Israel's Unfaithfulness and Resulting Judgment
Isaiah 42:18-25
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Isa.42.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- החרשים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- שמעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- והעורים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,def
- הביטו: VERB,qal,imp,2,pl
- לראות: VERB,qal,inf
Parallels
- Isaiah 42:7 (verbal): Same Servant-song context: speaks of opening blind eyes and freeing prisoners—directly related language about the blind seeing and the deaf hearing.
- Isaiah 29:18 (verbal): Uses almost identical phrasing ('the deaf will hear, and the eyes of the blind will see') to describe future restoration.
- Isaiah 35:5 (verbal): Declares that the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped—another Isaiah passage with the same healing imagery.
- Isaiah 6:9-10 (thematic): Describes people who hear without understanding and see without perceiving—a contrasting theme of spiritual deafness/blindness that frames Isaiah 42’s rhetorical complaint.
- Matthew 11:5 (quotation): Jesus cites prophetic signs—'the blind receive sight, the deaf hear'—as evidence of the kingdom, echoing Isaiah’s restoration imagery.
Alternative generated candidates
- You deaf, give ear; and you blind, look and see.
- Hear, O deaf, and look, O blind, that you may see.
Isa.42.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- עור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- אם: CONJ
- עבדי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- וחרש: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כמלאכי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+1s
- אשלח: VERB,qal,imperf,1,_,sg
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- עור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כמשלם: PREP+PTCP,piel,m,sg
- ועור: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg,abs
- כעבד: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 42:18-20 (structural): Immediate context: contrasts the servant's spiritual blindness/deafness and Israel's failure to see/hear—same language and rhetorical questions about blindness and obedience.
- Isaiah 29:18 (thematic): Promises reversal of sensory judgment—'the deaf shall hear words... the eyes of the blind shall see'—echoes the motif of deafness/blindness as judgment and hope.
- Isaiah 35:5-6 (thematic): Prophetic oracle of restoration in which 'the eyes of the blind will be opened' and the deaf will hear, paralleling the servant/Israel contrast between blindness and divinely-given sight.
- Isaiah 6:9-10 (verbal): Uses the same semantic field (seeing/hearing but not understanding) to describe prophetic hardening; links spiritual blindness/deafness to divine judgment and mission.
- Matthew 11:4-5 / Luke 7:22 (quotation): Jesus cites fulfillment of Isaiah-like signs—'the blind receive their sight, the deaf hear'—connecting Isaiah's servant-served themes to messianic ministry and the restoration of senses.
Alternative generated candidates
- Who is blind but my servant? who is deaf like the messenger I send? Who is blind as the one made whole, blind as the servant of the LORD?
- Who is blind but my servant? Who is deaf like the messenger I send? Who is blind like the one I have made whole, blind like the servant of the LORD?
Isa.42.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ראות: VERB,qal,ptc,3,f,pl
- רבות: ADJ,f,pl,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- תשמר: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- פקוח: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- אזנים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- ישמע: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 6:9-10 (verbal): Uses the same formula of seeing without perceiving and hearing without understanding (’hear ye, and hear not; see ye, and see not’), a close verbal and theological parallel within Isaiah.
- Ezekiel 12:2 (verbal): ’They have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not’ — the identical diagnostic formula describing spiritual insensitivity.
- Jeremiah 5:21 (verbal): ’Hear this, O foolish people… who have eyes, and see not; who have ears, and hear not’ — a near-verbatim lament about sight and hearing that echoes Isaiah 42:20’s theme.
- Isaiah 43:8 (thematic): Calls for bringing out those ‘who have eyes that see not, and ears that hear not,’ repeating the motif of blinded/deafened people within Isaiah’s prophetic corpus.
- Matthew 13:13-15 (allusion): Jesus cites the prophetic theme of judgmental hardening (‘they may indeed hear… but they will not understand’)—an NT allusion to the Isaiah motif of seeing/hearing without perception.
Alternative generated candidates
- They have seen much and yet they do not observe; the opening of ears is there, but they will not hear.
- They have seen much, yet they do not observe; they have opened their ears, yet they do not hear.
