Isaiah 42 is the forty-second chapter of the Book of Isaiah in both the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet Isaiah, and is a part of the Books of the Prophets. Chapters 40-55 are known as "Deutero-Isaiah" and date from the time of the Israelites' exile in Babylon. This chapter contains a poem known as the first of the "Servant songs" about the servant, whom Jewish tradition holds that Isaiah identifies as either the Israelites themselves or Cyrus. Scholars such as John Goldingay, John Barton, and John Muddiman also hold the view that the Old Testament identifies the servant of the Servant songs as the Israelites in Is. 41:8-9; Is. 44:1; Is. 44:21; Is. 45:4; Is. 48:20 and Is. 49:3. The latter two write that "The idea of a 'servant' played a small part in the earlier chapters, being used as a designation of the unworthy Eliakim in 22:20 and of the figure of David in 37:35, but it now comes to the fore as a description of major significance, the noun being used more than 20 times in chs. 40-55. Its first usage is obviously important in establishing the sense in which we are to understand it, and here it is clear that the community of Israel/Jacob is so described."
The parashah sections listed here are based on the Aleppo Codex. Isaiah 42 is a part of the Consolations . : open parashah; : closed parashah.
Verse 1
Cross references:,,
The Synoptic Gospels each allude to verse 1 in their accounts of the Baptism of Jesus, when the Holy Spirit descends like a dove upon Jesus and a "voice from heaven" acclaims Him as "My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.".
"Quench" or "extinguish" from the Hebrew root: k-b-h, is also used in and for: "the fire that shall not be quenched"; : 'the fire devouring Edom "will not be quenched"'; as well as in : 'those who oppose the LORD'S path are "quenched like a wick"'.
Verse [|4]
"Be discouraged": from Hebrew: יָר֔וּץ, ', "bruised", from the root word "crushed", used to describe "crushed reed" and "dim wick" in verse 3, repeated here for rhetorical effect.
Muslim tradition holds that Isaiah 42 predicted the coming of a servant associated with Qedar, the second son of Ishmael and who went on to live his life in Arabia, and so interpret this passage as a prophecy of Muhammad. Isiah 42 is prophesying about a messiah coming for gentiles and Jesus in Mathew 15:24 said to woman that "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." So Muslims interpret that Isiah 42 is prophesying about Muhammad Since God say in Quran 21:107 And We have not sent you, , except as a mercy to the worlds According to the Hadiths, Muslims like 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As have believed that Muhammad was the servant of Isaiah 42 during his very lifetime. In 1892, Isaiah 42:1–4 was first identified by Bernhard Duhm as one of the Servant songs in the Book of Isaiah, along with Isaiah 49:1–6; Isaiah 50:4–7; and Isaiah 52:13–53:12. The Old Testament identifies the servant of the Servant songs as the Israelite's in Isaiah 41:8-9; Isaiah 44:1; Isaiah 44:21; Isaiah 45:4; Isaiah 48:20 and Isaiah 49:3. John Barton and John Muddiman write that "The idea of a 'servant' played a small part in the earlier chapters, being used as a designation of the unworthy Eliakim in and of the figure of David in, but it now comes to the fore as a description of major significance, the noun being used more than 20 times in chapters 40–55. Its first usage is obviously important in establishing the sense in which we are to understand it, and here it is clear that the community of Israel/Jacob is so described."
