Attributed commentary excerpt
Barnes' Notes on Isaiah 53:9
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Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · 19th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
And he made his grave with the wicked - Jerome renders this, Et dabit impios pro sepultura et divitem pro morte sua. The Septuagint renders it, ‘I will give the wicked instead of his burial (ἀντὶ τῆς ταφῆς anti tēs taphēs), and the rich in the place, or instead of his death’ (ἀντὶ τοῦ θανάτου anti tou thanatou). The Chaldee renders it, ‘He will deliver the wicked into Gehenna, and the rich in substance who oppress, by a death that is destructive, that the workers of iniquity may no more be established, and that they may no more speak deceit in their mouth.’ The Syriac renders it beautifully, ‘the wicked gave a grave.’ Hengstenberg renders it, ‘They appointed him his grave with the wicked (but he was with a rich man after his death); although he had done nothing unrighteous, and there was no guile in his mouth.’ The sense, according to him, is, that not satisfied with his sufferings and death, they sought to insult him even in death, since they wished to bury his corpse among criminals. It is then incidentally remarked, that this object was not accomplished. This whole verse is exceedingly important; and every word in it deserves a serious examination, and attentive consideration. It has been subjected to the closest investigation by critics, and different interpretations have been given to it. They may be seen at length in Rosenmuller, Gesenius, and Hengstenberg. The word rendered ‘he made’ (נויתן vayitēn, from נתן nâthan) is a word of very frequent occurrence in the Scriptures. According to Gesenius, it means: 1. To give, as: (a) to give the hand to a victor; (b) to give into the hand of anyone, that is, the power; (c) to give, that is, to turn the back; (d) to give, that is, to yield fruit as a tree; (e) to give, that is, to show compassion: (f) to give honor, praise, etc.: (g) to give into prison, or into custody. 2. To sit, place, put, lay; (a) to set before anyone; (b) to set one over any person or thing; (c) to give one’s heart to anything; that is, to apply the mind, etc. 3. To make; (a) to make or constitute one as anything; (b) to make a thing as something else. The notion of giving, or giving over, is the essential idea of the word, and not that of making, as our translation would seem to imply; and the sense is, that he was given by design to the grave of the wicked, or it was intended that he should occupy such a grave. The meaning then would be: And his grave was appointed with the wicked; But he was with a rich man in his death - Although he had done no wrong, Neither was there any guile in his mouth. But who gave, or appointed him? I answer: 1. The word may either here be used impersonally, as in Psalms 72:15. ‘to him shall be given,’ margin, ‘one shall give,’ Ecclesiastes 2:21, meaning, that someone gave, or appointed his grave with the wicked; that is, his grave was appointed with the wicked; or, 2. The phrase ‘my people’ (עמי ‛ammı̂y) must be supplied; my people appointed his grave to be with the wicked; or, 3. God gave, or appointed his grave with the wicked. It seems to me that it is to be regarded as used impersonally, meaning that his grave was appointed with the wicked; and then the sense will be, that it was designed that he should be buried with the wicked, without designating the person or persons who intended it. So it is correctly rendered by Lowth and Noyes, ‘His grave was appointed with the wicked.’ With the wicked - It was designed that he should be buried with the wicked. The sense is, that…
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