Isaiah 53:5
He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities — and by his wounds we are healed.
But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed.
What Isaiah 53:5 means
Isaiah writes centuries before the crucifixion, describing a servant who suffers not for his own wrongdoing but for other people’s. Every clause makes the same exchange: his wounds, our peace.
The New Testament writers return to this passage more than almost any other when explaining what happened at the cross. Memorised, it holds the heart of the gospel in the language of substitution — someone standing where we should have stood.
Related topics
Questions about Isaiah 53:5
What does Isaiah 53:5 mean?
It describes a servant wounded and crushed in the place of others, so that the punishment bringing them peace fell on him — and by his wounds they are healed.
Why do Christians read Isaiah 53 as being about Jesus?
Because the New Testament writers do. The chapter is quoted and applied to Jesus repeatedly, including by Philip in Acts 8, who begins from this passage to explain the good news.