Amplified Bible
Isaiah 42:1
1“Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My Chosen One in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.
Isaiah 42:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
- New International Version (NIV)“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
Context of Isaiah 42:1
“Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My Chosen One in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. 2He will not call out or shout aloud, Nor make His voice heard in the street. 3A broken reed He will not break [off] And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish [He will not harm those who are weak and suffering]; He will faithfully bring forth justice.
Read all of Isaiah 42Isaiah 42:1 word by word
הֵ֤ן עַבְדִּי֙ אֶתְמָךְ־בּ֔וֹ בְּחִירִ֖י רָצְתָ֣ה נַפְשִׁ֑י נָתַ֤תִּי רוּחִי֙ עָלָ֔יו מִשְׁפָּ֖ט לַגּוֹיִ֥ם יוֹצִֽיא׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Behold my servantעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
- whom I upholdתָּמַךְtâmak · to graspH8551
- mine electבָּחִירbâchîyr · chosenH972
- my soulנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soulH5315
- delightethרָצָהrâtsâh · to acceptH7521
- I have putנָתַןnâthan · to give: putH5414
- my spiritרוּחַrûach · spiritH7307
- upon him: he shall bring forthיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: sendH3318
- judgmentמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justiceH4941
- to the Gentilesגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
Cross-references for Isaiah 42:1
- Isaiah 43:10“You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me.
- Isaiah 49:3And [the Lord] said to Me, “You are My Servant, Israel, In Whom I will show My glory.”
- Isaiah 52:13Indeed, My Servant (the Messiah) will act wisely and prosper; He will be raised and lifted up and greatly exalted.
- Isaiah 53:11As a result of the anguish of His soul, He shall see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge [of what He has accomplished] the Righteous One, My Servant, shall justify the many [making them righteous—upright before God, in right standing with Him], For He shall bear [the responsibility for] their sins.
- Matthew 12:18“Behold, My Servant whom I have chosen; My Beloved in whom My soul is well-pleased; I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will proclaim justice to the nations.
- Philippians 2:7but emptied Himself [without renouncing or diminishing His deity, but only temporarily giving up the outward expression of divine equality and His rightful dignity] by assuming the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men [He became completely human but was without sin, being fully God and fully man].
- Isaiah 49:7This is what the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, Israel’s Holy One says, To the thoroughly despised One, To the One hated by the nation To the Servant of rulers, “Kings will see and arise, Princes shall also bow down, Because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.”
- Isaiah 50:4The Lord God has given Me [His Servant] the tongue of disciples [as One who is taught], That I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple [as One who is taught].
- John 16:32Take careful notice: an hour is coming, and has arrived, when you will all be scattered, each to his own home, leaving Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.
- Psalms 89:19Once You spoke in a vision to Your godly ones, And said, “I have given help to one who is mighty [giving him the power to be a champion for Israel]; I have exalted one chosen from the people.
- John 6:27Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures [and leads] to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you; for God the Father has authorized Him and put His seal on Him.”
- 1 Peter 2:4Come to Him [the risen Lord] as to a living Stone which men rejected and threw away, but which is choice and precious in the sight of God.
- Matthew 3:17and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased and delighted!”
- Matthew 17:5While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased and delighted! Listen to Him!”
- Mark 1:11and a voice came out of heaven saying: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased and delighted!”
- Luke 3:22and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, “You are My Son, My Beloved, in You I am well-pleased and delighted!”
Commentaries on Isaiah 42:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Behold my servant, whom I uphold - בו אתמך ethmach bo, on whom I lean. Alluding to the custom of kings leaning on the arm of their most beloved and faithful servant. All, both Jews and Christians, agree, that the seven first verses of this chapter belong to Christ. Now, as they are evidently a continuation of the prophecy in the preceding chapter, that prophecy cannot belong to Cyrus, but to Christ. He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles "He shall…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1Behold - This word is designed to call attention to the person that is immediately referred to. It is an intimation that the subject is of importance, and should command their regard. My servant - This phrase denotes properly anyone who acknowledges or worships God; anyone who is regarded as serving or obeying him. It is a term which may be applied to anyone who is esteemed to be a pious man, or who is obedient to the commands of God, and is often applied…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1The character and coming of Christ. (Is. 42:1-4) The blessings of his kingdom. (Is. 42:5-12) The prevalence of true religion. (Is. 42:13-17) Unbelief and blindness reproved. (Is. 42:18-25) Verses 1-4 This prophecy was fulfilled in Christ, Matt. 12:17. Let our souls rely on him, and rejoice in him; then, for his sake, the Father will be well-pleased with us. The Holy Spirit not only came, but rested upon him, and without measure. He patiently bore the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1in whom My soul delights: God used similar words at the baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:17). I will put My Spirit on Him: Any leader might be called a servant, but the Spirit's presence suggests a king from David’s line or a prophet like Moses (see Numbers 11:17, 24–29). Establishing justice is a king's duty (see Isaiah 9:6–7; Psalm 72:1). This king’s mission will extend beyond governing Judah to a greater mission for the nations.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-25God's description of His character (Is 42:1-4). God addresses Him directly (Is 42:5-7). Address to the people to attend to the subject (Is 42:8, 9). Call to all, and especially the exile Jews to rejoice in the coming deliverance (Is 42:10-25). 1. my servant--The law of prophetic suggestion leads Isaiah from Cyrus to the far greater Deliverer, behind whom the former is lost sight of. The express quotation in Mt 12:18-20, and the description can apply to…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 42:1
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 42
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
Amplified Bible — © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631
Commentaries