Isaiah 50:6

50:6 I offered my back to those who attacked, ¹ 

my jaws to those who tore out my beard;

I did not hide my face

from insults and spitting.

Isaiah 42:1

The Lord Commissions His Special Servant

42:1 ² “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 ³  for the nations. ⁴ 

Isaiah 43:3

43:3 For I am the Lord your God,

the Holy One of Israel, ⁵  your deliverer.

I have handed over Egypt as a ransom price,

Ethiopia and Seba ⁶  in place of you.

Isaiah 43:20

43:20 The wild animals of the desert honor me,

the jackals and ostriches,

because I put water in the desert

and streams in the wilderness,

to quench the thirst of my chosen people,

[50:6]  ¹ tn Or perhaps, “who beat [me].”

[42:1]  ² 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]  ³ tn Heb “he will bring out justice” (cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[42:1]  ⁴ 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.

[43:3]  ³ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[43:3]  ⁴ sn Seba is not the same as Sheba in southern Arabia; cf. Gen 1:10; 1 Chr 1:9.