Isa.42.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- חפץ: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- למען: PREP
- צדקו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- יגדיל: VERB,hif,impf,3,m,sg
- תורה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ויאדיר: VERB,hif,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 42:1-4 (structural): Part of the Servant Song; vv.1–4 describe the Servant’s mission to bring justice and faithfulness, giving immediate context to the statement that Yahweh will 'magnify' the law.
- Isaiah 49:3-6 (thematic): Second Servant Song continues the motif of the servant’s vindication and mission to restore Israel and be a light to the nations—parallel themes of exaltation and fulfillment of God’s purposes.
- Jeremiah 31:33 (allusion): God’s promise to put his law within the people and write it on their hearts resonates with the idea that God will vindicate and make his law authoritative and effective.
- Psalm 119:142 (verbal): Explicitly links 'righteousness' and 'law'—'Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and your law is truth'—echoing Isaiah’s coupling of Yahweh’s righteousness with the exaltation of the law.
- Ezekiel 36:27 (thematic): God’s giving of his Spirit to enable obedience and internalize his statutes parallels the notion that God will cause his law to be honored and operative for righteousness.
Alternative generated candidates
- The LORD delights in this—for the sake of righteousness he will magnify the teaching and make it glorious.
- The LORD was pleased, for the sake of his righteousness, to magnify the law and make it great.
Isa.42.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והוא: CONJ+PRON,3,m,sg
- עם: PREP
- בזוז: VERB,qal,ptc,0,m,sg
- ושסוי: CONJ+VERB,qal,ptc,0,m,sg
- הפח: NOUN,m,sg,def
- בחורים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- כלם: PRON,3,m,pl
- ובבתי: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,cons
- כלאים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- החבאו: VERB,hiph,perf,3,m,pl
- היו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- לבז: PREP+VERB,qal,inf
- ואין: CONJ+PART,exist
- מציל: VERB,qal,part,3,m,sg
- משסה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואין: CONJ+PART,exist
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- השב: VERB,hif,imp,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Isa.42:6-7 (structural): Within the same chapter the servant is described as one who opens blind eyes and brings out prisoners—a structural contrast to v.22’s picture of the people as plundered and imprisoned.
- Isa.49:24-26 (thematic): Speaks of captives and prey and God’s action to rescue the oppressed—themewise linked to v.22’s imagery of people as spoil and the problem of no rescuer.
- Ps.44:11-12 (verbal): Uses language of being a byword/reproach and of being given over to enemies and plunder—parallels v.22’s depiction of the nation as spoil with none to save.
- Lam.1:3 (thematic): Describes Judah/Jerusalem as exiled, devoured by enemies and overtaken by pursuers, echoing the captive, trapped, and plundered motifs of v.22.
- Ezek.7:19 (verbal): Declares that silver and gold cannot deliver in the day of wrath—resonates with v.22’s emphasis that the people have become spoil and there is no one to rescue or restore.
Alternative generated candidates
- But this people are plundered and looted; all of them are caught in pits and hidden in prison houses; they have become a spoil, and there is no one to rescue—no one says, “Return!”
- But this people has been plundered; all of them are trapped in pits and hidden in dungeons; they have become plunder, and there is no one to deliver; spoil, and none says, 'Restore!'
Isa.42.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- בכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- יאזין: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
- יקשב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- וישמע: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- לאחור: PREP
Parallels
- Matthew 11:15 (verbal): Jesus' formula 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear' echoes the summons to attentive listening found in Isaiah 42:23.
- Mark 4:9 (verbal): The same admonition ('Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear') in the parable material parallels Isaiah's call for people to give ear and heed.
- Revelation 2:29 (verbal): The Johannine churches repeatedly receive the injunction 'He who has an ear, let him hear,' reflecting the prophetic demand that listeners pay attention in Isaiah 42:23.
- Jeremiah 6:10 (thematic): Jeremiah asks rhetorically to whom he should speak so they will hear, and laments their refusal—paralleling Isaiah's complaint and rhetorical question about who will give ear.
- Isaiah 50:4-5 (thematic): The servant's portrayal of God opening his ear ('The Lord GOD has opened my ear') and the prophetic emphasis on hearing and obedience resonates with Isaiah 42:23's focus on listening and hearkening.
Alternative generated candidates
- Who among you will give heed to this? who will listen and hear?
