Behold, My Servant will prosper;This phrase introduces the Servant, a central figure in Isaiah's prophecies. The term "Servant" is often understood as a reference to the Messiah, who Christians believe is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The concept of prosperity here is not limited to material success but encompasses the fulfillment of God's purposes. The Servant's prosperity is seen in His successful mission to redeem humanity. This aligns with the broader biblical narrative where God's chosen individuals, like Joseph and David, prosper in fulfilling divine purposes despite adversity.
He will be raised and lifted up
This phrase suggests both a physical and metaphorical elevation. In the context of Isaiah, it foreshadows the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, as understood in the New Testament. The language of being "raised" and "lifted up" is reminiscent of the crucifixion, where Jesus was literally lifted on the cross, and His subsequent resurrection and ascension into heaven. This duality of suffering and exaltation is a recurring theme in the prophetic literature, emphasizing the paradox of the Messiah's path to glory through suffering.
and highly exalted.
The exaltation of the Servant signifies His ultimate victory and divine approval. In the New Testament, this is echoed inPhilippians 2:9-11, where Jesus is exalted by God and given the name above every name. The cultural context of exaltation in ancient Near Eastern societies often involved public recognition and honor, which parallels the Christian belief in Jesus' ultimate reign and recognition as Lord by all creation. This exaltation is not only a future event but also a present reality for believers who acknowledge Jesus' lordship.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
The ServantThis refers to the "Servant of the Lord," a prophetic figure in Isaiah, often understood by conservative Christians as a reference to Jesus Christ. The Servant is characterized by wisdom and exaltation.
2.
IsaiahThe prophet who authored the book of Isaiah. He lived in the 8th century BC and delivered messages from God to the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
3.
ExaltationThe event of the Servant being "raised and lifted up," which is interpreted as the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ.
Teaching Points
Wisdom in ActionThe Servant acts wisely, which is a call for believers to seek wisdom in their actions, aligning with God's will and purpose.
Exaltation through HumilityThe path to exaltation is through humility and obedience, as demonstrated by Jesus. Believers are encouraged to follow this example.
Prophetic FulfillmentIsaiah's prophecy points to the life and mission of Jesus, affirming the reliability of Scripture and God's sovereign plan.
Hope in ExaltationThe exaltation of the Servant provides hope for believers, reminding them of the ultimate victory and glory that awaits those who are in Christ.
Call to WitnessAs the Servant is lifted up, believers are called to lift up the name of Jesus in their lives, witnessing to His power and glory.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Isaiah 52:13?
2.How does Isaiah 52:13 foreshadow Jesus' exaltation and ultimate victory?
3.What does "act wisely" in Isaiah 52:13 teach about godly leadership?
4.How does Isaiah 52:13 connect with Philippians 2:9-11 about Christ's exaltation?
5.In what ways can we emulate the servant's wisdom in our daily lives?
6.How does understanding Isaiah 52:13 deepen our appreciation for Christ's redemptive work?
7.How does Isaiah 52:13 foreshadow the coming of the Messiah in Christian theology?
8.Why is the "servant" in Isaiah 52:13 considered significant in biblical prophecy?
9.What does "He will be raised and lifted up" imply about Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Isaiah 52?
11.How does Isaiah 52:13–15’s depiction of a servant “sprinkling many nations” fit scientifically or historically, especially when taken literally?
12.Why do historical records show that many so-called biblical prophecies were written after the fact?
13.What are the Servant Songs in Isaiah?
14.Isaiah 53:5 mentions healing through the servant’s wounds—how can one person’s suffering literally heal others physically or spiritually?What Does Isaiah 52:13 Mean
BeholdThe verse opens with a divine summons to pay attention. When God says “Behold,” He is calling His people to fix their eyes on a truth that cannot be missed. Throughout Scripture, this word signals a moment of revelation—Isaiah 7:14 introduces the virgin birth with the same urgent “Behold,” andJohn 1:29 uses it when John the Baptist declares, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”. Here, God Himself positions what follows as essential: we dare not glance past it.
