Isaiah 53:7

He was oppressed and he was afflicted The first verb ("oppressed") may summarize the preceding account of the Servant's afflictions (Dillmann), but more probably it introduces a feature not previously adverted to, namely, the outrages inflicted on the Servant by his contemporaries, in consequence of their false judgement of him. It denotes harsh, cruel and arbitrary treatment, such as that of a slave-driver towards those who are under him (Exodus 3:7; Job 3:18), and is nowhere employed of God's action towards men. The second verb is shewn by the form of sentence to be a contrast to the first, and must therefore be rendered as in R.V.: yet he humbled himself (cf. Exodus 10:3, "How long dost thou refuse to humble thyself…?). And as this is the main idea of the verse, the meaning may best be brought out if we translate the first two lines thus:

Though oppressed, he was submissive

and opened not his mouth.

Cf. Psalms 38:13-14; Psalms 39:9.

he is brought … dumb Two relative sentences, to be rendered with R.V.

as a lamb (lit. "sheep") that is led to the slaughter,

and a sheep (lit. "ewe") that before her shearers is dumb.

Comp. Jeremiah 11:19: "I was like a gentle lamb that is led to the slaughter."

so(R.V. "yea") he openeth not his mouth in the Hebr. an exact repetition of the second line. Since the tetrastich is complete without it, the clause may possibly have been inserted through an error in transcription.