Focused Passage

Isaiah 42:18-25

The Chosen Servant, New Song, and the Blindness of the LORD’s People

Isaiah 42 moves from the LORD presenting His chosen Servant who will bring justice to the nations with gentleness and faithfulness, to the LORD commissioning Him as covenant and light, to a new song of worldwide praise for the LORD’s coming victory, to the LORD declaring that He will act after long restraint, to His promise to lead the blind by ways they have not known, and finally to the indictment of Israel as a blind and deaf servant who has suffered judgment but has not taken it to heart.

Berean Standard Bible, Public Domain - Translation notes - Reference sources

18 Listen, you deaf ones; look, you blind ones, that you may see!

19 Who is blind but My servant, or deaf like the messenger I am sending? Who is blind like My covenant partner, or blind like the servant of the LORD?

20 Though seeing many things, you do not keep watch. Though your ears are open, you do not hear.”

21 The LORD was pleased, for the sake of His righteousness, to magnify His law and make it glorious.

22 But this is a people plundered and looted, all trapped in caves or imprisoned in dungeons. They have become plunder with no one to rescue them, and loot with no one to say, “Send them back!”

23 Who among you will pay attention to this? Who will listen and obey hereafter?

24 Who gave Jacob up for spoil, and Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the LORD, against whom we have sinned? They were unwilling to walk in His ways, and they would not obey His law.

25 So He poured out on them His furious anger and the fierceness of battle. It enveloped them in flames, but they did not understand; it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.

Study Helps

References and Original Words

Verse 18

Original words

Listen שְׁמָ֑עוּ H8085 Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural you deaf [ones] הַחֵרְשִׁ֖ים H2795 Article | Adjective - masculine plural look הַבִּ֥יטוּ H5027 Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine plural you blind [ones] וְהַעִוְרִ֖ים H5787 Conjunctive waw, Article | Adjective - masculine plural that you may see לִרְאֽוֹת׃ H7200 Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Verse 19

Original words

Who מִ֤י H4310 Interrogative is blind עִוֵּר֙ H5787 Adjective - masculine singular but כִּ֣י H3588 Conjunction . . . אִם־ H518 Conjunction My servant עַבְדִּ֔י H5650 Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular or deaf וְחֵרֵ֖שׁ H2795 Conjunctive waw | Adjective - masculine singular like the messenger כְּמַלְאָכִ֣י H4397 Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular I am sending אֶשְׁלָ֑ח H7971 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular Who מִ֤י H4310 Interrogative is blind עִוֵּר֙ H5787 Adjective - masculine singular like My covenant partner כִּמְשֻׁלָּ֔ם H7999 Preposition-k | Verb - Pual - Participle - masculine singular or blind וְעִוֵּ֖ר H5787 Conjunctive waw | Adjective - masculine singular like the servant כְּעֶ֥בֶד H5650 Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct of the LORD יְהוָֽה׃ H3068 Noun - proper - masculine singular
Verse 20

Original words

Though seeing רָאִיתָ H7200 Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute many things רַבּ֖וֹת H7227 Adjective - feminine plural you do not וְלֹ֣א H3808 Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle keep watch תִשְׁמֹ֑ר H8104 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular Though your ears אָזְנַ֖יִם H241 Noun - fd are open פָּק֥וֹחַ H6491 Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute you do not וְלֹ֥א H3808 Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle hear יִשְׁמָֽע׃ H8085 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Verse 21

Original words

The LORD יְהוָ֥ה H3068 Noun - proper - masculine singular was pleased חָפֵ֖ץ H2654 Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular for the sake of לְמַ֣עַן H4616 Preposition His righteousness צִדְק֑וֹ H6664 Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular to magnify יַגְדִּ֥יל H1431 Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular His law תּוֹרָ֖ה H8451 Noun - feminine singular and make it glorious וְיַאְדִּֽיר׃ H142 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Verse 22

Original words

But this וְהוּא֮ H1931 Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - third person masculine singular is a people עַם־ H5971 Noun - masculine singular plundered בָּז֣וּז H962 Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular and looted וְשָׁסוּי֒ H8154 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular all כֻּלָּ֔ם H3605 Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural trapped הָפֵ֤חַ H6351 Verb - Hifil - Infinitive absolute in caves בַּֽחוּרִים֙ H2352 Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine plural or imprisoned הָחְבָּ֑אוּ H2244 Verb - Hofal - Perfect - third person common plural in dungeons וּבְבָתֵּ֥י H1004 Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct . . . כְלָאִ֖ים H3608 Noun - masculine plural They have become הָי֤וּ H1961 Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural plunder לָבַז֙ H957 Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular with no וְאֵ֣ין H369 Conjunctive waw | Adverb one to rescue them מַצִּ֔יל H5337 Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular and loot מְשִׁסָּ֖ה H4933 Noun - feminine singular with no וְאֵין־ H369 Conjunctive waw | Adverb one to say אֹמֵ֥ר H559 Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular Send them back הָשַֽׁב׃ H7725 Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular
Verse 23

Original words

Who מִ֥י H4310 Interrogative among you בָכֶ֖ם Preposition | second person masculine plural will pay attention יַאֲזִ֣ין H238 Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular to this זֹ֑את H2063 Pronoun - feminine singular [Who] will listen יַקְשִׁ֥ב H7181 Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular and obey וְיִשְׁמַ֖ע H8085 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine singular hereafter לְאָחֽוֹר׃ H268 Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Verse 24

Original words

Who מִֽי־ H4310 Interrogative gave נָתַ֨ן H5414 Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular Jacob יַעֲקֹ֛ב H3290 Noun - proper - masculine singular up for spoil לִמְשׁוֹסֶה H4882 Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular and Israel וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֥ל H3478 Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular to the plunderers לְבֹזְזִ֖ים H962 Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural Was it not הֲל֣וֹא H3808 Adverb - Negative particle the LORD יְהוָ֑ה H3068 Noun - proper - masculine singular against whom ז֚וּ H2098 Pronoun - relative we have sinned חָטָ֣אנוּ H2398 Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common plural vvv וְלֹֽא־ H3808 Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle They were unwilling אָב֤וּ H14 Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural to walk הָל֔וֹךְ H1980 Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute in His ways בִדְרָכָיו֙ H1870 Preposition-b | Noun - common plural construct | third person masculine singular and they would not וְלֹ֥א H3808 Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle obey שָׁמְע֖וּ H8085 Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural His law בְּתוֹרָתֽוֹ׃ H8451 Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Verse 25

Original words

So He poured out וַיִּשְׁפֹּ֤ךְ H8210 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular on them עָלָיו֙ H5921 Preposition | third person masculine singular His furious חֵמָ֣ה H2534 Noun - feminine singular anger אַפּ֔וֹ H639 Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular and the fierceness וֶעֱז֖וּז H5807 Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct of battle מִלְחָמָ֑ה H4421 Noun - feminine singular It enveloped them מִסָּבִיב֙ H5439 Preposition-m | Adverb in flames וַתְּלַהֲטֵ֤הוּ H3857 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular | third person masculine singular but they did not וְלֹ֣א H3808 Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle understand יָדָ֔ע H3045 Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular it consumed them וַתִּבְעַר־ H1197 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular but they did not וְלֹא־ H3808 Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle take יָשִׂ֥ים H7760 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular it to עַל־ H5921 Preposition heart לֵֽב׃פ H3820 Noun - masculine singular

Berean Standard Bible (BSB): CC0 Public Domain Scripture text. Focused passages are drawn from the same reader contract as the full chapter. Reference sources explains external study-link sources.