Isaiah 53:4
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Within the Servant Song of Isaiah 53, this verse explains that the servant's suffering was on behalf of others, even though onlookers misjudged it as divine punishment.
What Does Isaiah 53:4 Mean?
Isaiah 53:4 declares that the servant carried griefs and sorrows that were not his own but ours. The word "surely" marks a turning point of realization: the speakers had misread the servant's suffering, but now they understand its meaning. His pain was substitutionary -- he "borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows," taking up burdens that belonged to others.
The tragic irony is that onlookers had judged him wrongly. They "esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted," assuming his suffering was deserved punishment from heaven. They could not see that he was suffering for them, not for his own faults. This reversal lies at the heart of the chapter: what looked like a man cursed was in fact a man bearing the weight others should have borne. The New Testament applies this verse to Jesus, both in His healing ministry and supremely in His atoning death. Even on its own terms, the verse teaches a costly grace -- one who lifts the load of others while being misunderstood and condemned for it. The griefs were ours; the bearing was his. To grasp this is to begin to understand the depth of what was accomplished on our behalf.
In the Original Language
The Hebrew nasa' means to lift up or bear away, and sabal means to carry a heavy load; both stress that the servant took up burdens belonging to others.
Cross References
“That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.”
- Matthew 8:17
“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”
- 1 Peter 2:24
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
- Isaiah 53:6
Application
Recognize that the servant willingly carried burdens that were yours, and let that move you to gratitude rather than to judging suffering by appearances.