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Isaiah 42 General Notes
Structure and formatting
Some translations prefer to set apart extended quotations, prayers or songs. The ULB and many other English translations indent the lines of this chapter, which is an extended quotation.
Many scholars believe that there are four songs or poems which Isaiah records about the messiah. Isaiah 42:1-4 is the first of these songs. They are often called the "servant songs" because they focus on the messiah being a servant. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/christ)
Special concepts in this chapter
Servant
Israel is called Yahweh's servant. The messiah is also called the servant of Yahweh. It is likely that the two different usages of the word "servant" are intended to contrast with one another.