The speakers confess that they saw nothing attractive in God’s servant. Although this verse uses some of the terms found in 52.14, there is no direct mention of the physical abuse against him.
For he grew up before him like a young plant: The Hebrew particle ki rendered For is probably an emphatic marker, so it may be rendered “Indeed.” Good News Translation and several other versions leave it implied. The pronoun he refers to the servant, while the pronoun him points to the LORD. Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, Bible en français courant, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch make both these pronouns explicit. He grew up before him means the servant grew up in a close relationship with the LORD. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “he has grown, by His favor,” and Contemporary English Version has “the servant grew up obeying the LORD.” Good News Translation says “It was the will of the LORD that his servant grow” (similarly Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), but this rendering is too free to serve as a good model.
The Hebrew word rendered young plant refers to a shoot (technically called a “sucker”) that grows from the roots of an established tree. Such a growth is usually cut away to allow the main tree to grow stronger. By using the simile like a young plant, the speakers compare the servant to a very small and weak shoot. But in some cultures a young plant may hint at a vigorous, healthy plant. To make it clear that this simile symbolizes weakness, Bible en français courant has “as a simple shoot.”
And like a root out of dry ground: This simile is similar in meaning to the first one. Since water is necessary for a new plant to flourish, the dry ground implies that the new plant will have to struggle to survive. So both similes suggest some hardship as the servant grew up, despite having Yahweh’s favor. For this simile Bible en français courant has “as a poor plant that comes out of dry ground.” Good News Translation combines both similes, saying “like a plant taking root in dry ground.” Revised English Bible is similar with “like a young plant whose roots are in parched ground.”
He had no form or comeliness that we should look at him is literally “no form [belonged] to him and no splendor/majesty and we should look at him,” which means the servant was not attractive physically in any way. As in 52.14, form refers to his physical appearance. In this context Good News Translation, New International Version, and Revised English Bible say “beauty.” The Hebrew term rendered comeliness refers to something appealing to the sight, but can also point to “dignity” (Good News Translation) or “majesty” (New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, Revised English Bible; see 2.10, where it is translated “glory”). So there was nothing “majestic” about him to call attention to himself. New American Bible combines form and comeliness into “stately bearing.” Good News Translation renders that we should look at him as “to make us take notice of him,” and Revised English Bible says “to catch our eyes.” For this whole line Bible en français courant has “He didn’t have the appearance or the kind of beauty that make people look.”
And no beauty that we should desire him is parallel and synonymous with the previous line. Beauty is literally “appearance,” the term found in 52.14. There was nothing in the servant’s appearance that made him attractive. Most versions avoid the verb desire, because it may have some unwanted overtones. Translators should choose an expression that suggests a lack of attractiveness or charm. It should not imply any passionate attachment. For this line Revised English Bible has “no grace to attract us to him,” Good News Translation says “There was nothing attractive about him, nothing that would draw us to him,” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh uses “No charm, that we should find him pleasing,” and New Jerusalem Bible translates “no beauty to win our hearts.”
Some languages may need to combine the last two lines of this verse to avoid undue repetition or redundancy.
Translation examples for this verse are:
• He grew up in the LORD’s presence like a young weak plant,
like a root growing in arid ground.
He had no dignity or bearing such that we would want to look at him,
nothing attractive about him that was charming.
• He grew up in the LORD’s favor like a young sapling,
[he grew] like a root in parched ground.
Nothing about him was irresistibly attractive;
he had no charm that would make us want to befriend him.
Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .