He was oppressed, and he was afflicted
He was injuriously treated by the Jews; they used him very ill,
and handled him very roughly; he was oppressed and afflicted,
both in body and mind, with their blows, and with their
reproaches; he was afflicted, indeed, both by God and men: or
rather it may be rendered, "it was exacted", required, and
demanded, "and he answered" F21, or "was afflicted"; justice
finding the sins of men on him, laid on him by imputation, and
voluntarily received by him, as in the preceding verse, demanded
satisfaction of him; and he being the surety of his people, was
responsible for them, and did answer, and gave the satisfaction
demanded: the debt they owed was required, the payment of it was
called for, and he accordingly answered, and paid the whole,
every farthing, and cancelled the bond; the punishment of the
sins of his people was exacted of him, and he submitted to bear
it, and did bear it in his own body on the tree; this clearly
expresses the doctrine of Christ's satisfaction:
yet he opened not his mouth;
against the oppressor that did him the injury, nor murmured at
the affliction that was heavy upon him: or, "and he opened not
his mouth"; against the justice of God, and the demand that was
made upon him, as the surety of his people; he owned the
obligation he had laid himself under; he paid the debt, and bore
the punishment without any dispute or hesitation: "he is brought
as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is
dumb"; or, "as a sheep to the slaughter, and as an ewe before her
shearer" F23; these figurative phrases are
expressive, not only of the harmlessness and innocence of Christ,
as considered in himself, but of his meekness and patience in
suffering, and of his readiness and willingness to be sacrificed
in the room and stead of his people; he went to the cross without
any reluctance, which; when there was any in the sacrifice, it
was reckoned a bad omen among the Heathens, yea, such were not
admitted to be offered F24; but Christ went as willingly to be
sacrificed as a lamb goes to the slaughter house, and was as
silent under his sufferings as a sheep while under the hands of
its shearers; he was willing to be stripped of all he had, as a
shorn sheep, and to be slaughtered and sacrificed as a lamb, for
the sins of his people:
so he opened not his mouth:
not against his enemies, by way of threatening or complaint; nor
even in his own defence; nor against the justice of God, as
bearing hard upon him, not sparing him, but demanding and having
full satisfaction; nor against his people and their sins, for
whom he suffered; see ( 1 Peter 2:23
) .
F21 (hnen awhw vgn) "exigebatur, et ipse respondit", Gataker; "exigitur poena, et ipse affligitur", Junius & Tremellius; "quum illa exigebatur, ipse affligebatur", Piscator; "exigebatur, et ipse submittebatur", Cocceius.
F23 (hxrk-hvk) "sicut ovis----sicut ovis foemina", Gataker; "ut agnus----et ut agna", Cocceius; "instar ovis----et ut agna", Vitringa.
F24 Macrob. Satnrnal. I. 3. c. 5. Plin. Nat. Hist. I. 8. c. 45.