Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, but he to whom I have sent my messengers? Who is blind, but he that is sold? or who is blind, but the servant of the Lord?

“Who is blind among you? There is no one but My servant; he is the most blind of all of you. And the most deaf among you is like My messenger whom I send to prophesy prophecies. He who was blind is as the one who received his payment He who was blind among you has already received his chastisements, and he is as one who was paid all payments due him and has emerged cleansed.”

“Who is blind, etc. This verse proves the correctness of my explanation. You are blind who say that none is so blind as the prophet. כמלאכי As my messenger. Comp. חגי מלאך יי Haggai, the messenger of the Lord (Hag. 1:13). כמשלם As he that is righteous. Comp. ישולם is recompensed (Prov. 11:31) ; שַׁלֵּם to pay (Exod. 22:5); פשלם lit., he who is recompensed, that is, the righteous. As the servant of the Lord, who, though not a prophet, serves God.”

“Behold my servant, etc. Here he shows the divine love from the Son whom he promised. John 3: so God loved the world, etc. And first, from so great a benefit, he shows the love of God; second, the perversity of the Jews, "these words I did to them," etc. Concerning the first, three things. First he foretells the coming of the Son of God; second, the fall of the wicked, "the Lord like a strong man," etc. Third, the resurrection of the good, "and I will lead forth the blind," etc., Luke 2: "behold, this one is set," etc. Concerning the first, three things. First he describes the condition of the one being sent; second he foretells the mission, "thus says the Lord," etc.; third he invites to thanksgiving, "sing to the Lord," etc. Concerning the first, three things. First he shows the fullness of grace as regards the grace of union, "I will uphold him." "Servant," according to human nature. Luke 1: "he has upheld Israel," etc.; as regards the grace of headship, "elect," that he might be the head of the Church. "Out of thousands": Canticles 5. Psalm 64: "blessed is he whom you have chosen and taken up," etc., "he was well-pleasing." Matthew 3: "this is my son," etc.; as regards habitual grace, which was singular in him, "I have given my spirit." Above 11: "the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him," etc. Second he shows the equity of judgment, as regards three things: namely the authority of judging, "judgment to the nations," etc., Psalm 71: "God, your judgment," etc., John 5: "he has given all judgment," etc., to which he joins gentleness, "he will not cry out." Ecclesiastes 9: "the words of the wise are heard," etc.; he shows, second, the equality of the judge: "nor will he accept a person." Acts 10: "God is not a respecter of persons." To which he joins piety in coming to aid: "nor shall his voice be heard outside," Judea, the voice of his preaching, that he might first come to the aid of those to whom he was sent. "I was not sent," etc. Matthew 15, Psalm 94: "today if his voice," etc., and in overlooking, "the reed," namely the kingdom of the Jews, "the flax," the priesthood. Ezekiel 34: "that which was broken," etc.; he shows also, third, the truth of judgment, "in truth," etc., Psalm 95: "he shall judge the world," etc., to which he joins joyfulness: "he shall not be sad," in heart; "troubled," in face: he was always cheerful and joyful, preserving an equality of mind, even though as regards the sensitive part there was a propassion of sadness — not indeed of necessity, but of will. Whence Matthew 26: "my soul is sorrowful," etc., Ecclesiasticus 30: "joy of heart," etc. Third he shows the power of dominion: "until he sets" the last judgment, or his precept, through the apostles preaching; "the law," the Gospel. Genesis 49: "he shall be the expectation," etc., below 60: "for the islands wait for me," etc. Others expound this of Darius, king of the Persians, who was gentle, just, and quiet, whom the Lord chose to free the Jews. "Thus says the Lord God," etc. Here he foretells the mission: and first he shows the power of the sender as regards the creation of heavenly things, "creating the heavens"; as regards the disposition of earthly things, "establishing the earth"; as regards the animation of living things, "giving breath," of natural life, "spirit," gratuitously. Zechariah 12: "the Lord stretching out the heaven," etc. Second he foretells the mission, setting forth the exaltation of the one sent: "I the Lord have called you," my son from eternity, by predestining to the unity of the divine person, "in justice," that is, that I may be just, fulfilling the promises. Romans 1: "who was predestined," etc. "I have taken the hand," as regards operation: John 14: "the Father remaining in me," etc., "and I have kept," lest you be held by death. Psalm 15: "you will not give your holy one," etc., below 49: "I called him and led him," etc.; he also sets forth the enjoining of office: "I have given you as a covenant," as a mediator, as it were. Genesis 9: "I will set my bow," etc. "For a light," etc., as an illuminator, as it were. Above 9: "to those dwelling in the region," etc., John 1: "he was the true light," etc.; he also shows the usefulness of this office against unbelief, "that you might open," etc., John 9: "I have come for