General Discussion The Messiah and Isaiah 53

[Dana]

"and he being wounded from transgression of us, being crushed from depravities of us." 
Doesn't this actually mean: "But he [was] wounded for our transgressions, [he was] bruised for our iniquities"?
Again, I am only reading and learning.

To continue...

I have a problem with your statement that the Hebrew Bible calls the "servant" - singular spelling "them". Surely that doesn't make sense?
I looked up Isaiah 53:8 in the complete Jewish Bible and found the following:

After forcible arrest and sentencing,

he was taken away;
and none of his generation protested
his being cut off from the land of the living
for the crimes of my people,
who deserved the punishment themselves.
This Bible also mentions "he", singular. Could you please show me the Hebrew Bible translation as there is no mention of "them" here. Admitted this is not the Hebrew Bible.

This again from the Complete Jewish Bible:
Isaiah 43:10
“You are my witnesses,” says Adonai,

“and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you can know and trust me
and understand that I am he —
no god was produced before me,
nor will any be after me.

I'm sorry but I cannot see any plurals here.

But it does make sense if you understand the language of Isaiah 52 and 53 is of a poetic structure.

In the Alcalay Hebrew-English Dictionary, page 1,132, the Hebrew word למו lamo, is translated correctly as "them."  Again, poetic language.  Something the prophets often had done was speak of the Jewish nation in the singular.

  Hosea 14: 6-8, the Hebrew language in poetic form speaks of Israel in the masculine singular.  The prophets never speak of an individual in the plural. So, the use of the Hebrew word "them" reveals that the servant of Isaiah 53 is not a single individual.  You've been provided with some excellent links of Rabbi Singer, Outreach Judaism,  answering much of your questions regarding Isaiah 53.   Keep in mind language such as "depravities" is not in the Hebrew verse and it reveals a Calvinistic Christian slant which was extremely hostile to Jews while very defensive of Original sin and the complete and utter depraved state of mankind after the fall. A concept foreign to Judaism.