Description

Isa 53 is one of the Old Testament texts which is most important for the understanding of the New Testament. In his study, Fredrik Hagglund presents a new interpretation of what problem Isa 53 addresses and seeks to answer. The interpretation is based on a hypothesis that conflicts emerged between the people in the land of Israel and those who returned from exile. The author analyzes these conflicts with the help of contemporary refugee studies, other texts of the Old Testament, and also relevant passages in Isa 40-55. Isa 53 gives an explanation of how the people in the land of Israel, i.e. the "we," should have received those who returned, i.e. the servant. If this embrace had taken place, Mother Zion would have rejoiced, as described in Isa 54. Instead of these pictures painted for us in Isa 53 and 54, we encounter the reality of the conflicts described in Isa 56-66.