Isaiah42

Isaiah 42 introduces the Lord's chosen Servant, upon whom God's Spirit rests, who will gently bring judgment and truth to the Gentiles. God, the Creator, calls this Servant to be a covenant for the people and a light to the nations, promising to lead the blind. However, the chapter concludes with a sharp rebuke of Israel, God's own servant, for their spiritual blindness and disobedience, explaining their suffering as a consequence of forsaking His law.
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The Servant's Character and Mission

1
Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen, in whom my soul delighteth: I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. ​
2
He will not cry, nor lift up his voice, nor cause it to be heard in the street.
3
A bruised reed will he not break, and a dimly burning wick will he not quench: he will bring forth justice in truth. ​
4
He will not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set justice in the earth; and the isles shall wait for his law.

The Lord Commissions the Servant

5
Thus saith God Jehovah, he that created the heavens, and stretched them forth; he that spread abroad the earth and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: ​
6
I, Jehovah, have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thy hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; ​
7
to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house.
8
I am Jehovah, that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise unto graven images. ​
9
Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them. ​

Call for Global Praise

10
Sing unto Jehovah a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth; ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein, the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. ​
11
Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit; let the inhabitants of Sela sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. ​
12
Let them give glory unto Jehovah, and declare his praise in the islands.

The Lord Acts as a Divine Warrior

13
Jehovah will go forth as a mighty man; he will stir up his zeal like a man of war: he will cry, yea, he will shout aloud; he will do mightily against his enemies. ​
14
I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry out like a travailing woman; I will gasp and pant together. ​
15
I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and will dry up the pools. ​
16
And I will bring the blind by a way that they know not; in paths that they know not will I lead them; I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things will I do, and I will not forsake them. ​
17
They shall be turned back, they shall be utterly put to shame, that trust in graven images, that say unto molten images, Ye are our gods.

Israel's Spiritual Blindness

18
Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see. ​
19
Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I send? who is blind as he that is at peace with me, and blind as Jehovah’s servant? ​
20
Thou seest many things, but thou observest not; his ears are open, but he heareth not.
21
It pleased Jehovah, for his righteousness’ sake, to magnify the law, and make it honorable. ​
22
But this is a people robbed and plundered; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison-houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore. ​
23
Who is there among you that will give ear to this? that will hearken and hear for the time to come?
24
Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? did not Jehovah? he against whom we have sinned, and in whose ways they would not walk, neither were they obedient unto his law. ​
25
Therefore he poured upon him the fierceness of his anger, and the strength of battle; and it set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart. ​

Study Notes for Isaiah 42

Verse 1

This verse opens the first of the four 'Servant Songs' in Isaiah (42:1–4). The Servant is God’s chosen agent, endowed with the Spirit, whose mission is to establish justice universally (to the Gentiles).

Verse 3

This powerful metaphor illustrates the Servant's gentleness and patience; he will not crush the weak or extinguish the faint flame of hope, but will bring true justice with compassion.

Verse 5

God establishes His identity as the sovereign Creator of the universe. This affirmation of divine power validates the reliability of the promises made concerning the Servant’s mission.

Verse 6

The Servant is commissioned to be the embodiment of the divine covenant and a 'light' (salvation and revelation) not only for Israel but specifically for the Gentiles.

Verse 8

A core monotheistic declaration. Yahweh emphasizes His exclusive identity and refuses to share His glory, contrasting Himself sharply with the powerless idols of other nations.

Verse 9

The 'former things' (likely prophecies already fulfilled, such as the rise of Cyrus or past judgments) confirm God’s reliability, thus guaranteeing the certainty of the 'new things' (the return from exile and ultimate salvation).

Verse 10

This section is a hymn, a call for universal worship in response to the 'new things' God is about to perform. The praise comes from the ends of the earth and the maritime regions ('isles').

Verse 11

The call extends to remote and desolate regions, including the tribes of Kedar (northern Arabia), symbolizing that God’s salvation reaches all people.

Verse 13

God is depicted as a warrior preparing for battle to rescue His people. He will actively intervene against the powers that hold Israel captive, displaying zeal and might.

Verse 14

God explains His previous silence during Israel's oppression. His sudden, forceful intervention is likened to the violent, unavoidable pangs of a woman giving birth.

Verse 15

A powerful image of divine judgment and transformation, where obstacles (mountains, rivers) are destroyed to clear the path for the return of the exiles.

Verse 16

Despite the people's spiritual blindness and ignorance of the way home, God promises to guide them personally, turning darkness into light and removing all difficulties.

Verse 18

The tone shifts sharply to an address to Israel, who is spiritually 'deaf' and 'blind,' unable to perceive God's actions or understand the meaning of their suffering.

Verse 19

This rhetorical question contrasts the ideal, obedient Servant introduced in verse 1 with the current, failed servant, Israel, who has been sent as a messenger but has proven spiritually dull.

Verse 21

God's motivation is His own righteousness; He will uphold the divine law and make it honorable, even if that requires punishing His own people for their disobedience.

Verse 22

This verse describes the condition of Israel during the Babylonian exile: stripped, imprisoned, and utterly helpless, with no human deliverer in sight.

Verse 24

The ultimate cause of Israel's calamity is revealed: it was not random fate or superior enemy power, but divine judgment resulting from their persistent sin and failure to obey the covenant.

Verse 25

The judgment (exile and destruction) was poured out like fire, yet Israel remained spiritually unaffected ('knew not' and 'laid it not to heart'), failing to learn from their punishment.

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