Isaiah 42:5-15

5 Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens ¹and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, ²who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it:

6 "I am the LORD; ³I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you ⁴as a covenant for the people, ⁵a light for the nations,

7 ⁶to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, ⁷from the prison those who sit in darkness.

8 I am the LORD; that is my name; ⁸my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.

9 Behold, the former things have come to pass, ⁹and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them."

Sing to the Lord a New Song

10 ¹⁰Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the end of the earth, ¹¹you who go down to the sea, and all that fills it, ¹²the coastlands and their inhabitants.

11 Let the desert and its cities lift up their voice, the villages that ¹³Kedar inhabits; let the habitants of ¹⁴Sela sing for joy, let them shout from the top of the mountains.

12 Let them give glory to the LORD, and declare his praise in ¹⁵the coastlands.

13 ¹⁶The LORD goes out like a mighty man, like a man of war ¹⁷he stirs up his zeal; he cries out, ¹⁸he shouts aloud, he shows himself mighty against his foes.

14 For a long time I have held my peace; I have kept still and restrained myself; now I will cry out ¹⁹like a woman in labor; I will gasp and pant.

15 ²⁰I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their vegetation; I will turn the rivers into islands,^[a] and dry up the pools.

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Isaiah 42:5-15 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 42

This chapter begins with a prophecy concerning the Messiah, under the character of the servant of the Lord, and his elect, whom he supported, and was well pleased with; whose work is pointed at, and for which he was well qualified with the Spirit without measure, Isa 42:1 and is described by his humility and meekness, Isa 42:2, by his tenderness to weak and ignorant persons, Isa 42:3 and by his courage and resolution, Isa 42:4 then follow his call to his work, and the several parts of it, introduced with setting forth the greatness of God that called him, as the Creator of the heavens and of the earth, and of men upon it, Isa 42:5-7, whose name is Jehovah, and whose glory is incommunicable to a creature, and whose knowledge reaches to future things, which are predicted by him, Isa 42:8,9, and then Gentiles are called upon to praise the Lord, and give glory to him, partly for the above promises concerning the Messiah, Isa 42:10-12, and partly for the destruction of his enemies, Isa 42:13-15, and also for his gracious regard to such who had been blind and ignorant, Isa 42:16, the confusion of idolaters is prophesied of, and an exhortation is given them to make use of the means of light and knowledge, Isa 42:17,18, and the blindness, ignorance, and stupidity of the Jews, are exposed, though there was a remnant among them with whom the Lord was well pleased, for the sake of the righteousness of his Son, Isa 42:19-21, but as for the body of the people, they were to be given up to the spoilers and robbers for their sins and disobedience, and be the butt of the divine wrath and vengeance, Isa 42:22-24.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 20

1. Isaiah 44:24; Isaiah 45:12
2. Acts 17:25
3. Isaiah 41:9
4. Isaiah 49:6, 8
5. Luke 2:32
6. Isaiah 35:5; Isaiah 49:9; Isaiah 61:1; Hebrews 2:14, 15
7. Luke 1:79
8. Isaiah 48:11
9. [Isaiah 43:19]
10. See Psalms 33:3
11. Psalms 107:23
12. [See ver. 4 above]
13. See Isaiah 21:16
14. Isaiah 16:1
15. [See ver. 4 above]
16. Isaiah 40:10
17. [Isaiah 9:7; Isaiah 59:17]
18. Psalms 78:65
19. See Isaiah 13:8
20. Isaiah 50:2

Footnotes 1

[a]. Or into coastlands

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.