with which this passage began ( Isaiah 52:13). The Servant"s exaltation is for accomplishing redemption. [3]
Suffering in God"s service is pleasing to God.

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 53:12 mean?

Therefore I will divide a portion Him with the great and with the strong He shall divide the spoil upon that He poured out unto death His soul the transgressors He was numbered and He the sin of many bore and for the transgressors made intercession -
לָכֵ֞ן אֲחַלֶּק־ ל֣וֹ בָרַבִּ֗ים וְאֶת־ עֲצוּמִים֮ יְחַלֵּ֣ק שָׁלָל֒ תַּ֗חַת אֲשֶׁ֨ר הֶעֱרָ֤ה לַמָּ֙וֶת֙ נַפְשׁ֔וֹ פֹּשְׁעִ֖ים נִמְנָ֑ה וְהוּא֙ חֵטְא־ רַבִּ֣ים נָשָׂ֔א וְלַפֹּשְׁעִ֖ים יַפְגִּֽיעַ ס

אֲחַלֶּק־  I  will  divide  a  portion 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: חָלַק 
Sense: to divide, share, plunder, allot, apportion, assign.
בָרַבִּ֗ים  with  the  great 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Adjective, masculine plural
Root: רַב 
Sense: much, many, great.
וְאֶת־  and  with 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: אֵת 
Sense: with, near, together with.
עֲצוּמִים֮  the  strong 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: עָצוּם  
Sense: mighty, vast, numerous.
יְחַלֵּ֣ק  He  shall  divide 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָלַק 
Sense: to divide, share, plunder, allot, apportion, assign.
שָׁלָל֒  the  spoil 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁלָל  
Sense: prey, plunder, spoil, booty.
תַּ֗חַת  upon 
Parse: Preposition
Root: מִתְחָה 
Sense: the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas.
אֲשֶׁ֨ר  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
הֶעֱרָ֤ה  He  poured  out 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָרָה  
Sense: to be bare, be nude, uncover, leave destitute, discover, empty, raze, pour out.
לַמָּ֙וֶת֙  unto  death 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מָוֶת  
Sense: death, dying, Death (personified), realm of the dead.
נַפְשׁ֔וֹ  His  soul 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
פֹּשְׁעִ֖ים  the  transgressors 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: פָּשַׁע  
Sense: to rebel, transgress, revolt.
נִמְנָ֑ה  He  was  numbered 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מָנָה  
Sense: to count, reckon, number, assign, tell, appoint, prepare.
וְהוּא֙  and  He 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
חֵטְא־  the  sin 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: חֵטְא  
Sense: sin.
רַבִּ֣ים  of  many 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: רַב 
Sense: much, many, great.
נָשָׂ֔א  bore 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָשָׂא  
Sense: to lift, bear up, carry, take.
וְלַפֹּשְׁעִ֖ים  and  for  the  transgressors 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: פָּשַׁע  
Sense: to rebel, transgress, revolt.
יַפְגִּֽיעַ  made  intercession 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: פָּגַע  
Sense: to encounter, meet, reach, entreat, make intercession.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation