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how do other old testament prophets speak about vicarious suffering or atonement?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Isaiah 53:4-5

Surely he has borne our sickness, and carried our suffering; yet we considered him plagued, struck by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was on him; and with his stripes we are healed.

The prophet Isaiah wrote these words to the people of Judah, likely during a time of national crisis or exile (8th-6th century BCE). This particular section, often called the 'Suffering Servant' passages, describes a figure who suffers unjustly on behalf of others.

What does it look like to acknowledge another's suffering as connected to one's own well-being?

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Read alongside it

  • Leviticus 16:21-22

    Describes the scapegoat bearing the sins of the community into the wilderness.

  • Psalm 22:14-18

    A lament that speaks of intense suffering and abandonment, echoing themes of affliction.

  • Jeremiah 31:31-34

    Prophesies a new covenant where sins are remembered no more, hinting at a profound resolution to the problem of sin.

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