Isaiah 53 isn't about physical appearance.
1. "No form" (תֹּאַר – to’ar)
Meaning: To’ar refers to appearance, form, or shape, not specifically beauty or ugliness.
Translation Insight: The phrase "no form" means Jesus didn't have a striking, notable appearance that would attract admiration. It doesn’t imply He was ugly but suggests His appearance wasn’t remarkable by human standards for a king.
Key Point: To’ar shows that Jesus didn’t have the expected physical majesty or royal stature, not whether He was beautiful or not.
2. "No comeliness" (הָדָר – hadar)
Meaning: Hadar refers to splendor, majesty, or royal beauty, not personal beauty.
Translation Insight: "No comeliness" means Jesus lacked the external glory people expected from a ruler. It doesn't suggest He was unattractive, but rather that He didn't have the royal appeal expected of a king.
Key Point: Hadar emphasizes that Jesus didn’t have the outward majesty of a grand, conquering king—His mission was humble, not about physical beauty.
3. "No beauty that we should desire him"
“No beauty”: The word yapheh (יָפֵה) means beauty, pleasantness, or desirability—the kind of attraction that makes someone desirable.
“Desire”: Chafetz (חָפֵץ) means to desire or take pleasure in something appealing.
Translation Insight: The phrase "no beauty that we should desire him" doesn’t mean Jesus was unattractive. It simply means people didn’t desire Him because He lacked the earthly beauty or royal appeal they were expecting. They rejected Him because He didn’t meet their image of a king.
Key Point: Yapheh refers to worldly attraction—people didn’t desire Jesus because He didn’t fit their expectations of what a king’s appearance should be, not because He was physically unattractive.