The stripes that heal are the wounds inflicted by the chastisement (whipping) referred to in the previous movement. This chorus is a continuation of the previous one, and is to be followed without a pause by No. 26. It is based on a fugue subject that was also used by Bach in his Well-Tempered Clavier and by Mozart in his Requiem. The agonized leap from “His” to “stripes,” a diminished seventh, is a characteristic of the fugue subject that makes it easily identifiable by the listener. The second subject has movement in quarter notes that clearly differentiates it from the first. It is a marvelous fugue, but at the same time, the repetition of the same text again and again gives continuity to the thought that Christ’s chastisement brings us peace. The text is from Isaiah 53:5 which follows exactly from the previous chorus (based on verses 4 and 5) and is continued (verse 6) in the next one.
When this chorus was performed at the Handel Commemoration at Westminster Abbey in 1748 it received this accolade: “And with His stripes we are healed,” is written upon a fine subject, with such clearness and regularity as was never surpassed by the greatest choral composers of the 16th Century. It may fairly be compared with movements of the same kind in Palestrina, Tallis, and Byrd which, in variety, it very much surpasses”.
The words “And with His stripes” can be separated, and “we are healed” can be legato, making a contrast between the suffering of Christ and the healing his suffering brings us.

without a pause after Surely He hath borne our griefs

Theme A – SOPRANO, measures 1-6 ("and with His stripes" sung accented, "we are healed" sung legato)

And with His stripes we are healed – sound the "th" in "with" (like the "th" in "this"), connect the final

sound of "His" to the initial sound of "stripes", "healed" is a two

syllable word but unaccent the "-ed", final "-ed" on the and of 2

(EH)nd (OO)(IH) – th(IH) – ZSTR(UH)(IH)PS (OO)(EE) (UH)r H(EE)L – (IH)d

ALL – be aware that sometimes the first interval of this theme is a third, sometimes a second.

Pronunciation and execution of the counter subject (ALTO, measures 14-16) same as above.

Very little slow down at adagio and no pause before All we like sheep.