Bible Study Isaiah 42
‹ Isaiah

Isaiah 42 · WEB

The Servant of the Lord and Blind Israel

Listen — WEB narration 0:00 / 0:00 Narration: World English Bible (David Williams), public domain — AudioTreasure.

Tap a verse to copy it, open the Hebrew, or write a note.

"Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen, in whom my soul delights— I have put my Spirit on him. He will bring justice to the nations.
2He won't cry, nor lift up his voice, nor cause it to be heard in the street.
3He won't break a bruised reed. He won't quench a dimly burning wick. He will faithfully bring justice.
4He won't fail nor be discouraged, until he has set justice in the earth, and the islands will wait for his law."
5Thus says God Yahweh, he who created the heavens and stretched them out, he who spread out the earth and that which comes out of it, he who gives breath to its people and spirit to those who walk in it:
6"I, Yahweh, have called you in righteousness, and will hold your hand, and will keep you, and make you a covenant for the people, as a light for the nations;
7to open the blind eyes, to bring the prisoners out of the dungeon, and those who sit in darkness out of the prison.
8I am Yahweh. That is my name. I will not give my glory to another, nor my praise to engraved images.
9Behold, the former things have happened, and I declare new things. I tell you about them before they come up."
10Sing to Yahweh a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is therein, the islands and their inhabitants.
11Let the wilderness and its cities raise their voices, with the villages that Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing. Let them shout from the top of the mountains.
12Let them give glory to Yahweh, and declare his praise in the islands.
13Yahweh will go out like a mighty man. He will stir up zeal like a man of war. He will raise a war cry. Yes, he will shout aloud. He will triumph over his enemies.
14"I have been silent a long time. I have been quiet and restrained myself. Now I will cry out like a travailing woman. I will both gasp and pant.
15I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs. I will turn the rivers into islands, and will dry up the pools.
16I will bring the blind by a way that they don't know. I will lead them in paths that they don't know. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. I will do these things, and I will not forsake them.
17Those who trust in engraved images, who tell molten images, 'You are our gods,' will be turned back. They will be utterly disappointed."
18"Hear, you deaf, and look, you blind, that you may see.
19Who is blind, but my servant? Or who is as deaf as my messenger whom I send? Who is as blind as he who is at peace with me, and as blind as Yahweh's servant?
20You see many things, but don't observe. His ears are open, but he doesn't listen."
21It pleased Yahweh, for his righteousness' sake, to magnify the law, and make it honorable.
22But this is a robbed and plundered people. They are all of them snared in holes, and they are hidden in prisons. They have become a prey, and no one delivers, and a spoil, and no one says, "Restore them."
23Who is there among you who will give ear to this, who will listen and hear for the time to come?
24Who gave Jacob as a plunder, and Israel to the robbers? Didn't Yahweh, he against whom we have sinned, and in whose ways they wouldn't walk, and whose law they didn't obey?
25Therefore he poured on him the fierceness of his anger, and the strength of battle. It set him on fire all around, but he didn't know it; and it burned him, but he didn't take it to heart.
✶

Summary

Isaiah 42 opens with the first of four "Servant Songs," introducing a chosen servant upon whom God places his Spirit to bring justice gently and faithfully to the nations. God declares that this servant will be a covenant for the people and a light for the nations, opening blind eyes and freeing prisoners. The chapter then calls all creation to sing a new song of praise, as God promises to act powerfully on behalf of his people. Yet the chapter ends with a sobering indictment: Israel itself is spiritually blind and deaf, unable to see or hear God's instruction, and has suffered judgment as a result.

Themes

  • The gentle and faithful Servant of the Lord
  • Justice for the nations through God's chosen one
  • Spiritual blindness and deafness of Israel
  • God's power to do new things
  • Universal praise and the call to worship

Key verses

  • Isa 42:1 — “Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen, in whom my soul delights— I have put my Spirit on him. He will bring justice to the nations.”
  • Isa 42:16 — “I will bring the blind by a way that they don't know. I will lead them in paths that they don't know. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight.”
  • Isa 42:3 — “He won't break a bruised reed. He won't quench a dimly burning wick. He will faithfully bring justice.”
  • Isa 42:6 — “I, Yahweh, have called you in righteousness, and will hold your hand, and will keep you, and make you a covenant for the people, as a light for the nations.”

Context & background

Isaiah 42 was written in the context of Judah's looming exile to Babylon (modern central Iraq), with God addressing a people who would face national catastrophe. The "Servant Songs" (42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-11; 52:13–53:12) are among the most theologically significant passages in the Hebrew Bible, debated for centuries as pointing to the nation of Israel, an ideal Israelite, or a future individual. The New Testament explicitly quotes Isaiah 42:1-4 in Matthew 12:18-21, applying it to Jesus of Nazareth. The reference to Kedar (v. 11) points to Arabian tribes in the region of modern Saudi Arabia/Jordan, while Sela likely refers to the region of modern Petra, Jordan, indicating that even distant Gentile nations are called to praise God.

Cross-references

  • Isa 49:1-6 — The second Servant Song, further developing the Servant's mission as a light to the nations
  • Isa 61:1-2 — Jesus reads this passage in the Nazareth synagogue (Luke 4:18-19), echoing Isa 42:7 (opening blind eyes, freeing prisoners)
  • Isa 6:9-10 — The earlier call of Isaiah includes the same theme of Israel's spiritual blindness and deafness
  • Luke 4:18-19 — Jesus applies the Servant's anointing and mission to himself
  • Matt 12:18-21 — Matthew quotes Isa 42:1-4 directly, identifying the Servant as Jesus

Check your reading

Log in to take the quiz and save your progress.

  1. Observe

    How does God describe his Servant in the first Servant Song?

  2. Observe

    What missions does God assign to his Servant in verses 6-7?

  3. Interpret

    Why is the Servant's gentleness — not breaking bruised reeds — highlighted as part of bringing justice?

  4. Interpret

    How can the word "servant" refer both to the ideal figure and to blind Israel?

  5. Apply

    How should one reflect the Servant's gentleness in relationships?

  6. Apply

    How should one respond when God has been speaking through circumstances?

Your journal

Write your own answers — they save automatically, and only you can see them.

Log in to write and save journal answers.

Apply (How does it apply to me?)

Personal notes (anything else about this chapter)