Place of the Rich Men

Below are some bible translations that translate Isaiah 53:9 in a good manner:

Isaiah 53:9 (NIV)
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Isaiah 53:9 (NKJV)
9 And they made His grave with the wicked— But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.

Isaiah 53:9 (KJV 1900)
9 And he made his grave with the wicked, And with the rich in his death; Because he had done no violence, Neither was any deceit in his mouth.

Above the NIV and NKJV and KJV got closer to the truth by saying Jesus was with the rich in his death (not a rich man).

Poisoned by the Leaven of Human Assumption

Below are some bible translations that were poisoned by the leaven of human assumption:

Isaiah 53:9 (NASB95)
9 His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

Isaiah 53:9 (CJB)
9 He was given a grave among the wicked; in his death he was with a rich man. Although he had done no violence and had said nothing deceptive,

Isaiah 53:9 (HCSB)
9 They made His grave with the wicked and with a rich man at His death, although He had done no violence and had not spoken deceitfully.

The translations above (NASB, CJB, HCSB) all use the phrase that says (Jesus with with a rich man) which denotes one (singular) rich man. They then attach a cross-reference to enforce their own meaning by referring to Matthew 27:57-60.

Matthew 27:57–60 (NASB95)
57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.
58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.
59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away.

So the idea that is translated here is that a rich man named Joseph from a place called Arimathea, came and got the body of Jesus and placed the body into his own new tomb. So the translations above all suggest that Jesus was with a rich man named Joseph because the body of Jesus was laid in a tomb owned by Joseph, who was a rich man from Arimathea.

Isaiah 53:9 (NLT)
9 He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave.

The NLT version does not even need to imply this popular “assumed meaning” of a rich man’s tomb because it translates the verse in bold and “bald-faced” manner as it directly says that Jesus was put in a rich man’s grave (even without using “cross references” that suggest as much).

These bible translators all used the phrase (with a rich man in his death) and they all suggested that this means that Jesus was placed within a rich man’s grave. They did this because they compared what others said and then they followed suit with the same erroneous idea (thus reproducing the same translation mistake) in different bibles.

Rich Man Refers to the “Self-Sufficient” in Hell

The bible does not say things for no reason. Why does the scripture mention the place of the rich men if they were just talking about a rich guy who owned a tomb and placed the body of Jesus inside? It does not matter if the guy was rich or not because even a poor man with a hammer and chisel could have carved a tomb out of a rock surface. But the fact that Jesus was with the rich in his death has spiritual significance which goes beyond just a hole in some rock owned by a rich guy.

Hell is referred to as the place of the rich men and worldly rich men go to hell because of their sin of self sufficiency. But there are many righteous rich men who entered into heaven including Abraham, and Isaac and Jacob and Job and Hezekiah and David and many others. God can make men wealthy if these men do not make an idol out of money. All greed is idolatry in the sight of God but righteous rich men were not greedy but viewed their wealth as a gift from God and so they were good stewards over what God gave to them.

Hell is the Place of Rich Men (plural)

The bible translations that use the singular term (a rich man) are erroneous because there are numerous worldly rich men in hell. Translating it to mean Jesus was with a rich man (Joseph) does not make any sense. Joseph was still living during the three days and three nights that the spirit of Jesus was paying for our punishment in hell. Jesus was not with a rich man named Joseph inside a rock tomb but rather only the body of Jesus was in the tomb while his spirit was suffering in the torments of hell (making substitutionary payment for the sins of all humanity).

The point here is that hell is the place of the rich man but this does not necessarily mean only those with a lot of money will go to hell. God focuses on the heart issues and when the bible says that Jesus went to the place of the rich men, it was speaking of Jesus going into hell for three days and three nights to take our place in hell (so we wound not have to go to hell ourselves). We only have to receive the completed work of Jesus by faith and call upon the Lord to be saved and thus we will become believers and be redeem from the pit of hell.

