Isaiah 42

Isaiah 42 is one of the chapters in the message of comfort that begins in Isaiah 40. This section is set against the background of the Babylonian exile. In the preceding chapter, Isaiah 41, the LORD rebukes the idols and calls Israel "my servant." This chapter continues that line of thought and introduces the servant whom the LORD appoints.

Outline

• Verses 1–4 The LORD introduces the servant upon whom he has put his spirit. The servant does not cry aloud and does not break the bruised reed. He will not be discouraged, and he will establish justice in the earth.
• Verses 5–9 The LORD, who created the heavens and the earth, appoints the servant as "a covenant of the people" and "a light of the Gentiles." The servant opens blind eyes and brings out the prisoners. The LORD will not give his glory to idols, and he declares "new things" before they come to pass.
• Verses 10–12 The sea and the isles, the wilderness, and the inhabitants of Kedar and Sela are called to sing a new song to the LORD.
• Verses 13–17 The LORD goes forth like a mighty man. After long holding his peace, he cries out like a woman in travail and leads the blind. Those who trust in idols will be put to shame.
• Verses 18–25 The LORD rebukes his servant Israel, who neither sees nor hears. The people were plundered because the LORD gave them up when they would not walk in his law, yet they do not understand it.

Key Verses

• Isaiah 42:1 "Behold my servant, whom I uphold … I have put my spirit upon him" — the opening of the passage commonly called the first "Servant Song," quoted in Matthew 12:18.
• Isaiah 42:3 "A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench" — shows the servant's gentleness toward the weak.
• Isaiah 42:6 "for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles" — reveals that the scope of salvation extends even to the Gentiles.

People and Places

• The Servant of the LORD: The figure who receives the spirit and brings forth justice to the Gentiles. In verse 19 the term refers to Israel, blind and deaf.
• Kedar: A nomadic tribe of the Arabian desert. In Genesis 25:13 Kedar appears as the name of a son of Ishmael.
• Sela: A place name meaning "rock" (the KJV renders it "the rock" in verse 11). Many interpreters identify it as a city of Edom. It is a different word from the "Selah" of the Psalms.
• Jacob/Israel: In verse 24 these names refer to the people as a whole.

Points for Reflection

• Interpretations differ as to the identity of the servant in verses 1–4.
• Jewish tradition generally identifies the servant as the people of Israel.
• Christian tradition, following the New Testament, reads the passage as a messianic prophecy pointing to Jesus Christ.
• Some scholars connect the servant with the prophet himself or with Cyrus.
• The fact that in verse 19 of the same chapter "my servant" refers to a failed Israel also figures in this discussion.
• This passage is read together with texts in chapters 49, 50, and 52–53 as the "Servant Songs." The fourth of these is widely known as the Suffering Servant song.
• New Testament connections to this chapter include the following:
• Matthew 12:18–21 applies verses 1–4 to the ministry of Jesus.
• The words heard at Jesus' baptism, "in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17), are also read in connection with verse 1.
• Simeon's "a light to lighten the Gentiles" (Luke 2:32) recalls verse 6 and Isaiah 49:6.
• Views differ on the authorship of chapters 40 and following. The conservative view regards them as the work of Isaiah himself, while critical scholarship often posits a different author writing during the exile.

In the Korean Church

Verse 3, "A bruised reed shall he not break," is frequently cited as a sermon text to comfort those who are discouraged and weary.