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The Passion of the Christ — Isaiah 53:5

Accurate Film 2004

The verse is real and is quoted accurately. The interpretation of Isaiah 53 as a prophecy specifically of Jesus is the dominant Christian reading; Jewish scholarship reads the passage differently.

Context — what the work shows

The film's opening title card displays Isaiah 53:5 — "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; by His stripes we are healed." The verse frames the entire film, especially the extended scourging sequence.

Claimed reference

Isaiah 53:5, presented in the KJV-style English of the title card.

Actual reference

Isaiah 53:5 (BSB): "But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed."

What the text actually says

Isaiah 53:5 (BSB): "But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed." The fuller "Servant Song" runs from Isaiah 52:13 through 53:12.

Verdict

The verse itself is quoted accurately. The interpretation — that Isaiah 53 prophesies the suffering of Jesus specifically — is the dominant Christian reading and the one the film deploys. Jewish scholarly tradition generally reads Isaiah 53's "suffering servant" as referring to the nation of Israel collectively or to a specific historical figure (often Cyrus, or a prophet). This entry documents both readings without adjudicating.

The verse on the title card

The film opens with Isaiah 53:5 in the foreground. The KJV-style English on the card reads:

“He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities. By his wounds we are healed.”

The wording matches the KJV closely. The BSB renders the same Hebrew slightly differently:

“But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5, BSB)

The verse is real, and the rendering is faithful to the Hebrew. The film does not invent.

The interpretive question

Isaiah 53 sits inside the so-called “Servant Songs” (Isaiah 42, 49, 50, 52:13–53:12). The identity of the “Servant” is one of the most discussed questions in biblical interpretation.

The dominant Christian reading, going back to the New Testament itself (Acts 8:32–35; 1 Peter 2:22–25; Matthew 8:17), identifies the Suffering Servant with Jesus. The atonement theology of the New Testament rests heavily on this identification. The Passion of the Christ deploys this reading.

The dominant Jewish reading, going back at least to the medieval commentators Rashi and Ibn Ezra, identifies the Servant with the nation of Israel — a collective figure whose suffering during the exile and after is described prophetically. A minority Jewish tradition reads the Servant as a specific historical figure (sometimes Cyrus, sometimes a prophet, sometimes Moses).

Modern critical scholarship splits along several lines: some read the Servant as Israel; some as a representative Israelite figure; some as the prophet himself; some leave the identity deliberately ambiguous.

What this entry documents

The film quotes the verse accurately. The interpretation it deploys is the Christian one. The Jewish reading and the range of scholarly readings are different. QuotesFromBible records the verse, the film’s use of it, and the spread of interpretive traditions without adjudicating between them.

For the full lexical and translation treatment, see the future passage entry on Isaiah 53.