Will the Servant “See Light”? A Reexamination of the 'ôr Variant in Isaiah 53:11

The Servant, in the book of Isaiah (Isa), is one of the most intriguing figures in the prophetic Scriptures. Many people have stood in awe of the book's prophecy, either because of its virtual theological un-precedence in ancient literature, or because of its seemingly correlation with Jesus of Nazareth. It is truly profound to think that an ancient writer viewed one person's suffering as a means for the iniquities of many to be lifted from them (Isa 53:12). How does the famous “he will see light” ("ôr and phõs) textual variant in Isa 53:11 of the Septuagint (LXX) and the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) expound upon and further explain the Servant"s suffering? It will be argued that the “he will see light” variant in Isa 53:11 is the most probable Urtext based on the structure of the poetic canticle in Isa 52:13-53:12 and that this variant suggests that the author of this passage believed the Servant would be resurrected after having suffered unto death. One may wish to argue that this is the less likely reading because of the two internal “canons” of textual criticism: (1) Lectio difficilior potior; and (2) Lectio brevior potior. Although these two “canons” do rule out “light” as the Urtext of Isa 53:11, thus making the internal and external evidence at odds with one another, the “canons” do not hold true in this instance because authorial skill and clarity must be taken into account. Isa 52:13-53:12 is perhaps the best poetry in the entire Hebrew Bible, written with the most skilled hand, thus it seems completely improbable that a poet of such skill would be so negligent as to leave out a direct object