Benefits of Salvation

Psalm 103:2–5 (NASB95)
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits;
3 Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases;
4 Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
5 Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

One of the benefits of salvation is that those who believe are redeemed from the pit of hell. They do not have to go to hell because Jesus went to hell on their behalf to redeem them from hell by his own substitutionary death on the cross. It was by his suffering in hell that Jesus took the “full-punishment” meant for all humanity (who all deserve to burn in hell for their sins).

The point here however is that Jesus went to hell, (the place of the rich men) to suffer and pay the punishment for our sins. The reason that hell is called the place of the rich man is that those who go to hell are those who do not accept the atoning work of Christ. Instead, millions of humans from all generations have determined to find their own way of salvation. They invent multitudes of false religions that all offer a false hope of salvation apart from Christ. These false religions are all a product of Satan to ensnare humans in vain religious works to keep them occupied until their lives expire on earth and they go to hell.

Seeking their own salvation (via false religion and human good works) means that these people are self-sufficient. Self-sufficient people falsely imagine that they have no need of anything (including God). So they set out to earn their own salvation by human self-effort instead of humbling themselves before God to accept the free gift of salvation purchased for them by the substitutionary death and sacrifice of Jesus.

Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

Matthew 5:3 (NASB95)
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit” for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. This does not mean that if people are not wealthy or that if they do not own anything and that if they are starving – that they will automatically go to heaven. There are multitudes of people who are now burning in hell who had no earthly wealth whatsoever. The opposite is also true that just because they have money this does not mean that they will go to hell. Again, there are righteous rich men who all went to heaven including Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Hezekiah and David and many others.

The point here is that being rich means that they are “self-sufficient” and that they falsely imagine that they have no need of anything (including God and including the free gift of salvation offered only by Jesus). So self-sufficient people continue to pursue their own human good works and follow false religion in a vain attempt to earn their own salvation. God cannot help such self-sufficient people because they have a human freewill and have used their human freewill to choose against God and they choose to reject the free salvation provided for them by Jesus Christ. So those in hell have placed themselves in hell by the exercise of their own human freewill and by their own free choice.

Exploitive Wealth

There are some unrighteous men who grow rich off of exploitive wealth, which means that they exploit the wealth of others for themselves. They do not plant crops or harvest or utilize trade skills (like the step-father of Jesus who worked as a carpenter) to earn wages. These wicked men do not create any wealth at all but what they have is all “transfer-wealth” taken from those who had created wealth.

James 5:4 (NASB95)
4 Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

Making people work for nothing is stealing their wages and this is one example of exploitive wealth gained by cheating others.

Isaiah 5:8 (NASB95)
8 Woe to those who add house to house and join field to field, Until there is no more room, So that you have to live alone in the midst of the land!

Some wicked rich men exploited others with scams and manufactured debts that enabled them to seize their homes and seize their farmland and forced them to work as slaves for free. They even would take the children of these debtors into slavery as payment for these “manufactured” debts. This is all extortion to seize the land and labor and assets of others without paying for it.

This is also true of gang bangers who extort money from business owners under threat of violence. Crooked politicians also embezzle billions of wealth from their own nations by scams and false projects and even starting wars to receive kickbacks from defense contractors (who get rich from wars). Even the funding of the war in Ukraine resulted in US liberal politicians growing rich off kickbacks. US-made weapons of defense were also discovered as having been sold to the black market for cash to enrich the corrupt politicians in Ukraine. There are multitude of examples of how wicked rich people steal and exploit and extort and embezzle money (which they did not earn themselves and did not create by honest business).

See the link “Dark Money VS Wealth Creation” for more details.

Unjust money can include different types of revenue streams which include: gambling, pornography, webcam girls, strip clubs (which are identified by the banks as being so-called “high risk industries” (and could also include illicit activities like drug trafficking and prostitution and human trafficking). Funds from these illicit activities is all transfer wealth because it transfers money from others by use of addictions and exploitation. No real wealth is created by such illicit activity but this dark money is only transferred from others without any real goods or services provided.

It is obvious that there are wicked rich men (like drug leaders and crime bosses and crooked politicians) who embezzle and steal and exploit others and this theft is a sin that will land all of them in hell.

