Isaiah 42:20 Commentary: The Blind Servant's Spiritual Insensibility

Isaiah prophesied to Judah during the late eighth century BC, a period of political turmoil and repeated divine warnings. The Assyrian threat loomed, and the nation had already seen the northern kingdom fall. Yet the people continued to trust in foreign alliances and idols rather than in Yahweh. The immediate context places this verse within a larger oracle about the “Servant of the Lord.” In Isaiah 42:1, 9, the Servant is portrayed as the chosen one who will bring justice and open blind eyes. Then, beginning at verse 18, the tone shifts: “Hear, you deaf; and look, you blind, that you may see.” The people addressed are the same nation that had witnessed God’s mighty acts, the exodus, the giving of the law at Sinai, the conquest of Canaan, and had heard the words of the prophets for centuries. As Barnes notes, “They had often witnessed his interposition in the days of calamity, and he often rescued them from peril.” Yet they did not “keep” these things. The law itself had been magnified and made glorious (verse 21), but the people’s response was hollow. This sets the stage for the judgment described in verses 22, 25: a people robbed and plundered because they would not walk in God’s ways. The historical situation is thus one of covenant failure. Israel had the light, but preferred darkness. The exile, first Assyrian, later Babylonian, looms as the consequence of this willful dullness. The verse therefore functions as an indictment, but also as a call: the deaf and blind are summoned to hear and see (verse 18), which implies that restoration remains possible for those who will truly listen.

Adam Clarke notes that the Masoretic text reads raith rabith (“thou hast seen many things”), which the Masoretes corrected in the margin (keri) to reoth rabboth (“seeing many things”), an infinitive absolute construction. This reading is supported by many manuscripts and early editions. For the second half, the verb “he hears” (יִשְׁמָֽע) is read as second person by the ancient versions (תִּשְׁמַע, “thou wilt hear”), a reading found in forty manuscripts noted by Kennicott. Keil & Delitzsch argue that the alternation between second and third person is deliberate and should be retained, as the prophet shifts from direct address to a descriptive statement. The overall meaning is not substantially affected by these variants; in both cases, the point is that seeing and hearing have not led to obedient response.

In Jewish tradition, this verse was understood as a rebuke of Israel for failing to heed the Torah that was given with great splendor. Early Christian interpreters (e.g., Justin Martyr, Irenaeus) saw the blind servant as the Jewish people who rejected Christ, while applying the ideal Servant of 42:1, 4 to Jesus. Reformation commentators such as Calvin and Matthew Henry emphasized the culpable nature of the blindness, it was not ignorance but willful rejection. They applied the warning to their own congregations, arguing that those who hear the gospel regularly but remain unmoved stand in the same danger. In modern scholarship, the passage has been central to the debate about the identity of the “Servant of the Lord” in Second Isaiah, with many concluding that the servant is Israel in its historical role, both failed (here) and restored (in later chapters).

Three-point outline

1. Abundant Exposure, Deficient Response, The people saw many things (miracles, deliverances, the law) but did not treasure them in their hearts. The verb shamar implies guarding something as precious.
2. Ears Open, Hearts Closed, Physical hearing is not enough. The shift to the third person (“he doesn’t listen”) highlights a stubborn refusal that cannot be excused by lack of opportunity.
3. The Danger of Familiarity, Like Israel, those who hear the word regularly can become desensitized. Calvin warns that more light means greater accountability.

Five-point outline

1. The Privilege of Seeing, Israel had seen God’s glory and power (Deuteronomy 29:2, 4).
2. The Responsibility to Observe, “Observe” means to keep, guard, and act on what is seen.
3. The Tragedy of Superficial Hearing, Ears are open, but nothing penetrates to the heart.
4. The Corporate Failure, The servant nation is blind and deaf, failing its calling.
5. The Grace of Another Call, Even in judgment, God still says “Hear, you deaf” (v. 18), offering a way back.

Illustration hooks

• A student who attends every lecture but never studies the material, then fails the exam. The information was there, but it was never truly owned.
• A driver who sees a warning light on the dashboard but ignores it until the engine fails. The sign was clear, but the response was lacking.
• A person who hears a sermon every Sunday but cannot recall a single point by Monday. The ears are open, but nothing is laid to heart.

Questions your congregation is asking

• Why does God call His own servant blind? Does that mean God is disappointed in us?
• How can I tell if I am just hearing without really listening?
• Is it possible to see God at work in my life and still miss what He is saying?

This verse confronts us with a sobering possibility: we can be surrounded by God’s words and works, yet remain untouched. Israel had the law, the prophets, and a history of deliverance, but they did not observe or truly hear. As you discuss, consider what it means to move from exposure to response.

Discussion questions

1. What “many things” had Israel seen (consider the exodus, the law, the prophets)? List specific examples from the Old Testament.
2. What does the verb “observe” (שָׁמַר, shamar) imply about the kind of response God expects? (See also Deuteronomy 4:9.)
3. The verse shifts from “you” to “he.” Why might the prophet change the person in the middle of the verse? How does that affect the tone?
4. In verse 18, God calls the deaf to hear and the blind to see. How does that command relate to the charge in verse 20?
5. Calvin says this blindness is “culpable.” In what sense is spiritual dullness a choice? When is it a condition we cannot change on our own?
6. How does the contrast between the ideal Servant (vv. 1, 4) and the actual servant (vv. 18, 25) help you understand God’s patience and disappointment?
7. What practical steps can you take this week to move from simply hearing Scripture to truly observing it in your life?