My ServantGod identifies the One in view as “My Servant,” the promised Messiah foretold in passages likeIsaiah 42:1, “Here is My Servant, whom I uphold”. The New Testament confirms this identity—Matthew 12:18 quotes the Servant prophecies and applies them to Jesus, whilePhilippians 2:7 reminds us that He “emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant”. The term highlights:
• Absolute obedience—Jesus said, “I have come down from heaven not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38).
• Complete dependence—Acts 3:13 speaks of “His Servant Jesus” whom God glorified, underlining that every honor Jesus receives comes from the Father.
Will prosper“Prosper” assures that the Servant’s mission will succeed.Isaiah 53:10 echoes this certainty: “The will of the LORD will prosper in His hand”. His prospering includes:
• A decisive victory over sin—Colossians 2:15 declares that He “disarmed the rulers and authorities… triumphing over them.”
• A redeemed people—Hebrews 12:2 celebrates “the joy set before Him,” the countless believers He brings to glory.
• A kingdom that endures—Daniel 7:14 pictures a dominion that “shall not pass away,” matching the prosperity promised here.
Because Scripture is accurate and literal, we rest in the assurance that not one purpose of Christ will fail.
He will be raisedThe Servant’s prosperity begins with resurrection.Psalm 16:10 prophesied, “You will not abandon my soul to Sheol,” andActs 2:32 confirms, “God has raised this Jesus to life”. Resurrection truths to savor:
• Physical reality—1 Corinthians 15:4 says He “was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”
• Firstfruits promise—1 Corinthians 15:20 calls Him “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep,” assuring our own future resurrection.
• Vindication—Romans 1:4 states He was “declared to be the Son of God with power… by His resurrection.”
And lifted upThe phrase “lifted up” points both to the cross and the ascension. Jesus linked the two when He said, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (John 3:14) and again inJohn 12:32, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to Myself.” Consider:
• The cross—His literal elevation on a Roman stake became the turning point of redemption.
• The ascension—Acts 1:9 records that He “was taken up” before their eyes, signaling His return to heavenly glory.
• Ongoing drawing power—Every generation comes to salvation through the crucified, exalted Christ.
And highly exaltedBeyond resurrection and ascension stands supreme exaltation.Philippians 2:9–11 proclaims, “Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above every name… every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord”. This exaltation involves:
• A throne—Ephesians 1:20–22 depicts Christ seated “far above all rule and authority.”
• A name—Revelation 19:16 reveals “King of kings and Lord of lords” emblazoned on His robe.
• Universal worship—Revelation 5:12 shows heaven crying, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain.”
The literal exaltation fulfills God’s promise inIsaiah 52:13 and guarantees that history moves toward a moment when all creation acknowledges Christ’s supremacy.
summaryIsaiah 52:13 paints a sweeping portrait of the Messiah’s journey:
• God commands us to look: “Behold.”
• He identifies the subject: “My Servant,” none other than Jesus.
• He pledges success: the Servant “will prosper.”
• He assures resurrection power: “He will be raised.”
• He foretells crucifixion and ascension: the Servant “will be lifted up.”
• He promises everlasting glory: the Servant will be “highly exalted.”
Taken literally, the verse traces Christ’s path from obedient service through death and resurrection to the highest throne. Every element has already unfolded or soon will, inviting believers to trust, worship, and proclaim the One whom God has exalted forever.
