Isaiah 42

1 Lo! my servant, I shall up-take him; my chosen, my soul pleased to itself in him. I gave my spirit on him, he shall bring forth doom to heathen men. (Lo! my servant, I shall uphold him; my chosen, my soul delighted itself in him. I put my Spirit in him, he shall bring forth justice, or judgement, to the heathen.)

2 He shall not cry (out), neither he shall take a person, neither his voice shall be heard withoutforth.

3 He shall not break a shaken reed, and he shall not quench (the) smoking flax; he shall bring out doom in truth (but he shall bring forth justice, or judgement, and truth).

4 He shall not be sorrowful, neither troubled, till he set doom in [the] earth, and isles shall abide his law. (He shall not have sorrow, nor be troubled, until he hath brought forth justice, or judgement, upon the earth, and the islands shall wait for his Law.)

5 The Lord God saith these things, making (the) heavens of nought, and stretching forth them, making steadfast the earth, and those things that burgeon [out] of it, giving breath to the people, that is on it, and giving spirit to them that tread on it. (The Lord God saith these things, making the heavens out of nothing, and stretching them forth, making steadfast the earth, and those things that burgeon out of it, giving breath to the people who be on it, yea, giving spirit to those who tread upon it.)

6 I the Lord have called thee in rightfulness, and I took thine hand, and kept thee, and I gave thee into a bond of peace of the people, and into light of folks. (I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and I took thy hand, and kept thee, and I gave thee to be a covenant for the people, and a light for the nations.)

7 That thou shouldest open the eyes of blind men; that thou shouldest lead out of enclosing together a bound man, (and) from the house of prison men sitting in darknesses. (So that thou shouldest open the eyes of the blind; and that thou shouldest lead out the bound, or the prisoners, from being enclosed, yea, those sitting in darkness, from out of the prison house.)

8 I am the Lord, this is my name; I shall not give my glory to another, and my praising to graven images. (I am the Lord, that is my name; I shall not give my glory to another, nor my praises to carved idols.)

9 Lo! those things that were the first, be come, and (now) I tell new things; I shall make heard to you, before that those begin to be made. (Lo! those things that were to come first, have come to pass, and now I shall tell of new things; yea, before that they begin to be made, I shall tell you of them.)

10 Sing ye a new song to the Lord; his praising is from the last parts of the earth; ye that go down into the sea, and the fullness thereof, isles, and the dwellers of those. (Sing ye a new song to the Lord; his praises come from the ends of the earth; ye who go down to the sea, and its fullness, the islands, and their inhabitants.)

11 The desert be raised [up], and the cities thereof; he shall dwell in the houses of Kedar; ye dwellers of the stone, praise ye (ye inhabitants of Sela, praise ye); they shall cry (out) from the top of hills.

12 They shall set glory to the Lord, and they shall tell his praising in isles. (They shall give glory to the Lord, and they shall tell out his praises on the islands.)

13 The Lord as a strong man shall go out, as a man a warrior he shall raise fervent love; he shall speak, and shall cry; he shall be comforted on his enemies. (The Lord shall go out like a strong man, he shall stir up fervour like a man of war; he shall speak, and he shall cry out; he shall be strong against his enemies.)

14 I was still, ever I held [my] silence; I was patient, (but now) I shall speak as a woman travailing of child (but now I shall cry like a woman labouring with child); I shall scatter, and I shall swallow (up) (al)together.

15 I shall make (into) desert (the) high mountains and little hills, and I shall dry up all the burgeoning of them; and I shall set floods into isles, and I shall make ponds dry.

16 And I shall lead out blind men into the way, which they know not, and I shall make them to go in paths, which they knew not; I shall set the darknesses of them before them into light, and shrewd things into rightful things; I did these words to them, and I forsook not them. (And I shall lead out the blind by the way, which they know not, and I shall make them to go on paths, which they knew not; I shall turn their darkness into light before them, and make depraved, or crooked, ways into straight ways; I shall do these things for them, and I shall not desert them.)

17 (But others,) They (shall) be turned aback; (yea,) be they shamed with shame, that trust in a graven image; which say to a molten image, Ye be our gods.

18 Ye deaf men, hear; and ye blind men, behold to see. (Ye deaf, hear; and ye blind, look and see!)

19 Who is blind, no but my servant? and deaf, but he to whom I sent my messengers? Who is blind, but he that is sold? and who is blind, but the servant of the Lord?

