Isaiah 42:21

KJV

The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; he will magnify the law, and make [it] honourable.

KJV (with Strong's)

The LORD {H3068} is well pleased {H2654} for his righteousness {H6664}' sake; he will magnify {H1431} the law {H8451}, and make it honourable {H142}.

Complete Jewish Bible

ADONAI was pleased, for his righteousness' sake, to make the Torah great and glorious.

Berean Standard Bible

The LORD was pleased, for the sake of His righteousness, to magnify His law and make it glorious.

American Standard Version

It pleased Jehovah, for his righteousness’ sake, to magnify the law, and make it honorable.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Isaiah 42:21 powerfully declares the LORD's intrinsic nature and His unwavering commitment to His divine revelation. This verse reveals God's deep satisfaction in His own perfect righteousness, which serves as the foundational motivation for His active purpose to elevate, expand, and dignify His law (Torah). It sets forth the divine framework for the mission of the promised Servant, who would perfectly embody and uphold these righteous standards, ensuring the law's eternal relevance and honor.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This profound declaration is situated within the opening section of the first of Isaiah's "Servant Songs" (specifically [Isaiah 42:1-9](/isaiah/42-1-9 "Isaiah 42:1-9 - The First Servant Song")), which introduces a divinely chosen figure whose mission is to bring justice and light to the nations. While the preceding verses in [Isaiah 42](/isaiah/42 "Isaiah 42 - The Servant of the LORD") highlight Israel's spiritual blindness, disobedience, and the consequences of their failure to uphold the covenant, this verse pivots to God's own perfect character and His steadfast commitment to His law. It serves as a crucial theological anchor, explaining *why* the Servant's mission is necessary and *how* it will be accomplished—by upholding God's righteous standards rather than abrogating them. The declaration of God's pleasure in His righteousness and His intent to magnify the law provides the immutable divine framework for the Servant's redemptive and restorative work, ensuring that salvation aligns perfectly with divine justice.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** Isaiah 42 belongs to the section of the book often attributed to "Second Isaiah" (chapters 40-55), written during or immediately after the Babylonian exile. The exiled Israelites were grappling with profound questions concerning God's justice, their prolonged suffering, and the apparent failure of the Mosaic covenant due to their unfaithfulness. In this context of despair and theological confusion, the declaration that the LORD is "well pleased for his righteousness' sake" would have been a powerful reassurance of God's unchanging character, His faithfulness, and the immutability of His moral order amidst their perceived chaos. The "law" (Hebrew: *Torah*) was not merely a set of legal statutes but encompassed God's entire instruction, revelation, and covenantal demands, central to Israelite identity. To "magnify" and "make honourable" the Torah in a time when Israel had largely failed to uphold it, speaks to God's sovereign plan to restore His people and His truth, not through human effort or a diminished standard, but through a divine initiative embodied in the Servant, who would perfectly fulfill its demands.
* **Key Themes:** Isaiah 42:21 powerfully articulates several core themes. Firstly, it emphasizes **God's inherent delight in righteousness**, establishing that His actions are always consistent with His perfect justice, holiness, and moral excellence. This divine pleasure is not arbitrary but flows from His unchanging nature, which both demands and finds satisfaction in righteousness. Secondly, the verse highlights the **magnification of the law**, signifying an elevation and exaltation of God's divine statutes. This is not about adding to the law but about revealing its full spiritual depth, its true intent, and its eternal significance. This theme resonates profoundly with the New Testament understanding that Christ did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it, as stated in [Matthew 5:17](/matthew/5-17 "Matthew 5:17 - Christ Fulfills the Law"). Finally, the declaration that God will "make [it] honourable" reinforces the idea of giving the Law its rightful dignity and respect. Through the Servant's perfect obedience and revelation of God's will, the Law's demands are fully met, and its sanctity is upheld, rather than diminished or abrogated, ensuring God's standards remain weighty and revered, anticipating the promise of a new covenant where God's law would be written on hearts ([Jeremiah 31:33](/jeremiah/31-33 "Jeremiah 31:33 - The New Covenant Promise")).

