Isaiah 53:2
“For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.”
King James Version
The Servant's humble, unattractive appearance with no royal form — the incarnate Christ's unimpressive humanity.
Fulfillment References
Mark 6:3 Luke 2:7 John 1:14
How Traditions Read This Prophecy
Apostolic (Oneness) PentecostalThe Servant grows up 'as a tender plant... no form nor comeliness... no beauty that we should desire him.' God came not in royal splendor but in lowliness — the carpenter of Nazareth (Mark 6:3), the Word made flesh in humility (John 1:14). The hidden glory of God was veiled in an ordinary man, the Lord Jesus.
JewishThe servant's unremarkable, despised appearance; traditional Jewish reading often identifies the servant of Isaiah 53 with suffering Israel rather than an individual Messiah.
CatholicThe hidden, humble beginnings of Christ — no earthly majesty — fulfilling the Servant Song.
ProtestantThe Messiah's lowly, unattractive estate (no royal beauty), fulfilled in Jesus' humble life.
AcademicPart of the fourth Servant Song; the servant's identity (Israel, a prophet, or an individual) is the classic interpretive debate.
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Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, PhD · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.