Isaiah 42:2

2 He will not cry out or yell or speak loudly in the streets.

Isaiah 42:2 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 42:2

He shall not cry
. According to Aben Ezra and Kimchi, as a judge in court is obliged to extend his voice that he may be heard: the Evangelist Matthew renders it, "he shall not strive"; or contend in a disputatious way, about mere words and things to no profit, or litigate a point in law; he shall bring no complaints, or enter an action against any, but rather suffer wrong, as he advises his followers, ( Matthew 5:40 ) , for this does not respect the lowness of his voice in his ministry; in this sense he often cried, as Wisdom is said to do, ( Proverbs 1:20 Proverbs 1:21 ) ( 8:1-3 ) ( John 7:37 ) : "nor lift up"; that is, his voice, as Jarchi, Kimchi, and Ben Melech supply it; or, as others, he shall not lift up faces, or accept persons; and so the Vulgate Latin version renders it, neither shall he accept any person;
or the person of any man, which is true of Christ; but the former sense seems best, which agrees with what goes before and follows after: nor cause his voice to be heard in the street;
his voice was heard in the street in a ministerial way; he sometimes preached in the street, as in many other public places, ( Luke 13:26 ) , but not in a clamorous contentious way; not in an opprobrious and menacing manner; nor in a way of ostentation, boasting of himself, his doctrines, and miracles, but behaved with great humility and meekness; his kingdom was without pomp and noise, which worldly princes are attended with; but this was not to be, nor was it his case; (See Gill on Matthew 12:19).

Isaiah 42:2 In-Context

1 "Here is my servant, the one I support. He is the one I chose, and I am pleased with him. I have put my Spirit upon him, and he will bring justice to all nations.
2 He will not cry out or yell or speak loudly in the streets.
3 He will not break a crushed blade of grass or put out even a weak flame. He will truly bring justice;
4 he will not lose hope or give up until he brings justice to the world. And people far away will trust his teachings."
5 God, the Lord, said these things. He created the skies and stretched them out. He spread out the earth and everything on it. He gives life to all people on earth, to everyone who walks on the earth.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.