(13)
Behold, my servant . . .--There is absolutely no connection between
Isaiah 52:12-13, absolutely no break between the close of Isa Iii. and the opening of Isaiah 53. The whole must be treated as an entirely distinct section (all the more striking, from its contrast to the triumphant tone of what precedes it), and finds its only adequate explanation in the thought of a new revelation made to the prophet's mind. That may have had, like other revelations, a starting-point in the prophet's own experience. He had seen partially good kings, like Uzziah and Jotham; one who almost realised his ideal of what a king should be, in Hezekiah. None of these had redeemed or regenerated the people. So far as that work had been done at all, it had been through prophets who spake the word of the Lord and were mocked and persecuted because they spake it. Something like a law was dawning upon his mind, and that law was the power of a vicarious suffering, the might of martyrdom in life and death. Did it not follow from this that that ideal must be wrought out on a yet wider scale in the great work of restoration to which he was looking forward? The Servant of the Lord, in all the concentric developments of the thought which the word implied, the nation, the prophetic kernel of the nation, the individual Servant identifying himself with both, must himself also be made perfect through suffering and conquer through apparent failure. Granting that such a law exists, it will be no wonder that we should find examples of its working both before and after the great fulfilment, in Isaiah himself, in Jeremiah, in the exiles of the captivity, in the heroes of the Maccabean struggle, in the saints and martyrs of the Church of Christ. It remains true that the Christ alone fulfils the idea of the perfect sufferer, as He alone fulfils that of the perfect King. Measuring Isaiah from a purely human stand-point, and by the standard of other poets, this manifold symbolism of "the Servant," will hardly seem strange to the student of literature who remembers the many aspects presented by the Beatrice of Dante, the St. George and Gloriana of Spenser, the Piers Plowman of Langland.
Shall deal prudently.--The words imply, as inJoshua 1:8;Jeremiah 10:21, the idea of prospering. The same verb is used of the "righteous branch" inJeremiah 23:5, and is there so translated.
Shall be exalted.--It is noteworthy that the phrase impressed itself, through the LXX., on the mind of the Christ in reference to His crucifixion (John 3:14;John 8:28;John 12:32), on that of the Apostles in reference to His ascension (Acts 2:33;Philippians 2:9). (Comp.Isaiah 6:1;Isaiah 57:15;Psalm 89:27.) . . .
Verses 13-15. - PRELUDE TO THE "GREAT PASSIONAL." It is generally allowed by modern commentators that this passage is more closely connected with what follows it than with what precedes. Some would detach it altogether from ch. 52. and attach it to ch. 53. But this is not necessary. The passage has a completeness in itself. It is a connecting link. The exaltation of Israel, the collective "Servant of the Lord" (
Isaiah 44:1, 21), brings to the prophet's mind the exaltation of the individual "
Servant" (
Isaiah 42:1-7;
Isaiah 43:10;
Isaiah 49:1-12), through which alone the full exaltation of Israel is possible. He is bound to complete his account of the individual "
Servant" by telling of
his exaltation, and of the road which led to it. This is done in ch. 53, in what has been called the "
Great Passional." But the "
Great Pas-signal" needs a "
prelude," an "introduction," if only as indicative' of its greatness. And this prelude we have here, in these three verses, which briefly note
(1) the fact of the exaltation;
(2) the depth of the humiliation preceding it; and
(3) the far-extending blessedness which shall result to the world from both.Verse 13. -My Servant shall deal prudently; rather,shall deal wisely;i.e. shall so act throughout his mission as to secure it the most complete success. "Wisdom is justified of her children," and of none so entirely justified as of him "in whom were all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hid away" (Colossians 2:3).Exalted and extolled; or,high and lifted up - the same expressions as are used of the Almighty inIsaiah 6:1 andIsaiah 57:15. Even there, however, seems to the prophet rot enough; so he adds, "and exalted exceedingly" (comp.Isaiah 53:10-12 andPhilippians 2:6-9).
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
Behold,הִנֵּ֥ה(hin·nêh)Interjection
Strong's 2009:Lo! behold!My Servantעַבְדִּ֑י(‘aḇ·dî)Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 5650:Slave, servantwill act wisely;יַשְׂכִּ֖יל(yaś·kîl)Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7919:To be, circumspect, intelligentHe will be raisedיָר֧וּם(yā·rūm)Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7311:To be high actively, to rise, raiseand lifted upוְנִשָּׂ֛א(wə·niś·śā)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5375:To lift, carry, takeand highlyמְאֹֽד׃(mə·’ōḏ)Adverb
Strong's 3966:Vehemence, vehemently, wholly, speedilyexalted—וְגָבַ֖הּ(wə·ḡā·ḇah)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1361:To soar, be lofty, to be haughty
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OT Prophets: Isaiah 52:13 Behold my servant shall deal wisely he (Isa Isi Is) 
