God’s Word Translation
Isaiah 42:19
19Who is blind except my servant or deaf like the messenger I send? Who is blind like the one who has my trust or blind like the servant of the Lord?
Isaiah 42:19 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the Lord’s servant?
- New International Version (NIV)Who is blind but my servant, and deaf like the messenger I send? Who is blind like the one in covenant with me, blind like the servant of the Lord?
- English Standard Version (ESV)Who is blind but my servant, or deaf as my messenger whom I send? Who is blind as my dedicated one, or blind as the servant of the Lord?
- New King James Version (NKJV)Who is blind but My servant, Or deaf as My messenger whom I send? Who is blind as he who is perfect, And blind as the Lord’s servant?
Context of Isaiah 42:19
17Then those who trust idols and those who say to statues, “You are our gods” will be turned away and put to shame. 18Listen, you deaf people. Look, you blind people, so that you can see. Who is blind except my servant or deaf like the messenger I send? Who is blind like the one who has my trust or blind like the servant of the Lord? 20You have seen much, but you do not observe anything. Your ears are open, but you hear nothing. 21The Lord is pleased because he does what is right. He praises the greatness of his teachings and makes them glorious.
Read all of Isaiah 42Isaiah 42:19 word by word
מִ֤י עִוֵּר֙ כִּ֣י אִם־עַבְדִּ֔י וְחֵרֵ֖שׁ כְּמַלְאָכִ֣י אֶשְׁלָ֑ח מִ֤י עִוֵּר֙ כִּמְשֻׁלָּ֔ם וְעִוֵּ֖ר כְּעֶ֥בֶד יְהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Isaiah 42:19
- Isaiah 6:9And he said, “Go and tell these people, ‘No matter how closely you listen, you’ll never understand. No matter how closely you look, you’ll never see.’
- Isaiah 29:9If you confuse yourselves, you will be confused. If you blind yourselves, you will be blinded. You are drunk, but not from wine. You stagger, but not from liquor.
- Isaiah 56:10⌞Israel’s⌟ watchmen are blind. None of them know anything. All of them are like dogs that are unable to bark. They lie around dreaming; they love to sleep.
- Jeremiah 4:22“My people are fools. They don’t know me. They are stupid people. They don’t understand. They are experts in doing wrong, and they don’t know how to do good.”
- Jeremiah 5:21Hear this, you stupid and senseless people! You have eyes, but you cannot see. You have ears, but you cannot hear.
- Ezekiel 12:2“Son of man, you are living among rebellious people. They have eyes, but they can’t see. They have ears, but they can’t hear because they are rebellious people.
- Matthew 13:14So they make Isaiah’s prophecy come true: ‘You will hear clearly but never understand. You will see clearly but never comprehend.
- Matthew 15:14Leave them alone! They are blind leaders. When one blind person leads another, both will fall into the same pit.”
- Matthew 23:16“How horrible it will be for you, you blind guides! You say, ‘To swear an oath by the temple doesn’t mean a thing. But to swear an oath by the gold in the temple means a person must keep his oath.’
- Mark 8:17Jesus knew what they were saying and asked them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you don’t have any bread? Don’t you understand yet? Don’t you catch on? Are your minds closed?
- John 7:47The Pharisees asked the temple guards, “Have you been deceived too?
- John 9:39Then Jesus said, “I have come into this world to judge: Blind people will be given sight, and those who can see will become blind.”
- John 12:40“God blinded them and made them close-minded so that their eyes don’t see and their minds don’t understand. And they never turn to me for healing!”
- Romans 2:17You call yourself a Jew, rely on the laws in Moses’ Teachings, brag about your God,
- Romans 11:7So what does all this mean? It means that Israel has never achieved what it has been striving for. However, those whom God has chosen have achieved it. The minds of the rest of Israel were closed,
- 2 Corinthians 3:14However, their minds became closed. In fact, to this day the same veil is still there when they read the Old Testament. It isn’t removed, because only Christ can remove it.
Commentaries on Isaiah 42:19
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 19As my messenger that I sent "As he to whom I have sent my messengers" - אשלח כמלכי kemalachey eshlach, ut ad quem nuncios meos misi. The Vulgate and Chaldee are almost the only interpreters who render it rightly, in consistence with the rest of the sentence, and in perfect agreement with the Hebrew idiom; according to which the ellipsis is to be thus supplied: אשלח מלאכי כלאשר kelaasher malachey eshlach ; "As he to whom I have sent my messengers." As he…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 19Who is blind, but my servant? - Some of the Jewish expositors suppose that by servant‘ here, the prophet himself is intended, who, they suppose is here called blind and deaf by the impious Jews who rejected his message. But it is evident, that by servant‘ here, the Jewish people themselves are intended, the singular being used for the plural, in a sense similar to that where they are so often called Jacob‘ and Israel.‘ The phrase servants of God‘ is often…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 18-25Verses 18-25 Observe the call given to this people, and the character given of them. Multitudes are ruined for want of observing that which they cannot but see; they perish, not through ignorance, but carelessness. The Lord is well-pleased in the making known his own righteousness. For their sins they were spoiled of all their possessions. This fully came to pass in the destruction of the Jewish nation. There is no resisting, nor escaping God's anger. See…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18-20The Israelites who ignored God's words and actions became spiritually blind and deaf (see Isaiah 6:9–10). They knew the truth from God's word and the prophets, but their closed minds refused to respond.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1919. my servant--namely, Israel. Who of the heathen is so blind? Considering Israel's high privileges, the heathen's blindness was as nothing compared with that of Israelite idolaters. my messenger ... sent--Israel was designed by God to be the herald of His truth to other nations. perfect--furnished with institutions, civil and religious, suited to their perfect well-being. Compare the title, "Jeshurun," the perfect one, applied to Israel (compare Is…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 42:19
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
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