Isaiah 42:4

Isaiah 42:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.
• English Standard Version (ESV)He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.
• New King James Version (NKJV)He will not fail nor be discouraged, Till He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”
• New Living Translation (NLT)He will not falter or lose heart until justice prevails throughout the earth. Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction.”

Context of Isaiah 42:4

2He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. 3A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the islands will put their hope.” 5This is what God the Lord says— the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: 6“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles,

Isaiah 42:4 word by word

לֹ֤א יִכְהֶה֙ וְלֹ֣א יָר֔וּץ עַד־יָשִׂ֥ים בָּאָ֖רֶץ מִשְׁפָּ֑ט וּלְתוֹרָת֖וֹ אִיִּ֥ים יְיַחֵֽילוּ׃ פRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• He shall not failכָּהָהkâhâh · to grow dimH3543
• nor be discouragedרָצַץrâtsats · to crushH7533
• till he have setשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: makeH7760
• judgmentמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justiceH4941
• in the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• and the islesאִי'îy · coastlandH339
• shall waitיָחַלyâchal · to wait: hopeH3176
• for his lawתּוֹרָהtôrâh tôrâh · instructionH8451

Cross-references for Isaiah 42:4

• Isaiah 9:7Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
• Isaiah 49:5And now the Lord says— he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength—
• Isaiah 52:13See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
• Isaiah 53:2He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
• John 17:4I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.
• Hebrews 12:2fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
• 1 Peter 2:22“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
• Isaiah 42:12Let them give glory to the Lord and proclaim his praise in the islands.
• Isaiah 2:2In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.
• Isaiah 11:9They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
• Isaiah 24:15Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord; exalt the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea.
• Isaiah 41:5The islands have seen it and fear; the ends of the earth tremble. They approach and come forward;
• Isaiah 55:5Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations you do not know will come running to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.”
• Isaiah 60:9Surely the islands look to me; in the lead are the ships of Tarshish, bringing your children from afar, with their silver and gold, to the honor of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.
• Isaiah 66:19“I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations—to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians (famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations.
• Genesis 49:10The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his.

Commentaries on Isaiah 42:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4He shall not fail nor be discouraged "His force shall not be abated nor broken" - Rabbi Meir ita citat locum istum, ut post ירוץ yaruts, addat כוחו cocho, robur ejus, quod hodie Ilon comparet in textu Hebraeo, sed addendum videtur, ut sensus fiat planior. "Rabbi Meir cites this passage so as to add after ירוץ yarats כוחו cocho, his force, which word is not found in the present Hebrew text, but seems necessary to be added to make the sense more distinct."…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4He 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…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4the islands: The nations want justice and guidance on how to achieve it. The servant is like Moses, who received the law. However, the servant is greater because he brings justice to all nations, not just Israel.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. fail--faint; man in religion may become as the almost expiring flax-wick (Is 42:3), but not so He in His purposes of grace. discouraged--literally, "broken," that is, checked in zeal by discouragements (compare Is 49:4, 5). Rosenmuller not so well translates, "He shall not be too slow on the one hand, nor run too hastily on the other." judgment--His true religion, the canon of His judgments and righteous reign. isles ... wait, &c.--The distant lands…Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 42:4

• Church
• Gentiles
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Meekness
• Prophecy
• Quotations and Allusions
• Waiting

In the dictionaries

• Ashamed
• Covenant
• Elect
• Island
• Isle
• Prison
• Servant
• Travailing
• Trust
• Christ, Offices of

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