Isaiah 53:5 — Bible Verse Meaning & Context

Isaiah 53:5 reads: "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." — from the Old Testament, Isaiah (Major prophet). The full verse is shown above with both the World English Bible (WEB) and King James Version (KJV) translations side by side.

Isaiah 53:5 is in the book of Isaiah, traditionally attributed to Isaiah son of Amoz and written around c. 740–680 BC. Isaiah is major prophet in the Old Testament, originally addressed to Judah during the Assyrian crisis. Best known for the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53.

Isaiah 53:5 is primarily a Bible verse about Healing. Within Isaiah, Isaiah is the longest prophetic book and is sometimes called "the fifth Gospel" for its detailed Messianic prophecies — the virgin's child (7:14), the government on his shoulder (9:6), and the Suffering Servant of chapter 53 who would be "wounded for our transgressions. Read the full passage above with surrounding context.

Isaiah 53:5 in the World English Bible (WEB) reads: "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.". The King James Version (KJV) reads: "But he was wounded2490 for our transgressions6588, he was bruised1792 for our iniquities5771: the chastisement4148 of our peace7965 was upon him; and with his stripes2250 we are healed7495. wounded: or, tormented stripes: Heb. bruise". The WEB is a modern public-domain translation that updates the KJV's 1611 English while keeping a similar formal-equivalence style. Both render the same underlying Greek or Hebrew text.

Isaiah 53:5 is 29 words in the WEB translation (160 characters), broken into 4 clauses. It is a longer verse, often broken into smaller phrases for memorisation. Estimated reading time is about 9 seconds.

To memorise Isaiah 53:5, split it into its 4 natural clauses and learn one at a time. Repeat the full verse out loud five times, then write it from memory. Saving the verse as a photo wallpaper using our verse image studio helps daily review — the visual association with a memorable background dramatically improves recall.

Isaiah is the longest prophetic book and is sometimes called "the fifth Gospel" for its detailed Messianic prophecies — the virgin's child (7:14), the government on his shoulder (9:6), and the Suffering Servant of chapter 53 who would be "wounded for our transgressions." It opens with judgment and ends with the promise of new heavens and a new earth (66:22). Isaiah 53:5 sits within this larger story — Isaiah as a whole emphasises holiness, judgment, salvation.

Many readers use Isaiah 53:5 as a daily reminder verse — saving it as a phone wallpaper, sharing it on Pinterest, or memorising it for prayer. The verse studio on this page lets you download Isaiah 53:5 on 52 different backgrounds for free. Pair the verse with the surrounding chapter context shown above to understand its full meaning before applying it.