Yeshayah 42:10-25

10 Sing unto Hashem a shir chadesh (new song), and His tehillah from the ketzeh ha’aretz, ye that go down to the yam, and all that is therein. You iyim (islands), and the inhabitants thereof.
11 Let the midbar and the towns thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit; let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy, let them shout from the rosh harim.
12 Let them give kavod unto Hashem, and declare His tehillah in the iyim.
13 Hashem shall go forth like a Gibbor, He shall arouse kina (zeal) like an ish milchamah; He shall shout, indeed, raise a war cry; He shall prevail against His oyevim.
14 I have me’olam held My peace; I have been quiet, and refrained Myself; now will I cry out like a travailing woman; I will lay waste and devour at once.
15 I will lay waste harim and geva’ot (hills), and dry up all their esev (vegetation); and I will make the neharot into iyim, and I will dry up agamim (pools, lakes).
16 And I will bring the ivrim (blind) by a derech that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known; I will make choshech into ohr before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.
17 They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in pesel, that say to the masekhah (molten images), You (plural) are eloheinu (our g-ds).
18 Hear, ye chereshim (deaf people); and look, ye ivrim (blind people) that ye may see.
19 Who is ivver (blind), but Avdi (Yisroel]? Or cheresh (deaf), like malachi that I sent? Who is ivver (blind) like meshullam (the one committed) [to Me] and ivver like the Eved Hashem [i.e., Yisroel].
20 Seeing rabbot, but thou observest not; opening the oznayim, but he heareth not.
21 Hashem is well pleased lema’an (for the sake of) His tzedek; He will magnify the torah, and make it glorious.
22 But this is Am (People) robbed and looted; they are all of them snared in holes, or hidden in batei kela’im (dungeons): they are for plunder, and none delivereth; for loot, and none saith, Give it back!
23 Who among you will give ozen (ear) to this? Who will pay heed and hear for the time to come?
24 Who gave Ya’akov as loot, and Yisroel to ones plundering? Did not Hashem, He against Whom we have sinned? For they would not walk in the darkhei HaShem, neither were they obedient unto His torah.
25 Therefore He hath poured upon it the chemah (burning heat) of His anger, and the strength of the fury of milchamah; and it hath set him on fire round about, yet it knew not; and it consumed it, yet it laid it not to lev.

Yeshayah 42:10-25 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.

The Orthodox Jewish Bible fourth edition, OJB. Copyright 2002,2003,2008,2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International. All rights reserved.