Isaiah 53 6

Isaiah 53:6 kjv

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 nkjv

All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:6 niv

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:6 esv

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned ? every one ? to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:6 nlt

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God's paths to follow our own.
Yet the LORD laid on him
the sins of us all.

Isaiah 53 verses

Isaiah 53 6 meaning

Isaiah 53:6 powerfully encapsulates humanity's universal sinfulness and God's provision for salvation through the Suffering Servant. It declares that all people, akin to straying sheep, have chosen their own self-serving paths, diverging from God's righteous way. In response to this universal transgression, the Lord sovereignly orchestrated for the collective moral guilt and penalty ("iniquity") of humanity to be supernaturally placed upon this blameless Servant. This act represents the core of substitutionary atonement, where the innocent bears the sin of the guilty.

Isaiah 53 6 Context

Isaiah 53:6 is a pivotal verse within the fourth of Isaiah's four "Servant Songs" (Isaiah 52:13-53:12), which detail the suffering, death, and exaltation of the Messiah, referred to as the Suffering Servant. Coming after a description of the Servant's silent endurance of suffering (v. 1-5), verse 6 shifts the focus to the reason for His suffering: the universal sinfulness of humanity. The preceding verses highlighted His vicarious pain, endured for our transgressions. The chapter serves as a profound explanation for why the blameless Servant would be rejected and executed, revealing it was part of God's redemptive plan to deal with human sin. Historically, the audience (primarily Israel, then later all humanity) would be challenged by the notion that their Messiah, traditionally viewed as a triumphant warrior, would fulfill prophecy through such humiliation and sacrifice, reorienting their understanding of salvation. It indirectly countered contemporary views that prosperity indicated God's favor and suffering indicated divine displeasure or punishment for personal sin, by showing innocent suffering for the sin of others.

Isaiah 53 6 Word analysis

• All we: The Hebrew kullānū (כֻּלָּנוּ) signifies totality and universality. It emphasizes that this condition applies to every single human being, leaving no one excluded.
• like sheep: kaṣṣōn (כַּצֹּאן) is a vivid simile comparing humanity to sheep. Sheep are often depicted as foolish, easily led astray, lacking self-preservation, and defenseless without a shepherd, making it an apt metaphor for humanity's spiritual vulnerability and lack of direction.
• have gone astray: tāʿīnū (תָּעִינוּ) means to wander off, stray, be led astray, or err. It implies a departure from a known and right path, moving towards a place of danger or loss. It suggests both intellectual error and moral deviation.
• we have turned every one: pānīnū īsh (פָּנִינוּ אִישׁ) literally means "we have turned, each man/individual." This emphasizes the deliberate and individual nature of the straying, a personal decision and orientation away from God.
• to his own way: lĕdarkô (לְדַרְכּוֹ) signifies following one's personal inclination, will, or path, rather than God's designated path (derekh Adonai). This is the essence of sin: self-autonomy and rejection of divine authority, preferring human wisdom and desires.
• and the LORD: waYHWH (וַיהוָה) introduces the divine initiative. This is not an accident or human orchestration, but God's sovereign act. YHWH highlights His covenant faithfulness and power.
• has laid on him: hiphgîaʿ bô (הִפְגִּיעַ בּוֹ). This verb means "to strike, hit," or "to cause to fall upon." In this context, it speaks of God causing the iniquity to strike or fall upon the Servant, an active, deliberate transfer or imputation of sin. It highlights God's agency in the atonement.
• the iniquity: ʿăwôn (עֲוֹן) refers to perversity, guilt, wrongdoing, or punishment for iniquity. It's more than just a misdeed; it's the distortion, the crookedness, and the ethical rebellion that flows from sin, along with its full moral consequences.
• of us all: kullānū (כֻּלָּנוּ). The repetition of "us all" bookends the verse, first highlighting the universal nature of sin, and then the universal scope of the sin that the Servant bore, linking human depravity directly to the Servant's substitutionary suffering.

Word-Group Analysis

• All we like sheep have gone astray: This phrase powerfully establishes universal human depravity and errancy, using a widely understood pastoral image. It underlines humanity's inherent tendency to wander off the divine path without proper guidance. The straying is not accidental but inherent, flowing from our nature.
• we have turned every one to his own way: This expands on the straying, identifying it not just as accidental loss of direction, but as a deliberate act of choosing individualistic paths against God's will. It highlights the self-centered nature of sin, where each person determines their own moral compass.
• and the LORD has laid on him: This marks a profound theological shift. Despite humanity's comprehensive sin, the initiative for salvation comes from God, not humanity. It asserts divine sovereignty over the atonement, indicating that the Servant's suffering was a predetermined divine act.
• the iniquity of us all: This specifies the content of the transfer. It wasn't just physical pain, but the full weight and consequence of universal human moral corruption that was divinely imputed to the blameless Servant. This clarifies the substitutionary nature of the Servant's work, carrying the guilt and penalty of every human sinner.

Isaiah 53 6 Bonus section

The active verb "has laid on him" (הִפְגִּיעַ בּוֹ) underscores God's personal, direct involvement in the atonement. It wasn't just a passive allowance of suffering but a divinely purposed and initiated act of imputation, demonstrating that redemption is ultimately a work of God. The Suffering Servant, through this divine transaction, becomes the focal point where both human depravity and divine grace meet. This imputation principle (where the iniquity of humanity is credited to the Servant, and the Servant's righteousness is credited to believers, as seen in New Testament interpretations) forms the bedrock of New Covenant theology, explaining how sinful humans can be reconciled to a holy God without compromising His justice.

Isaiah 53 6 Commentary

Isaiah 53:6 forms the theological heart of the Suffering Servant's mission. It starts by starkly portraying humanity's universal spiritual lostness—every person, without exception, is likened to a sheep that has deliberately strayed from God's intended path, pursuing self-directed desires rather than divine truth. This foundational truth establishes the dire need for intervention. The second half of the verse presents the divine solution: the sovereign God (the LORD, YHWH) actively orchestrates the placement of this vast, collective human ʿăwôn (iniquity, moral evil, guilt, and its consequences) upon the Suffering Servant. This is the cornerstone of substitutionary atonement, where the innocent stands in the place of the guilty, absorbing the spiritual and moral debt of all humanity. The verse emphasizes that this act is entirely God's initiative and provision, transforming human rebellion into divine reconciliation. It implies complete forgiveness and removal of the legal and moral consequences of sin for those who embrace the Servant's work.