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **well pleased (Hebrew, _châphêts'_):** This primitive root (H2654) signifies an inclination towards something, a strong desire, or finding delight and pleasure in it. Here, it describes the LORD's deep satisfaction and approval, indicating that His actions are not arbitrary but stem from His intrinsic nature and will. His pleasure is rooted in His perfect righteousness, meaning He delights in what is just, holy, and morally excellent. This is not a fleeting emotion but a settled disposition of His character.
* **magnify (Hebrew, _gâdal'_):** This primitive root (H1431) means to make great, enlarge, or exalt. It implies an increase in importance, prominence, or glory. In the context of the law, it suggests that God will elevate the Torah, revealing its profound spiritual depth, its comprehensive scope, and its ultimate significance, rather than diminishing or setting it aside. It's about demonstrating the law's true greatness and its perfect reflection of God's character.
* **honourable (Hebrew, _ʼâdar'_):** This primitive root (H142) means to expand, to be great, or magnificent. Figuratively, it conveys the idea of being glorious, majestic, or held in high esteem. When applied to the law, it means God will ensure its dignity, respect, and authority are fully recognized and upheld. It will be seen as weighty, revered, and possessing inherent glory, not trivialized or disregarded.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness' sake":** This opening clause establishes the divine motivation for all that follows. God's actions are not arbitrary or whimsical; they are fundamentally rooted in His own perfect character, specifically His righteousness (*tsedeq*, H6664). He finds deep satisfaction and delight in His own justice, holiness, and moral integrity. This divine pleasure in righteousness is the ultimate ground for His covenant faithfulness and His plan of salvation. It implies that anything He does, including His dealings with His law and His Servant, will perfectly align with His righteous nature and perfect will.
* **"he will magnify the law":** This phrase declares God's active intent to exalt and make great His law (*Torah*, H8451). This "magnifying" is not about adding to the law or making it more burdensome. Instead, it signifies that God will reveal its true spiritual grandeur, its comprehensive demands, and its profound significance. It implies a deeper unveiling of the law's purpose and its perfect reflection of God's character. This magnification would be accomplished preeminently through the Servant, who would perfectly embody and demonstrate the law's true meaning and demands, showing its full weight and glory to a world that had either distorted or dismissed it.
* **"and make [it] honourable":** This concluding clause reinforces the previous one, emphasizing the outcome of God's action towards His law. By "making it honourable," God ensures that His law is given its proper dignity, respect, and authority. It will not be trivialized, abrogated, or seen as weak or irrelevant. Instead, its sanctity, weight, and glory will be fully upheld and demonstrated. This ensures that God's moral standards remain weighty and revered, proving their enduring validity and divine origin, even in the face of human failure and the apparent triumph of unrighteousness.

#### Literary Devices
Isaiah 42:21 employs several effective literary devices to convey its profound theological truths. The opening phrase, "The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness' sake," utilizes **Divine Fiat**, a declaration of God's will and character as the ultimate authority and immutable source of all action. This establishes an unshakeable foundation for the subsequent statements, grounding God's redemptive plan in His very nature. The concept of the "law" being "magnified" and "made honourable" employs a subtle form of **Personification**, attributing human-like qualities of being honored, elevated, and dignified to an abstract concept. While the law itself is not a person, this imagery powerfully conveys its active role and the profound respect and reverence it commands from God Himself. Furthermore, the entire verse functions as a **Prophecy**, foretelling God's future action concerning His law, particularly in relation to the coming Servant. This prophetic element sets the stage for understanding the Messiah's crucial role in upholding and fulfilling the divine standard, ensuring its enduring significance and demonstrating its ultimate purpose.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Isaiah 42:21 stands as a cornerstone for understanding God's unchanging nature and the enduring relevance of His divine revelation. It asserts that God's actions are always grounded in His perfect righteousness, a truth that provides ultimate stability and assurance for His people. The declaration that God will "magnify the law, and make it honourable" is a profound theological statement, signifying that His divine standards are not subject to human whims or historical change. Rather than diminishing the law due to humanity's inability to keep it, God's plan is to elevate it, revealing its true spiritual depth and demonstrating its inherent glory. This sets the stage for the coming of the Messiah, who would perfectly embody and fulfill the law, thereby upholding God's justice and providing the means for humanity to be reconciled to a holy God. This verse underscores the continuity of God's righteous character and His purposes across covenants, demonstrating that salvation does not negate the law but rather establishes it on a new and deeper foundation, fulfilling its ultimate intent.

