Is 53:2
- Is 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
he, him He, the child, will grow up before Him, God.
Tender plant literally is 'sucking' as a suckling. We call new shoots 'suckers', however it is used of nursing a child. This is a prophecy that the one who is not a mere man (from Is 53:1) will be a child.
root literally is the root of a plant, but also refers to the lowest part or bottom and is translated as deep .
root out of dry ground is a Remez reference to Israel coming out of Egypt.
- Ps 80:8 ¶ Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.
- Ps 80:9 Thou preparedst [room] before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.
ground is the word for earth. Isaiah extends his Remez reference to Genesis by saying that he is the root out of the formless desolate earth. It is a prophetic claim that the one spoken of would be the very source of Life, made particularly interesting when connected with the firmament/foundation and root/foundation. He is the firmament; the source of life.
no form the word shares a subroot meaning 'light' which represents God's holiness. The one will not look like God. His holiness was hidden. To the Jewish leaders he was an abomination by breaking the Sabbath and claiming to be God. They did not think he was holy.
We shall see him but not honor him prophesies of Pauls statement:
- Ro 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [him] not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
In the reference Isaiah is declaring that the historical circumstances of Israel are prophetic riddle for the one who is not a mere man. He is 'like' Israel coming out of Egypt. Jesus, the Word/water of God was born into a world were there was not Word/water. It was dry ground. Israel was the witness/word of God, which came out of Egypt which was desolate.
- Is 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
BP: God will be a child, the source of life in a desolate world, but we will not recognize him as God since his holiness will be hidden and we will not honor him because he is not pleasant to look at.
