Question: “What does it mean that ‘by His
stripes we are healed’?”
Answer: “Stripes,” (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24) in
the language of the King James Version of the
Bible, and in some others, means “wounds,” as
seen in more modern translations such as the
New International Version. These stripes were
administered by whipping the bare backs of
prisoners whose hands and feet were bound,
rendering them helpless. The phrase “by His
stripes we are healed” refers to the punishment
Jesus Christ suffered—floggings and beatings
with fists that were followed by His agonizing
death on a cross—to take upon Himself all of
the sins of all people who believe Jesus Christ
is Lord and Savior. “I am the way and the truth
and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through me” (John 14:6).
The whips used were made of braided leather,
with pottery shards and sharp stones affixed to
the ends, which tore open the flesh of the
prisoner with each cruel swing of the whip.
When we picture this terrible, inhumane form of
physical punishment we recoil in horror. Yet the
physical pain and agony were not all Jesus
suffered. He also had to undergo the mental
anguish brought on by the wrath of His Father,
who punished Him for the sinfulness of mankind
—sin carried out in spite of God’s repeated
warnings, sin that Jesus willingly took upon
Himself. He paid the total price for all of our
transgressions.
Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the
apostle Peter wrote, “He Himself bore our sins
in His body on the tree, so that we might die to
sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds
you have been healed.” In Isaiah 53, Jesus’
future life on earth was foretold in the clearest
of terms, to include his eventual torture and
death: “But He was pierced for our
transgressions, he was crushed for our
iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace
was upon Him, and by His wounds (stripes) we
are healed” (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24).
Although these two verses are central to the
topic of healing, they are often misunderstood
and misapplied. The word “healed” as translated
from both Hebrew and Greek, can mean either
spiritual or physical healing. However, the
contexts of Isaiah 53 and 1 Peter 2 make it
clear that they are referring to spiritual healing,
not physical. “He himself bore our sins in his
body on the tree, so that we might die to sins
and live for righteousness; by his wounds you
have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). The verse is
referring to sin and righteousness, not sickness
and disease. Therefore, being “healed” in both
these verses is speaking of being forgiven and
saved, not being physically healed.