- Who among you will give ear to this? Who will listen and take it to heart?
Isa.42.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- נתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- למשסה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- וישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לבזזים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- הלוא: PART
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- זו: PRON,dem,f,sg
- חטאנו: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,pl
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- אבו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בדרכיו: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,suff3ms
- הלוך: VERB,qal,part,3,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- שמעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- בתורתו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,cstr+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Jeremiah 2:14 (verbal): Jeremiah asks 'Is Israel a servant?... why then is he spoiled?'—language and theme of Israel being given over as spoil echo Isaiah's rhetorical question about who gave Jacob to be plundered.
- Psalm 44:11-12 (thematic): Speaks of God causing Israel to be 'turned back' and 'like sheep appointed for meat'—the motif of the nation being given as spoil because of reversal/defeat parallels Isaiah's charge.
- Psalm 81:11-12 (quotation): 'But my people would not hearken... so I gave them up' closely parallels Isaiah's explanation that the loss is due to the people's failure to walk in God's ways and keep his law.
- Deuteronomy 28:25 (structural): Part of the covenant curses promising that disobedience will result in defeat and being plundered by enemies; provides the covenantal background for Isaiah's attribution of spoil to Israel's sin.
- Romans 1:24 (allusion): Paul's theological motif that God 'gave them up' as judgment for persistent sin echoes Isaiah's idea that loss comes from the people's refusal to obey and walk in God's ways.
Alternative generated candidates
- Who gave Jacob for a spoil and Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the LORD, against whom they sinned? They did not follow his ways, they would not listen to his teaching.
- Who gave Jacob over to plunder and Israel to the raiders? Was it not the LORD—he against whom they sinned? They would not walk in his ways and would not heed his law.
Isa.42.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישפך: CONJ+VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
- חמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אפו: NOUN,m,sg,abs,suff3ms
- ועזוז: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- מלחמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ותלהטהו: VERB,hiph,impf,3,f,sg,obj:3,m,sg
- מסביב: ADV,loc
- ולא: CONJ
- ידע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ותבער: VERB,hiph,impf,3,f,sg
- בו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- ישים: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- לב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 32:22 (verbal): Moses’ song: 'For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell'—similar imagery of God’s anger as consuming fire poured out on the guilty (parallels 'וישפך עליו חמה אפו' / 'it burned him').
- Psalm 78:49 (verbal): Speaks of God letting loose 'his sore anger' and 'a burning' on the people—language echoing the idea of God’s wrath poured out as burning and calamity (parallels 'חמה אפו… ותלהטהו').
- Ezekiel 7:8-9 (verbal): 'Now will I shortly pour out my fury upon you…'—Ezekiel uses the same verbic motif of God's fury being poured out as decisive judgment, matching Isaiah’s 'וישפך עליו חמה אפו' construction and the theme of sudden destruction.
- Isaiah 5:25 (thematic): Within Isaiah’s corpus: 'Therefore is the anger of the LORD kindled against his people… and he hath stretched forth his hand against them'—same prophetic theme of divine anger manifesting as military/punitive judgment and the people’s failure to heed (parallels the context and outcome in 42:25).
Alternative generated candidates
- So he poured out on them the heat of his anger and the strength of battle; it blazed all around them, yet they did not know; it burned them up, and they did not take it to heart.
- So he poured upon him the heat of his anger and the strength of battle; it kindled round about him, yet he did not perceive; it burned him, yet he did not lay it to heart.
Hear, you deaf; and you blind, lift up your eyes and see.
Who is blind but my servant? Who is deaf like the messenger I send? Who is blind like the one restored, blind like the servant of the LORD?
They have seen much, yet do not keep it; they have had their ears opened, yet do not hear.
The LORD was pleased—for the sake of his righteousness—to make the law great and glorious. But this is a people plundered and looted; all of them are trapped in pits and hidden in dungeons. They have become spoil, and none rescues them; they are prey, and none says, 'Restore!'
Who among you will give heed to this—who will listen and hear?
Who gave Jacob for spoil and Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the LORD? They sinned against him; they would not walk in his ways, nor listen to his teaching. So he poured out on them the heat of his anger and the might of battle; it burned round about them, yet they did not know; it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.