Isaiah 53:5 Text
King James Version (KJV)
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
World English Bible (WEB)
But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed.
What Isaiah 53:5 Means
This verse belongs to the fourth of Isaiah's Servant songs and describes a figure who suffers for the sake of others. The words wounded and bruised in the KJV, and pierced and crushed in the WEB, point to violent injury, and the verse says it happened because of our transgressions and iniquities, meaning the wrongs of the many, not his own. Chastisement of our peace means the punishment that brought us peace, so the suffering results in wholeness for others. Stripes means the marks of a beating, which the WEB renders as wounds. Healed here is wider than physical cure; in the context of the passage it speaks of restoration from sin and its damage. Christians have long read the passage as pointing to Jesus, and the New Testament quotes it in that way. Jewish interpreters have often understood the Servant as Israel.
Context of Isaiah 53:5
Isaiah was a prophet in Jerusalem in the eighth century BC, though many scholars think chapters 40 to 55 address exiles in Babylon later on. The passage runs from Isaiah 52:13 to 53:12 and describes a servant who is despised, silent before accusers, and finally honored. The New Testament writers, including Peter and the Gospel authors, quote parts of it when explaining the death of Jesus. To read the whole book, see random verse from Isaiah.
How to Apply Isaiah 53:5
This verse can quiet the voice that says you must earn your way back after failing. For those who read it as Christians do, it points to a cost already paid on your behalf. Take a moment to thank God for it, and let it shape how gently you treat others who have also failed.
Related Verses
- 1 Peter 2:24 – Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
- Isaiah 53:4 – Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
- Romans 5:8 – But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
- 2 Corinthians 5:21 – For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Looking for more verses on this theme? Browse Bible Verses About Healing, each with a short note on its context.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does by his stripes we are healed mean?
Stripes refers to the wounds from a beating. The verse says the servant's suffering leads to healing for others. Most Christian readers take the healing as spiritual restoration and forgiveness first, though some also connect it to hope for wholeness more broadly.
Is Isaiah 53:5 about Jesus?
Christians widely believe so, and New Testament writers apply the passage to him, such as 1 Peter 2:24. Many Jewish readers understand the Servant as the people of Israel. The text itself describes a righteous sufferer whose pain benefits others.
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