Discovery BoxIsaiah 42:1 
Context42:1 1 “Here is my servant whom I support,
my chosen one in whom I take pleasure.
I have placed my spirit on him;
he will make just decrees 2 for the nations. 3
Isaiah 57:11
Context57:11 Whom are you worried about?
Whom do you fear, that you would act so deceitfully
and not remember me
or think about me? 4
Because I have been silent for so long, 5
you are not afraid of me. 6
1 sn Verses 1-7 contain the first of Isaiah’s “servant songs,” which describe the ministry of a special, ideal servant who accomplishes God’s purposes for Israel and the nations. This song depicts the servant as a just king who brings justice to the earth and relief for the oppressed. The other songs appear in 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12.
2 tn Heb “he will bring out justice” (cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV).
3 sn Like the ideal king portrayed in Isa 11:1-9, the servant is energized by the divine spirit and establishes justice on the earth.
4 tn Heb “you do not place [it] on your heart.”
5 tn Heb “Is it not [because] I have been silent, and from long ago?”
6 sn God’s patience with sinful Israel has caused them to think that they can sin with impunity and suffer no consequences.
