Text -- Isaiah 42:1-4 (NET)

The Lord Commissions His Special Servant

42:1 “Here is my servant whom I support, my chosen one in whom I take pleasure. I have placed my spirit on him; he will make just decrees for the nations. 42:2 He will not cry out or shout; he will not publicize himself in the streets. 42:3 A crushed reed he will not break, a dim wick he will not extinguish; he will faithfully make just decrees. 42:4 He will not grow dim or be crushed before establishing justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait in anticipation for his decrees.”

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Isa 42:1

¹ sn Verses 1-7 contain the first of Isaiah’s “servant songs,” which describe the ministry of a special, ideal servant who accomplishes God’s purposes for Israel and the nations. This song depicts the servant as a just king who brings justice to the earth and relief for the oppressed. The other songs appear in 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12.

² tn Heb “he will bring out justice” (cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV).

³ sn Like the ideal king portrayed in Isa 11:1-9, the servant is energized by the divine spirit and establishes justice on the earth.

NET Notes: Isa 42:2

¹ tn Heb “he will not cause his voice to be heard in the street.”

NET Notes: Isa 42:3

¹ sn The “crushed reed” and “dim wick” symbolize the weak and oppressed who are on the verge of extinction.

² tn Heb “faithfully he will bring out justice” (cf. NASB, NRSV).

NET Notes: Isa 42:4

¹ tn For rhetorical effect the terms used to describe the “crushed (רָצַץ, ratsats) reed” and “dim (כָּהָה, kahah) wick” in v. 3 are repeated here.

² tn Or “islands” (NIV); NLT “distant lands beyond the sea.”

³ tn Or “his law” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NIV) or “his instruction” (NLT).