Isaías 42

VBL · Chapter 42/66

1¡Mira! Aquí está mi siervo, el que yo sostengo; mi elegido que me complace. He puesto mi Espíritu sobre él, y él mostrará a las naciones lo que es correcto.

2No gritará ni vociferará; no levantará la voz en la calle.

3No romperá la caña dañada ni apagará la mecha que arde. Se asegurará fielmente de que todos sean tratados con justicia.

4No se dará por vencido ni se desanimará hasta que haya conseguido que la justicia se mantenga en todo el mundo. Incluso las tierras de ultramar esperarán sus enseñanzas.

5Esto es lo que dice Dios, el Señor, el que creó los cielos y los extendió, el que hizo la tierra y todo lo que hay en ella, el que da aliento a los que están en ella y vida a los que la habitan:

6“Yo, el Señor, te he llamado para que demuestres lo que es correcto, y te llevaré de la mano. Te cuidaré y te daré como señal de mi acuerdo con los pueblos y como luz para las naciones.

7Harás ver a los ciegos, liberarás a los que están encerrados y sacarás de la cárcel a los que están en la oscuridad.

8“¡Yo soy el Señor, ese es mi nombre! No doy mi honor a nadie más; no doy mi alabanza a los ídolos.

9Fíjense que lo que predije se ha hecho realidad, al igual que las cosas nuevas que les estoy diciendo ahora. Te digo lo que sucederá antes de que suceda”.

10¡Canten una nueva canción al Señor! Canten alabanzas desde cualquier lugar de la tierra, ustedes que navegan por el mar y todo lo que hay en él, ustedes las islas y todos los que viven en ellas.

11Que grite la gente del desierto y de sus ciudades; que grite en voz alta la gente de las aldeas de Cedar. Que los pueblos de Sela canten de alegría; que griten desde las cimas de las montañas.

12Que glorifiquen al Señor y lo alaben en las islas.

13Como un poderoso guerrero marchará el Señor, como un soldado aguerrido sale con valor. Da su grito de guerra, gritando mientras lucha y derrota a sus enemigos.

14“Durante mucho tiempo no dije nada, me callé y me contuve. Pero ahora, como una mujer que da a luz, gemiré y jadearé.

15Secaré las montañas y las colinas, y haré que se marchite todo su verdor. Convertiré los ríos en islas y secaré los estanques.

16Llevaré a los ciegos por un camino que no conocen; los guiaré por senderos que no conocen. Convertiré las tinieblas en luz ante ellos, y allanaré las asperezas. Esto es lo que voy a hacer por ellos; no los defraudaré.

17Pero los que confían en los ídolos y dicen a las imágenes: ‘¡Ustedes son nuestros dioses!’ serán rechazados con humillación y vergüenza.

18“¡Escuchen, sordos! ¡Miren y vean, ciegos!

19¿Quién es ciego como mi siervo? ¿Quién es sordo como mi mensajero que yo envío? ¿Quién es tan ciego como el pueblo del acuerdo? ¿Quién es tan ciego como el siervo del Señor?

20Has mirado muchas cosas pero no has visto realmente; has oído pero nunca has escuchado realmente”.

21Como el Señor hace lo que es justo, quiso mostrar lo importantes y maravillosas que eran sus instrucciones.

22Pero este pueblo terminó robado y asaltado, todos atrapados en agujeros o escondidos en prisiones. Han sido robados como un botín, sin que nadie los salve de ser el premio de alguien, sin que nadie les diga “¡Devuélvanlos!”

23¿Quién de ustedes va a escuchar esto, o a prestar atención después?

24¿Quién dejó que Jacob fuera tomado como botín; quién dejó que Israel fuera tomado por ladrones? ¿No fue el Señor contra quien pecamos? El pueblo no estaba dispuesto a seguir sus caminos, y se negaba a obedecer su ley.

25Así que derramó sobre ellos su furia y la violencia de la guerra. A pesar de que estaban rodeados de llamas, seguían sin entender. El fuego los abrasaba, pero seguían sin tomarse en serio la situación.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

God presents his 'Servant,' a gentle figure who will not break a bruised reed nor snuff out a smoldering wick, bringing justice to the nations with meekness. The chapter also rebukes Israel for being a servant blind and deaf to its own responsibilities.

Explanation

This is the first of Isaiah's so-called 'Songs of the Suffering Servant' (42, 49, 50, and 52-53), passages that describe a mysterious figure who serves God and brings justice humbly, without violence or self-display. The description of one who does not 'break a bruised reed' nor 'quench a smoldering wick' conveys a unique tenderness toward the weak and wounded, refusing to destroy what is already fragile. The New Testament applies this song directly to Jesus (Matthew 12:18-21), recognizing in him the fulfillment of this gentle, just figure. The second part of the chapter, by contrast, calls Israel a 'blind' servant who cannot see its own purpose. The practical application today is that true strength of character is often expressed in gentleness toward the vulnerable, not in force or violence.

