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

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

19Who 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?

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

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

22But 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!”

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

24Who 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.

25So 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

Listenשְׁמָ֑עוּH8085Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine pluralyou deaf [ones]הַחֵרְשִׁ֖יםH2795Article | Adjective - masculine plurallookהַבִּ֥יטוּH5027Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine pluralyou blind [ones]וְהַעִוְרִ֖יםH5787Conjunctive waw, Article | Adjective - masculine pluralthat you may seeלִרְאֽוֹת׃H7200Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Verse 19

Original words

Whoמִ֤יH4310Interrogativeis blindעִוֵּר֙H5787Adjective - masculine singularbutכִּ֣יH3588Conjunction. . .אִם־H518ConjunctionMy servantעַבְדִּ֔יH5650Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singularor deafוְחֵרֵ֖שׁH2795Conjunctive waw | Adjective - masculine singularlike the messengerכְּמַלְאָכִ֣יH4397Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singularI am sendingאֶשְׁלָ֑חH7971Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singularWhoמִ֤יH4310Interrogativeis blindעִוֵּר֙H5787Adjective - masculine singularlike My covenant partnerכִּמְשֻׁלָּ֔םH7999Preposition-k | Verb - Pual - Participle - masculine singularor blindוְעִוֵּ֖רH5787Conjunctive waw | Adjective - masculine singularlike the servantכְּעֶ֥בֶדH5650Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular constructof the LORDיְהוָֽה׃H3068Noun - proper - masculine singular
Verse 20

Original words

Though seeingרָאִיתָH7200Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolutemany thingsרַבּ֖וֹתH7227Adjective - feminine pluralyou do notוְלֹ֣אH3808Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particlekeep watchתִשְׁמֹ֑רH8104Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singularThough your earsאָזְנַ֖יִםH241Noun - fdare openפָּק֥וֹחַH6491Verb - Qal - Infinitive absoluteyou do notוְלֹ֥אH3808Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particlehearיִשְׁמָֽע׃H8085Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Verse 21

Original words

The LORDיְהוָ֥הH3068Noun - proper - masculine singularwas pleasedחָפֵ֖ץH2654Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singularfor the sake ofלְמַ֣עַןH4616PrepositionHis righteousnessצִדְק֑וֹH6664Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singularto magnifyיַגְדִּ֥ילH1431Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singularHis lawתּוֹרָ֖הH8451Noun - feminine singularand make it gloriousוְיַאְדִּֽיר׃H142Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Verse 22

Original words

But thisוְהוּא֮H1931Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - third person masculine singularis a peopleעַם־H5971Noun - masculine singularplunderedבָּז֣וּזH962Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singularand lootedוְשָׁסוּי֒H8154Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singularallכֻּלָּ֔םH3605Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine pluraltrappedהָפֵ֤חַH6351Verb - Hifil - Infinitive absolutein cavesבַּֽחוּרִים֙H2352Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine pluralor imprisonedהָחְבָּ֑אוּH2244Verb - Hofal - Perfect - third person common pluralin dungeonsוּבְבָתֵּ֥יH1004Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct. . .כְלָאִ֖יםH3608Noun - masculine pluralThey have becomeהָי֤וּH1961Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common pluralplunderלָבַז֙H957Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singularwith noוְאֵ֣יןH369Conjunctive waw | Adverbone to rescue themמַצִּ֔ילH5337Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singularand lootמְשִׁסָּ֖הH4933Noun - feminine singularwith noוְאֵין־H369Conjunctive waw | Adverbone to sayאֹמֵ֥רH559Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singularSend them backהָשַֽׁב׃H7725Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular
Verse 23

Original words

Whoמִ֥יH4310Interrogativeamong youבָכֶ֖םPreposition | second person masculine pluralwill pay attentionיַאֲזִ֣יןH238Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singularto thisזֹ֑אתH2063Pronoun - feminine singular[Who] will listenיַקְשִׁ֥בH7181Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singularand obeyוְיִשְׁמַ֖עH8085Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine singularhereafterלְאָחֽוֹר׃H268Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Verse 24

Original words

Whoמִֽי־H4310Interrogativegaveנָתַ֨ןH5414Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singularJacobיַעֲקֹ֛בH3290Noun - proper - masculine singularup for spoilלִמְשׁוֹסֶהH4882Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singularand Israelוְיִשְׂרָאֵ֥לH3478Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singularto the plunderersלְבֹזְזִ֖יםH962Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine pluralWas it notהֲל֣וֹאH3808Adverb - Negative particlethe LORDיְהוָ֑הH3068Noun - proper - masculine singularagainst whomז֚וּH2098Pronoun - relativewe have sinnedחָטָ֣אנוּH2398Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common pluralvvvוְלֹֽא־H3808Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particleThey were unwillingאָב֤וּH14Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common pluralto walkהָל֔וֹךְH1980Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolutein His waysבִדְרָכָיו֙H1870Preposition-b | Noun - common plural construct | third person masculine singularand they would notוְלֹ֥אH3808Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particleobeyשָׁמְע֖וּH8085Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common pluralHis lawבְּתוֹרָתֽוֹ׃H8451Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Verse 25

Original words

So He poured outוַיִּשְׁפֹּ֤ךְH8210Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singularon themעָלָיו֙H5921Preposition | third person masculine singularHis furiousחֵמָ֣הH2534Noun - feminine singularangerאַפּ֔וֹH639Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singularand the fiercenessוֶעֱז֖וּזH5807Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular constructof battleמִלְחָמָ֑הH4421Noun - feminine singularIt enveloped themמִסָּבִיב֙H5439Preposition-m | Adverbin flamesוַתְּלַהֲטֵ֤הוּH3857Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular | third person masculine singularbut they did notוְלֹ֣אH3808Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particleunderstandיָדָ֔עH3045Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singularit consumed themוַתִּבְעַר־H1197Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singularbut they did notוְלֹא־H3808Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particletakeיָשִׂ֥יםH7760Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singularit toעַל־H5921Prepositionheartלֵֽב׃פH3820Noun - 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.