Isaiah 42

13-16. Jehovah will no longer restrain His wrath: He will go forth as a mighty warrior ( Exodus 15:3 ) to destroy His people's and His enemies, and to deliver Israel (compare Psalms 45:3 ).
stir up jealousy--rouse His indignation.
roar--image from the battle cry of a warrior.

14. long time--namely, during the desolation of Israel ( Isaiah 32:14 ).
holden my peace--(Compare Psalms 50:21 , Habakkuk 1:2 ).
cry like a travailing woman, &c.--Like a woman in parturition, who, after having restrained her breathing for a time, at last, overcome with labor pain, lets out her voice with a panting sigh; so Jehovah will give full vent to His long pent-up wrath. Translate, instead of "destroy . . . devour"; I will at once breathe hard and pant, namely, giving loose to My wrath.

15. I will destroy all My foes.
mountains--in Palestine usually planted with vines and olives in terraces, up to their tops.
islands--rather, "dry lands." God will destroy His foes, the heathen, and their idols, and "dry up" the fountains of their oracles, their doctrines and institutions, the symbol of which is water, and their schools which promoted idolatry [VITRINGA].

16. blind--God's people, Israel, in captivity, needing a guide. In the ulterior sense the New Testament Church, which was about to be led and enlightened by the Son of God as its leader and shepherd in the wilderness of the Roman empire, until it should reach a city of habitation. "A way . . . they knew not," refers to the various means ployed by Providence for the establishment of the Church in the world, such as would never have occurred to the mind of mere man. "Blind," they are called, as not having heretofore seen God's ways in ordering His Church.
make darkness light, &c.--implies that the glorious issue would only be known by the event itself [VITRINGA]. The same holds good of the individual believer ( Isaiah 30:21 , Psalms 107:7 ; compare Hosea 2:6 Hosea 2:14 , Ephesians 5:8 , Hebrews 13:5 ).

17. turned back . . . ashamed--disappointed in their trust; the same phrase occurs in Psalms 35:4 .

18. deaf--namely, to the voice of God.
blind--to your duty and interest; wilfully so ( Isaiah 42:20 ). In this they differ from "the blind" ( Isaiah 42:16 ). The Jews are referred to. He had said, God would destroy the heathen idolatry; here he remembers that even Israel, His "servant" ( Isaiah 42:19 ), from whom better things might have been expected, is tainted with this sin.

19. my servant--namely, Israel. Who of the heathen is so blind? Considering Israel's high privileges, the heathen's blindness was as nothing compared with that of Israelite idolaters.
my messenger . . . sent--Israel was designed by God to be the herald of His truth to other nations.
perfect--furnished with institutions, civil and religious, suited to their perfect well-being. Compare the title, "Jeshurun," the perfect one, applied to Israel (compare Isaiah 44:2 ), as the type of Messiah Or translate, the friend of God, which Israel was by virtue of descent from Abraham, who was so called ( Isaiah 41:8 ), [GESENIUS]. The language, "my servant" (compare Isaiah 42:1 ), "messenger" ( Malachi 3:1 ), "perfect" ( Romans 10:4 , Hebrews 2:10 , 1 Peter 2:22 ), can, in the full antitypical sense, only apply to Christ. So Isaiah 42:21 plainly refers to Him. "Blind" and "deaf" in His case refer to His endurance of suffering and reproach, as though He neither saw nor heard ( Psalms 38:13 Psalms 38:14 ). Thus there is a transition by contrast from the moral blindness of Israel ( Isaiah 42:18 ) to the patient blindness and deafness of Messiah [HORSLEY].

20. observest--Thou dost not keep them. The "many things" are the many proofs which all along from the first God had given Israel of His goodness and His power ( Deuteronomy 4:32-38 , 29:2-4 , Psalms 78:1-72 , 105:1-45 ).
he--transition from the second to the third person. "Opening . . . ears," that is, though he (Israel) hath his ears open servant ( Isaiah 50:5 , Psalms 40:6 ).

21. his righteousness--not His people's, but His own; Isaiah 42:24 shows that they had no righteousness ( Isaiah 45:24 , 59:16 ). God is well pleased with His Son ("in whom My soul delighteth," Isaiah 42:1 ), "who fulfils all righteousness" ( Matthew 3:15 ) for them, and with them for His sake (compare Isaiah 42:6 , Psalms 71:16 Psalms 71:19 , Matthew 5:17 , Romans 10:3 Romans 10:4 , Philippians 3:9 ). Perhaps in God's "righteousness" here is included His faithfulness to His promises given to Israel's forefathers [ROSENMULLER]; because of this He is well pleased with Israel, even though displeased with their sin, which He here reproves; but that promise could only be based on the righteousness of Messiah, the promised seed, which is God's righteousness.

22. holes--caught by their foes in the caverns where they had sought refuge [BARNES]. Or bound in subterranean dungeons [BARNES].
prison-houses--either literal prisons, or their own houses, whence they dare not go forth for fear of the enemy. The connection is: Notwithstanding God's favor to His people for His righteousness' sake ( Isaiah 42:21 ), they have fallen into misery (the Babylonish and Romish captivities and their present dispersion), owing to their disregard of the divine law: spiritual imprisonment is included ( Isaiah 42:7 ).
none saith, Restore--There is no deliverer ( Isaiah 63:5 ).

23. A call that they should be warned by the past judgments of God to obey Him for the time to come.

24. Who--Their calamity was not the work of chance, but God's immediate act for their sins.
Jacob . . . Israel . . . we--change from the third to the first person; Isaiah first speaking to them as a prophet, distinct from them; then identifying himself with them, and acknowledging His share in the nation's sins (compare Joshua 5:1 ).

25. him--Israel ( Isaiah 42:24 ).
strength of battle--violence of war.
it--the battle or war (compare Isaiah 10:16 ).
knew not--knew not the lesson of repentance which the judgment was intended to teach ( Isaiah 5:13 , 9:13 , Jeremiah 5:3 ).