20 Whether thou that seest many things, shalt not keep (it in thy mind)? Whether thou that hast open ears, shalt not hear?

21 And the Lord would, that he should hallow it, and magnify the law, and enhance it. (And the Lord desired, that he would hallow the Law, and magnify it, and exalt it, or lift it up.)

22 But that people was ravished, and wasted; all they be the snare of young men, and be hid in the houses of prisons. They be made into raven, and none (there) is that delivereth; into ravishing, and none there is that saith, Yield thou. (But that people was robbed, and taken as prey; they all be ensnared, and be hid in prison houses. They be made into raven, or spoils, and there is no one who rescueth them; yea, into robbing, and there is no one who saith, Yield thou/Give thou them back!)

23 Who is among you, that heareth this, (that) perceiveth, and harkeneth (to) things to coming?

24 Who gave Jacob into ravishing, and Israel to destroyers? Whether not the Lord? He it is, against whom they sinned; and they would not go in his ways, and they heard not his law. (Who gave up Jacob for robbing, and Israel over to destroyers? Did not the Lord? It is he whom they sinned against; and they would not go in his ways, and they would not listen to his Law.)

25 And he shedded out on them the indignation of his strong vengeance, and strong battle; and he burnt it in compass, and it knew not; and he burnt it, and it understood not. (And so he poured out on them the anger of his strong vengeance, and the strength of battle; and he burned them all around, yet still they knew not; he burned them down, but still they did not understand.)

Isaiah 42 Commentary

Chapter 42

The character and coming of Christ. (1-4) The blessings of his kingdom. (5-12) The prevalence of true religion. (13-17) Unbelief and blindness reproved. (18-25)

Verses 1-4 This prophecy was fulfilled in Christ, ( Matthew 12:17 ) . Let our souls rely on him, and rejoice in him; then, for his sake, the Father will be well-pleased with us. The Holy Spirit not only came, but rested upon him, and without measure. He patiently bore the contradiction of sinners. His kingdom is spiritual; he was not to appear with earthly honours. He is tender of those oppressed with doubts and fears, as a bruised reed; those who are as smoking flax, as the wick of a lamp newly lighted, which is ready to go out again. He will not despise them, nor lay upon them more work or more suffering than they can bear. By a long course of miracles and his resurrection, he fully showed the truth of his holy religion. By the power of his gospel and grace he fixes principles in the minds of men, which tend to make them wise and just. The most distant nations wait for his law, wait for his gospel, and shall welcome it. If we would make our calling and election sure, and have the Father delight over us for good, we must behold, hear, believe in, and obey Christ.

Verses 5-12 The work of redemption brings back man to the obedience he owes to God as his Maker. Christ is the light of the world. And by his grace he opens the understandings Satan has blinded, and sets at liberty from the bondage of sin. The Lord has supported his church. And now he makes new promises, which shall as certainly be fulfilled as the old ones were. When the Gentiles are brought into the church, he is glorified in them and by them. Let us give to God those things which are his, taking heed that we do not serve the creature more than the Creator.

Verses 13-17 The Lord will appear in his power and glory. He shall cry, in the preaching of his word. He shall cry aloud in the gospel woes, which must be preached with gospel blessings, to awaken a sleeping world. He shall conquer by the power of his Spirit. And those that contradict and blaspheme his gospel, he shall put to silence and shame; and that which hinders its progress shall be taken out of the way. To those who by nature were blind, God will show the way to life and happiness by Jesus Christ. They are weak in knowledge, but He will make darkness light. They are weak in duty, but their way shall be plain. Those whom God brings into the right way, he will guide in it. This passage is a prophecy, and is also applicable to every believer; for the Lord will never leave nor forsake them.

Verses 18-25 Observe the call given to this people, and the character given of them. Multitudes are ruined for want of observing that which they cannot but see; they perish, not through ignorance, but carelessness. The Lord is well-pleased in the making known his own righteousness. For their sins they were spoiled of all their possessions. This fully came to pass in the destruction of the Jewish nation. There is no resisting, nor escaping God's anger. See the mischief sin makes; it provokes God to anger. And those not humbled by lesser judgments, must expect greater. Alas! how many professed Christians are blind as the benighted heathen! While the Lord is well-pleased in saving sinners through the righteousness of Christ he will also glorify his justice, by punishing all proud despisers. Seeing God has poured out his wrath on his once-favoured people, because of their sins, let us fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of us should be found to come short of it.

Chapter Summary

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.