But someone does not have to be a wicked rich man like a drug leader or crime boss to go to hell. There are plenty of people who had nothing on earth who are also in hell. This means that the term “rich” could be more accurately translated as “self-sufficient” instead of just wealthy.

Matthew 19:23 (NASB95)
23 And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus said that it is hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. This is because those who have a lot of wealth often are guilty of becoming self-sufficient. They can buy whatever they want and control courts with their bribes and they seem to have no need of anything on earth (including God or salvation by Jesus Christ).

The only way they can become saved is if they rid their hearts from the love of money and repent of greed (which is idolatry). They have to become like Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Hezekiah and David who all loved God above natural wealth. If they have their hearts right in this area then it is OK for them to possess natural wealth and God can make them rich.

Genesis 13:2 (NASB95)
2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver and in gold.

Abraham was very rich in livestock and in silver and in gold but he was careful to acknowledge that all of his wealth came from God. Abraham did not worship money (which is greed and idolatry) so therefore God was free to prosper Abraham tremendously.

Genesis 14:23 (NASB95)
23 that I will not take a thread or a sandal thong or anything that is yours, for fear you would say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’

Abraham was a rich man but he was careful to make sure that he gave all the glory to God for his wealth and he said that no humans made him rich (but all his wealth came only from God’s blessing upon his life).

Rich Men are Self-Sufficient Men

But the real issue here is human self-sufficiency – which deceives people that they have no need of anything (including God and including salvation in Jesus). It is hard to fill a cup that is already full and if they are full of human “self-sufficiency” then they will have no room to receive salvation by faith. Self-sufficient people will brush off any attempts to lead them to Christ saying, “I am content with what I have and I have no need of salvation and can save myself by my own self-effort.” Thus these people are “rich” in the sense that they are self-sufficient.

Revelation 3:17 (NASB95)
17 ‘Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,

Those who are rich by biblical definition are “self-sufficient and so they falsely imagine that they have no need of anything (including God). They are blind to the fact that they are actually not rich at all. Instead they are wretched, miserable, poor, and blind and naked. They are totally in need of God and the gift of salvation but they are too proud to acknowledge this fact. So they are called rich men and this is why hell is referred to as the place of the rich man.

Matthew 5:3 (NASB95)
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Again, Jesus said that blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. To be poor in spirit is to empty oneself of all human “self-sufficiency” and humble themselves before God to receive God’s free gift of salvation (found only in Jesus Christ). But self-sufficient people refuse to acknowledge their need for salvation so they continue to go forward in their own human self-effort to earn their own salvation. This is what will send them to hell because they refuse to humble themselves to accept the free gift of salvation (already provided to them through Jesus Christ).

Hell is the Place of the Rich Men

Isaiah 53:9 (NIV)
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Again, the real meaning of this scripture is that Jesus was assigned with wicked men in hell (when he took our place in hell to pay our punishment for sin on our behalf). Jesus was with the rich men in hell because hell is referred to as the place of the rich men. But again, it would be more accurate to say that Jesus was with the self-sufficient humans (who were already burning in hell when Jesus arrived in hell to pay for the sins of all humanity). Jesus was therefore with these “self-sufficient” humans who erroneously thought that they had no need of God. These people spent their entire lives on earth pursuing their own methods of salvation (via any of the multitude of false religions that all end up taking their adherents to hell).

Below David describes as self-sufficient rich man who gained his wealth by oppression.

Psalm 10 (NASB95)
1 Why do You stand afar off, O LORD? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?
2 In pride the wicked hotly pursue the afflicted; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.
3 For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire, And the greedy man curses and spurns the LORD.
4 The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek Him. All his thoughts are, “There is no God.”
5 His ways prosper at all times; Your judgments are on high, out of his sight; As for all his adversaries, he snorts at them.
6 He says to himself, “I will not be moved; Throughout all generations I will not be in adversity.”
7 His mouth is full of curses and deceit and oppression; Under his tongue is mischief and wickedness.
8 He sits in the lurking places of the villages; In the hiding places he kills the innocent; His eyes stealthily watch for the unfortunate.
9 He lurks in a hiding place as a lion in his lair; He lurks to catch the afflicted; He catches the afflicted when he draws him into his net.
10 He crouches, he bows down, And the unfortunate fall by his mighty ones.
11 He says to himself, “God has forgotten; He has hidden His face; He will never see it.”
12 Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up Your hand. Do not forget the afflicted.
13 Why has the wicked spurned God? He has said to himself, “You will not require it.”
14 You have seen it, for You have beheld mischief and vexation to take it into Your hand. The unfortunate commits himself to You; You have been the helper of the orphan.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer, Seek out his wickedness until You find none.
16 The LORD is King forever and ever; Nations have perished from His land.
17 O LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear
18 To vindicate the orphan and the oppressed, So that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror.

