Isaiah 42:4 - Exposition

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 countries (comp. Isaiah 41:1 , Isaiah 41:5 ). Shall wait for his Law; or, shall long for his Law. Yakhal is "to wait longingly." It is, as Delitzsch observes, "an actual fact that the cry for redemption runs through the whole human race." They are possessed by "an earnest longing, the ultimate object of which is, however unconsciously, the Servant of Jehovah, and his instruction from Zion".