Isaiah 42:1-5

The Lord Commissions His Special Servant

42:1 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 ²  for the nations. ³ 

42:2 He will not cry out or shout;

he will not publicize himself in the streets. ⁴ 

42:3 A crushed reed he will not break,

a dim wick he will not extinguish; ⁵ 

he will faithfully make just decrees. ⁶ 

42:4 He will not grow dim or be crushed ⁷ 

before establishing justice on the earth;

the coastlands ⁸  will wait in anticipation for his decrees.” ⁹ 

42:5 This is what the true God, ¹⁰  the Lord, says –

the one who created the sky and stretched it out,

the one who fashioned the earth and everything that lives on it, ¹¹ 

the one who gives breath to the people on it,

and life to those who live on it: ¹² 

[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.

[42:1]  ² tn Heb “he will bring out justice” (cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[42:1]  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.

[42:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “he will not cause his voice to be heard in the street.”

[42:3]  ⁷ sn The “crushed reed” and “dim wick” symbolize the weak and oppressed who are on the verge of extinction.

[42:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “faithfully he will bring out justice” (cf. NASB, NRSV).

[42:4]  ¹⁰ 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.

[42:4]  ¹¹ tn Or “islands” (NIV); NLT “distant lands beyond the sea.”

[42:4]  ¹² tn Or “his law” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NIV) or “his instruction” (NLT).

[42:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “the God.” The definite article here indicates distinctiveness or uniqueness.

[42:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and its offspring” (so NASB); NIV “all that comes out of it.”

[42:5]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and spirit [i.e., “breath”] to the ones walking in it” (NAB, NASB, and NRSV all similar).