The description of this evil rich man (and all of his wicked behavior) speaks of a man who is deceived to imagine he is “self-sufficient” and has no need of anything (not even God). But it must be noted that righteous rich men like Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Hezekiah and David and many others were all dependent upon the Lord for their wealth. These righteous rich men trusted in God by faith to prosper the work of their hands (as they engaged in honest business to produce grain or livestock or milk or wool and other products for sale and for sustenance for their families. These righteous rich men did not exploit others or rob wages or cheat or steal or extort or bribe court judges to enable them to seize the land and homes of others (in the way the wicked rich men do).

Therefore the translation that hell is the place of the rich men would be better translated as hell is the place of the “self-sufficient” men because not all rich men are in hell. Only wicked “self-sufficient” rich men are in hell and in fact anyone who is self sufficient is going to be found in hell (even if they were rich or not while living on earth. Being self-sufficient speaks of being independent and going their own way and doing their own thing like the behavior of a goat. The behavior of sheep are different because sheep will submissively follow their shepherd but goats are independent and have a different character type than sheep do. This is why those who enter heaven (by submitting to the Lordship of Christ) are called “sheep-types” but those who live their lives on earth in “self-sufficiency” and “independence” from God are referred to as “goat-types” (as seen in the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 25).

Matthew 25:31–33 (NASB95)
31 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.
32 “All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;
33 and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.

There will be a separation on judgment day and all of the people on earth will be divided into two groups. Those who are called “sheep” will be placed on his right hand while the goats will be separated and placed on his left hand.

Matthew 25:34 (NASB95)
34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

The sheep types will be separated to enter into the kingdom of heaven which was prepared from they from the foundation of the world.

Matthew 25:41 (NASB95)
41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;

The goat-types of people will be separated for eternal damnation in the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devi and his angels.

Difference Between Sheep and Goat People

The sheep-type of people humble themselves and live under the Lordship of Christ and do not make decisions solely from their own human plans or ideas. Instead they seek God for direction and obey what God tells them to do. These types of people follow the Lord obediently and submissively like the sheep follow the shepherd without question. The “sheep-types” of people submit their human freewill to the Lord and choose to obey the Lord in everything he tells them to do.

The goat types of people are the exact opposite of the sheep-types of people. The goat-types do whatever they want without regard for the Lord. These people have not made Jesus their Lord so there is no “lordship” in their lives. The character of goats and sheep is used as an illustration to teach people that those who are self-sufficient and independent from the Lord have the independent behavior of a goat. These people will be separated for eternal damnation and will go to the same place of eternal torment as Satan and his fallen angels (demons). Satan and his fallen angels rebelled against God and sought to go their own way. Therefore all those humans who ever lived on earth (and were self-sufficient) will burn in hell together with their lord Satan. These type of people are all those who live in independence from God in all that they do.

Hell is the Place of the Self-Sufficient

Therefore, the correct translation of Isaiah 53:9 should read as follows:

Isaiah 53:9 (NIV)
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with those who were “self-sufficient” in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Hell is the place of the “self-sufficient” people who have lived independently like a “goat-type” and were out from under the lordship of Christ. It does not matter if they had money or if they were poor on earth because all those (both rich and poor) who ever lived on earth as being “self-sufficient” and “independent” will all end up in hell.

See the link “Teaching of the Nicolaitans” for more details.

See the link “7K-Bible” for more details.

See also the link “7K-Bible Translation Mistakes” for more details.