Isaiah 42:2-4 ESV

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 42:2-3

Quietness of method and hopefulness of spirit. That these words are rightly referred to our Lord we have the assurance of Scripture ( Matthew 12:1-50 .), as well as the evidence of their perfect applicability. They remind us of— I. THE QUIETNESS OF HIS METHOD . With a task before him the surpassing greatness of which completely dwarfs every human enterprise, it was a matter of vital consequence that our Lord should adopt the method which would be permanently effective. He... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 42:3

A bruised reed shall he not break . Egypt was compared to a "bruised reed" by Sennacherib ( Isaiah 36:6 ), as being untrustworthy and destitute of physical strength; but here the image represents the weak and depressed in spirit, the lowly and dejected. Christ would deal tenderly with such, not violently. Smoking flax shall he not quench ; rather, the wick which burns dimly (margin) he shall not quench. Where the flame of devotion burns at all, however feebly and dimly, Messiah will... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 42:3

The tenderness of God. "A bruised reed shall he not break." Then he is very unlike us. We are often over-indignant with wrong done to ourselves. We find that there is an imperious temper in humanity, and that even parents sometimes "break" the spirit of their children. How many are discouraged and disheartened in life through a want of sympathy, through the coldness and hauteur of others! I. THERE ARE BRUISINGS OF SIN . Christ will heal these. He never drives to despair. He... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 42:4

He shall not fail nor be discouraged ; literally, he will not burn dimly nor be bruised. He will himself show no signs of that weakness which he will compassionate in others. As a "Light" ( Luke 2:32 ; John 1:4-9 ), he will burn brightly and strongly; as a Reed, or Rod, he will be firm and unbroken. Till he have set judgment in the earth ; i.e. till he has succeeded in establishing true religion upon the earth (compare the last clause of Isaiah 42:1 ). The isles; or, the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 42:4

Christ's sure conquest. "He shall net fail nor be discouraged." We study this text in relation to our Saviour. We may be, and often are, discouraged; but the Son, he in whom, says Jehovah ( Isaiah 42:1 ), "my soul delighteth," he never is. He must reign. All the infinite forces of love and righteousness are on his side. In God's world error can never be supreme over truth. "The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand." I. THE SAVIOUR AND DIVINE CERTAINTY . He is... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 42:4

The Christian's conquest. "He shall not fail nor be discouraged" We study this next in relation to ourselves, The words suggest difficulties that task strength and patience, He, our blessed Lord, has a work, not only of Divine impulse, but Divine patience. The second verse describes the quiet work of Christ; the third describes the solicitous heart of Christ; the fourth describes the spirit which sustains him. I. THIS PROPHECY SUGGESTS A DIFFICULT PATH OF PROGRESS . Why say... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 42:4

Divine persistency. "He shall not fail nor be discouraged." "He shall not burn dimly nor be crushed." The figure prominent in the mind of the prophet is not the actual Israel, the ideal Israel, Cyrus, or Judas Maccabaeus, but the Messiah who , in the deepest view of him, is the manifested God. And "though be meets with hard service and much opposition, and foresees how ungrateful the world will be, yet he goes on with his part of the work, till he is able to say, 'It is finished!' and he... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 42:2

He shall not cry - He will not make a clamor or noise; he will not be boisterous, in the manner of a man of strife and contention.Nor lift up - That is, his voice.Nor cause his voice to be heard in the street - He shall not t use loud and angry words, as they do who are engaged in conflict, but all his teaching shall be gentle, humble, and mild. How well this agrees with the character of the Lord Jesus it is not necessary to pause to show. He was uniformly unostentatious, modest, and retiring.... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 42:3

A bruised reed - The word ‘reed’ means the cane or calamus which grows up in marshy or wet places (Isaiah 36:6; see the note at Isaiah 43:24). The word, therefore, literally denotes that which is fragile, weak, easily waved by the wind, or broken down; and stands in contrast with a lofty and firm tree (compare Matthew 11:7): ‘What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?’ The word here, therefore, may be applied to people who are conscious of feebleness and sin; that... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 42:4

He shall not fail - He shall not be weak, feeble, or disheartened. However much there may be that shall tend to discourage, yet his purpose is fixed, and he will pursue it with steadiness and ardor until the great work shall be fully accomplished. There may be an allusion in the Hebrew word here (יכהה yı̂kheh) to that which is applied to the flax (כהה kēhâh); and the idea may be that he shall not become in his purposes like the smoking, flickering, dying flame of a lamp. There shall never be... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 42:2-3

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 42:3

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 42:3

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 42:4

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 42:4

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 42:4

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 42:4

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 42:2

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 42:3

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 42:4

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