* [Matthew 5:17](/matthew/5-17 "Matthew 5:17 - Christ Fulfills the Law")
* [Romans 3:31](/romans/3-31 "Romans 3:31 - Upholding the Law Through Faith")
* [Hebrews 8:10](/hebrews/8-10 "Hebrews 8:10 - The Law Written on Hearts in the New Covenant")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Isaiah 42:21 offers profound comfort and challenge for believers today. Understanding that the LORD is "well pleased for his righteousness' sake" reassures us that God is utterly consistent, holy, and just in all His ways. His character is the bedrock of our faith, meaning His promises are true, and His commands are good, always flowing from His perfect nature. This truth provides immense security and a foundation for trust, knowing that God's actions are never arbitrary but always aligned with His holy character. The declaration that He "will magnify the law, and make it honourable" reminds us that God's moral standards are not arbitrary, outdated, or to be dismissed. While we are saved by grace through faith in Christ, this does not nullify the enduring value and spiritual demands of God's law. Instead, Christ's perfect fulfillment of the law reveals its true glory and provides the means for us to live in a way that honors God's righteous requirements, not through our own strength or legalistic effort, but through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. This verse calls us to a deeper reverence for God's Word, recognizing it as the perfect expression of His holy will, and to live lives that reflect the righteousness that God Himself delights in, empowered by the One who magnified the law perfectly.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How does understanding God's inherent pleasure in His own righteousness shape your view of His commands and judgments, and how does this impact your trust in Him?**
* **In what practical ways can you, as a believer, contribute to "magnifying" God's law and making it "honourable" in your daily life, your ethical decisions, and your witness to the world?**
* **How does Christ's perfect fulfillment of the law, as foreshadowed here, deepen your appreciation for God's grace and empower your pursuit of holiness, knowing you are not striving in your own strength?**

### FAQ
**Does "magnify the law" mean God is changing or adding to it?**

Answer: No, "magnify the law" (Hebrew: *gâdal*) does not mean God is changing, adding to, or making the law more burdensome. Instead, it signifies that God will elevate its importance, reveal its full spiritual depth, and demonstrate its profound significance and glory. It's about making the law appear greater and more glorious than it might seem through human eyes or through superficial observance. This magnification is primarily accomplished through the perfect life and ministry of the Servant, Jesus Christ, who perfectly embodied and explained the true intent of God's law, as seen in His Sermon on the Mount ([Matthew 5:21-48](/matthew/5-21-48 "Matthew 5:21-48 - Jesus Expounds on the Law")). He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it and reveal its true, weighty demands, demonstrating its perfect reflection of God's holy character.

**How does this verse relate to the idea that Christians are not "under the law"?**

Answer: This verse, in its prophetic context, anticipates the work of the Servant (Messiah) who would perfectly uphold and honor God's law. For Christians, being "not under the law" ([Romans 6:14](/romans/6-14 "Romans 6:14 - Not Under Law, But Under Grace")) does not mean the law is abolished or irrelevant. Rather, it means we are no longer under its condemnation or obligated to earn salvation through perfect obedience to its demands. Instead, through faith in Christ, we are justified, and His righteousness is imputed to us ([Romans 3:21-22](/romans/3-21-22 "Romans 3:21-22 - Righteousness Through Faith")). Christ perfectly fulfilled the law on our behalf, magnifying it and making it honorable through His sinless life and atoning death. Therefore, while we are not under the law as a system of salvation, the moral principles and righteous character of God expressed in the law remain our guide for holy living, empowered by the Holy Spirit, as we are now "under grace." The law reveals God's perfect standard, which Christ met, and which the Spirit enables believers to pursue out of love and gratitude.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Isaiah 42:21 finds its ultimate and glorious fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the Suffering Servant prophesied throughout Isaiah. The LORD's pleasure in His own righteousness is perfectly manifested in Christ, who is the embodiment of divine righteousness and the only one who truly lived a life "well pleasing" to the Father ([Matthew 3:17](/matthew/3-17 "Matthew 3:17 - God's Affirmation of Jesus")). Jesus came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it ([Matthew 5:17](/matthew/5-17 "Matthew 5:17 - Christ Fulfills the Law")), thereby "magnifying the law" and making it "honourable" in a way no one else could. He magnified the law by revealing its true spiritual depth and comprehensive demands, moving beyond mere external observance to the heart's intent, as seen in His Sermon on the Mount ([Matthew 5:21-48](/matthew/5-21-48 "Matthew 5:21-48 - Jesus Expounds on the Law")). Through His perfect obedience, His sinless life, and His sacrificial death on the cross, Christ upheld every jot and tittle of the law, satisfying its righteous demands and demonstrating its unyielding holiness. His sacrifice honored the law by paying the penalty for its transgression, thus upholding God's justice while simultaneously providing mercy for sinners ([Romans 3:25-26](/romans/3-25-26 "Romans 3:25-26 - God's Righteousness Displayed Through Christ")). In Christ, the law is not diminished but elevated to its highest glory, becoming the means by which God's perfect righteousness is both displayed and imparted to those who believe, fulfilling the promise of a new covenant where the law is written on hearts ([Hebrews 8:10](/hebrews/8-10 "The New Covenant Promise")).

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Romans 3:31

Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

Psalms 71:19

Thy righteousness also, O God, [is] very high, who hast done great things: O God, who [is] like unto thee!

Romans 7:12

Wherefore the law [is] holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

Matthew 3:15

And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer [it to be so] now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

Psalms 40:8

I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law [is] within my heart.

Hebrews 8:10

For this [is] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

Matthew 5:17

¶ Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.