Fun facts

  • This song is quoted directly in the Gospel of Matthew (12:18-21) as fulfilled in Jesus, making it one of the key texts in Christian theology on the meek character of the Messiah.
  • The phrase 'he will not cry out, nor raise his voice' (v. 2) deliberately contrasts with the image of the conquering kings of the time, who typically announced their victories with great fanfare and public violence.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Isaías 42:1This Servant presented by God is one of the most debated figures in the book: Jewish readers traditionally understand it as the people of Israel itself, called to bring justice to the nations; Christian readers associate the figure with Jesus. The text itself doesn’t settle the question, and this ambiguity returns in chapters 49, 50, and 52-53.
  2. Isaías 42:2The Servant does not cry out or make speeches in the public square, the opposite of the style of conquerors and kings who announced victories with shouting. It’s a discreet way of acting, without fanfare.
  3. Isaías 42:3The bruised reed that isn’t quite broken and the smoking flax that isn’t quite quenched describe a way of acting without violence. Even what is already nearly destroyed, the Servant will not finish ruining — it’s an image of care, not brute force.
  4. Isaías 42:4“He shall not fail nor be discouraged” promises that the Servant will persist until the mission of justice is complete, without losing heart or being destroyed along the way. The isles, a symbol of distant nations, wait for this message.
  5. Isaías 42:5Before continuing to speak of the Servant, the text reaffirms the credentials of the one speaking: the very Creator of the heavens and the earth, who gives breath to every living person, is the one presenting this figure.
  6. Isaías 42:6“A covenant of the people” and “a light of the Gentiles” sum up the Servant’s dual mission: something tied specifically to Israel and, at the same time, a light that reaches people outside it, an idea repeated in chapter 49.
  7. Isaías 42:7Opening blind eyes and freeing prisoners from darkness concretely describes the kind of liberation expected, applicable both to a literal reading of healing and freedom and to a symbolic reading about the end of exile.
  8. Isaías 42:8“That is my name” reinforces God’s exclusive identity right after presenting the Servant, making clear that the glory of the mission must not be shared with idols or credited to carved statues.
  9. Isaías 42:9Contrasting “the former things” with “new things” repeats a common argument in the book: since old prophecies have already come true, that lends credibility to the announcement of things still to come, including the Servant’s mission.
  10. Isaías 42:10Calling on even those who sail the sea to sing “a new song” widens the audience of praise: it’s not just Israel, but people from distant sea routes, reinforcing the message’s international reach.
  11. Isaías 42:11Kedar was a region of the Arabian desert, and the rock mentioned probably refers to Edom or Sela. The list mixes desert places and nomadic peoples into one broad chorus of celebration, from the wilderness to the mountaintops.
  12. Isaías 42:12Repeating the call to give glory to God “in the islands” closes out the invitation to global praise that began in verse 10, from the sea to the farthest islands known at the time.
  13. Isaías 42:13After the tenderness at the start of the chapter, the image shifts to a warrior: God going forth as a man of war, a contrast that has appeared before in the book between a protective God and a God who also actively fights for His people.
  14. Isaías 42:14God compared to a woman in labor, crying out in pain, is a rare and powerful image in the Hebrew Bible, used here to show that God’s earlier silence was not indifference but restraint. When He finally acts, it will be with the urgency of someone who can’t wait any longer.
  15. Isaías 42:15Drying up rivers and turning pools into dry land reverses the image of abundance used in other chapters: here it is destruction of the landscape, likely aimed at the obstacles and nations resisting the announced plan of liberation.
  16. Isaías 42:16Guiding the blind along an unfamiliar path, turning darkness into light, repeats the language of healing already used for the Servant, now applied directly to the people who need to be led back, even without knowing the way.
  17. Isaías 42:17The shame promised to those who trust in carved images contrasts with the promise of guidance and care in the previous verse: one path is safe, the other ends in humiliation.
  18. Isaías 42:18The call for the deaf and blind to hear and see sets up the chapter’s turn: right after, the text reveals that these deaf and blind ones are actually the people of Israel themselves, described in a surprising way in verse 19.
  19. Isaías 42:19It’s strange to see the Servant himself called blind and deaf right after being described as a light to the blind. But here the target has shifted: the text is speaking of the people of Israel, who should have seen and heard God and failed to, even though they were chosen for that mission.
  20. Isaías 42:20Seeing many things without paying attention, and hearing without really listening, describes a people who had access to God’s revelation but didn’t make use of it, the same kind of criticism leveled at Israel since chapter 6.
  21. Isaías 42:21Despite the criticism, the text acknowledges that God’s original intention was to magnify and glorify His people through the law, a contrast between the good plan and the disappointing outcome described around it.
  22. Isaías 42:22Describing the people as “robbed and spoiled,” trapped in caves and prison houses, sums up the exile situation directly, and the phrase “none saith, Restore” shows that no one is demanding justice for them.
  23. Isaías 42:23The rhetorical question seeks someone willing to truly pay attention to the explanation that follows, about why the people fell into this situation of captivity.
  24. Isaías 42:24The answer is harsh: it was the Lord Himself who gave Jacob over to the plunderers, not by chance or weakness, but as a direct consequence of the people’s disobedience to His law.
  25. Isaías 42:25“Fire round about” describes the war and destruction that surrounded the people as punishment, but the verse ends by noting that, even suffering its full effect, the people did not take the lesson to heart.

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