Isaiah 53:1

“Who has believed our message? And the arm of YHWH, upon whom has it been revealed?”
Isaiah 53:1 · direct translation from the Hebrew

Study it in the app

With the Hebrew beneath

Whoמִיhas believedהֶאֱמִיןour message?לִשְׁמֻעָתֵנוּAnd the armוּזְרוֹעַof YHWH,יְהוָהupon whomעַל מִיhas it been revealed?נִגְלָתָה

Quotation · John 12:38

Go to John 12:38

John quotes it when he says that many did not believe in Jesus, though he had done so many signs (12:37). John begins with “Lord,” which is not in the Hebrew.

Formula: ἵνα ὁ λόγος Ἠσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου πληρωθῇ ὃν εἶπεν “so that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke” (John 12:38)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: ἵνα ὁ λόγος Ἠσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου πληρωθῇ ὃν εἶπεν Κύριε τίς ἐπίστευσεν τῇ ἀκοῇ ἡμῶν καὶ ὁ βραχίων κυρίου τίνι ἀπεκαλύφθη

Hebrew (Masoretic text): מִי הֶאֱמִין לִשְׁמֻעָתֵנוּ וּזְרוֹעַ יְהוָה עַל מִי נִגְלָתָה

Septuagint (Isaiah 53:1 in the Septuagint numbering): Kύριε, τίς ἐπίστευσεν τῇ ἀκοῇ ἡμῶν; καὶ ὃ Κυρίου τίνι ἀπεκαλύφθη;

The Greek of the NT matches the Septuagint word for word in 7 consecutive words: “τίς ἐπίστευσεν τῇ ἀκοῇ ἡμῶν καὶ ὁ.”

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Quotation · Romans 10:16

Go to Romans 10:16

Paul quotes only the first question, beginning with “Lord,” which is not in the Hebrew.

Formula: Ἠσαΐας γὰρ λέγει “for Isaiah says” (Romans 10:16)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: ἀλλ’ οὐ πάντες ὑπήκουσαν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ Ἠσαΐας γὰρ λέγει Κύριε τίς ἐπίστευσεν τῇ ἀκοῇ ἡμῶν

Hebrew (Masoretic text): מִי הֶאֱמִין לִשְׁמֻעָתֵנוּ וּזְרוֹעַ יְהוָה עַל מִי נִגְלָתָה

Septuagint (Isaiah 53:1 in the Septuagint numbering): Kύριε, τίς ἐπίστευσεν τῇ ἀκοῇ ἡμῶν; καὶ ὃ Κυρίου τίνι ἀπεκαλύφθη;

The Greek of the NT matches the Septuagint word for word in 5 consecutive words: “τίς ἐπίστευσεν τῇ ἀκοῇ ἡμῶν.”

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Isaiah 53:1, word by word

has believedהֶאֱמִיןheemin

believe

To rely on someone and on what they say: Abram with YHWH.

Where else “heemin” appears

our messageשְׁמֻעָתֵshemuate

report, news

Report, news: what one hears said.

Where else “shemuate” appears

And the armזְרוֹעַzeroa

arm

The limb between shoulder and hand; in an animal, the shoulder.

Where else “zeroa” appears

of YHWHיְהוָהyehva

YHWH

The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.

Where else “yehva” appears

has it been revealedנִגְלָתָהniglata

reveal

To make known, show openly.

Where else “niglata” appears

Translation note

John 12:38 and Romans 10:16 quote this verse.

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · John 12:38

John quotes it when he says that many did not believe in Jesus, though he had done so many signs (12:37). John begins with “Lord,” which is not in the Hebrew.

See them side by side

Isaiah 53:1

¹Who has believed our message? And the arm of YHWH, upon whom has it been revealed?

John 12:38

³⁸so that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

Quotation · Romans 10:16

Paul quotes only the first question, beginning with “Lord,” which is not in the Hebrew.

See them side by side

Isaiah 53:1

¹Who has believed our message? And the arm of YHWH, upon whom has it been revealed?

Romans 10:16

¹⁶But not all obeyed the good news; for Isaiah says: Lord, who has believed our message?

The context

1 · This verse (above)

2And he grew up like a young shoot before him, and like a root from a dry land; he had no form nor majesty that we should look at him, nor appearance that we should desire him.

Read all of Isaiah 53

How to use it