Isaiah 53:10
“Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →God's will was accomplished through the servant's suffering, and his self-offering as a sin-sacrifice brings him everlasting fruit and the fulfillment of the LORD's purpose.
Context
Pleased (chaphets) means to delight or take pleasure, not to enjoy cruelty but to accomplish purpose; soul (nephesh) means the whole person; offering for sin uses the technical language of the Temple sacrifice system; the reversal at the end, he shall see his seed, prolong his days, speaks to resurrection and eternal fruitfulness.
What Does Isaiah 53:10 Mean?
This verse is hard to hear: it pleased the LORD to bruise the servant. Not cruelty, but purpose. The crushing of the servant accomplishes what nothing else could accomplish. When we read further, we understand: the soul of the servant becomes an offering for sin. The sacrifice he makes transforms him. He dies, but death is not the end. He shall see his seed, not biological descendants, perhaps, but spiritual children, those born from his self-gift. He shall prolong his days, not in a linear way, but in the way that one life, fully given, echoes into eternity. The pleasure of the LORD prospers in his hand because the hand that was pierced becomes the hand that dispenses grace.
The pleasure of God is not in pain for its own sake but in redemption accomplished. And the servant's pleasure, what he desires, is fulfilled. He came to lose his life to save the lives of many, and he succeeds. Every person who turns from their wandering, every heart healed by his stripes, every soul forgiven through his offering, these are the seed he shall see. His work does not end at the tomb. It ends in the endless multiplication of grace.
In the Original Language
chaphets (חפץ), 'pleased/desired' -- to take satisfaction in or to delight in; also used of willing or choosing
Application
God is not indifferent to our suffering, but he is willing to use even our deepest pain for redemption if we place it in his hands. The servant's suffering bore fruit precisely because it was consecrated as an offering. Our own crosses, when taken up in faith, can become means of grace for others.