Who is the Suffering Servant?

Who is the Suffering Servant?

From Biblical Time Machine by Helen Bond & Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

April 13, 2026 · 29 min

About this episode

The episode explores the identity of the 'suffering servant' in Isaiah and its interpretations in both Christian and Jewish contexts.

Christians have long read the 'suffering servant' of Isaiah in reference to Jesus. But how did that connection come about? Was the servant originally a messianic figure who dies for sins? And how have Jews read the servant through history, all the way from Isaiah and Daniel to the present day? To answer these questions, Helen and Lloyd are joined by Amy Jill-Levine, the Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Hartford International Un...

People in this episode

Hosts: Helen Bond, Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

Guest: Amy Jill-Levine

Topics covered

  • suffering servant
  • Isaiah
  • messianic figure
  • Christianity
  • Jewish interpretation
  • historical context

Keywords

  • suffering servant
  • Isaiah
  • Jesus
  • messianic figure
  • Jewish studies
  • Christianity
  • Amy Jill-Levine

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Isaiah, Daniel

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