Commentaries:
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Isaiah 53:4-9
Jesus shows us that meekness is not a mere contemplative virtue; it is maintaining peace and patience in the midst of pelting provocations. In II Corinthians Paul realizes that the meek and gentle approach can easily appear as weakness to those unfamiliar with Jesus' example, so he calls it "the meekness . . . of Christ." True meekness is always measured by Christ's meekness. His humility, patience, and total submission of His own will to the will of the Father exemplifies meekness.
Martin G. Collins
MeeknessRelated Topics: Christ's Meekness | Humility | Meekness | Meekness of Christ | Patience | Peace | Self Control | Submission to God
Isaiah 53:4
When anah ("afflicted") is used in what is called the niphal stem, it means the pain, trouble, or discomfort is reflexive and thus self-inflicted. In English grammar, "reflexive" means the action of the verb is directed back at the subject. One of the things Isaiah 53:4 is saying, then, is that Christ voluntarily submitted Himself to this affliction.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Pride, Humility, and the Day of AtonementRelated Topics: Afflict | Affliction | Anah | Self-Affliction | Self-Infliction | Submission | Submission to God | Submission to God's Will | Voluntary SubmissionOther Forerunner Commentary entries containing Isaiah 53:4:
Leviticus 23:26-32
Galatians 4:4
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What Does Isaiah 53:4 Mean?
Christ's meekness—His humility, patience, and total submission of His own will to the Father's will—sets the standard against which all meekness is measured. Meekness is not merely a contemplative virtue but the maintaining of peace and patience amid pelting provocations. The Hebrew word anah, meaning "afflicted," appears in the niphal stem, indicating a reflexive action directed back at the subject and thus self-inflicted. This reveals that Christ voluntarily submitted Himself to the affliction described here, embracing it willingly rather than having it merely imposed upon Him.