judgment," etc., against the servitude of sin. "That you might lead forth," etc., Zechariah 9: "but you, in the blood of the covenant," etc. Third, from the mission, he concludes to the singularity of the divine majesty: as regards power, "I the Lord," etc., Psalm 67: "make a way for him," etc., Exodus 6: "my name Adonai," etc., "glory," by which I am called Lord. Luke 2: "glory in the highest," etc., and as regards knowledge, "the things which were first," etc., below 49: "I told you from then," etc. This too they refer to Darius. "Sing to the Lord," etc. Here he invites to thanksgiving: and first he enjoins praise, and especially upon country-dwellers, either on account of the distance of their dwelling: "from the ends," above 24: "from the ends of the earth, praises," etc., or on account of being enclosed by the sea, "you who go down" — namely sailors — "the fullness of it," namely of the sea, that is, let all that by which it is filled praise God. Psalm 106: "those who go down to the sea," etc., or on account of dwelling in deserts. "Let it lift up," its voice in praise of God, "the desert," that is, its inhabitants, especially as regards the Ishmaelites, "in the houses," after the manner of other nations, who before were wandering through the desert. "Kedar," son of Ishmael. Above 35: "the deserts shall rejoice," etc.; or on account of dwelling in the mountains: "praise, you inhabitants of the rock," of that city in Palestine which is set among the rocks. Or of any mountain whatever. Below 55: "the mountains and the hills shall sing," etc., and he invites those of whom it seems less that they are given to praising God. Second he foretells the spreading abroad of divine praise: "they shall give glory to the Lord," in others, not only in themselves. Below, the last chapter: "I will send from among them those who are saved," etc. Mystically, all this concerns the conversion of the Gentiles to the faith. "The Lord like a strong man." Here he foretells, through the coming of Christ, the future fall: and concerning this he sets down four things. First, power: "the Lord like a strong man," for attacking the Jews through the Romans. Exodus 15: "the Lord like a man of war," etc., "zeal," of vengeance. Proverbs 6: "the zeal and fury of a man," etc. Second he sets down wrath, "he shall cry out," through the tribulations which he will send upon them; against that which was said above, "he will not cry out" — for at first, coming, he showed gentleness. But to those who despise him he shows indignation. Job 37: "he shall thunder with his voice," etc. Third he sets down justice: because it is just that, since he has long waited for the impenitent, he should swallow them all up together at once: "I have kept silent," always, etc., Job 3: "did I not dissemble," etc., "I was patient." Above 30: "therefore the Lord waits," etc., "like a woman in labor," I will bring forth the pain that was dissembled, as a woman brings forth the child conceived. Or: because, like a woman in travail, I will grieve over so grave a punishment. Fourth he sets down the punishment as regards men: "I will make the mountains desolate" — the greater ones; "the hills" — the middling; "the sprout" — the common people. Ezekiel 35: "mount Seir a desert," etc., and as regards the withdrawal of all doctrine or consolation, "I will make the rivers," etc., Psalm 106: "he turned rivers into a desert," etc. This too can be referred to the destruction of the enemies of the Jews through Darius. "And I will lead forth." Here he sets forth (the resurrection) of the good, as regards three things. First, as regards the restoration of act: "I will lead forth the blind," namely the Gentiles, "into the way," Christ, or the precept of the law; or also the Jews, according to another exposition. Proverbs 4: "I will lead you through the paths," etc.; second, as regards the illumination of the intellect: "I will turn darkness," etc., Luke 1: "to give light to those who are in darkness," etc.; third, as regards the direction of the affections. "The crooked things," namely hearts, above 40: "the crooked things shall become straight," etc. "These words I did to them," etc. Here he shows the perversity of the Jews: and first he shows them ungrateful for benefits; second, hard toward the precepts, "hear, you deaf," third, obstinate amid scourges, "who is there among you," etc. Concerning the first, two things. First he shows ingratitude, "these words," namely the aforesaid benefits. "They are turned back," from me, Jeremiah 5: "you have forsaken me," etc. Second he calls down upon them confusion, "let them be confounded," etc., Psalm 118: "let all be confounded," etc. "Hear, you deaf." Here he shows them hard, or disobedient, toward the precepts. And first he shows their hardness, calling them deaf, and blind together. (For their malice blinded them: Wisdom 2), although they have eyes, and ears, of the body — which he proves because those who see keep watch, and those having the ears of the heart open obey. "Sold," into the servant of sin, for the delight of temporal good, 3 Kings 21: "you have been sold to do," etc. "You who have open," etc., Jeremiah 5: "hear, O foolish people," etc., above 6: "blind the heart of this people," etc. Second he shows the folly of the hardened, by this: that in the precepts the Lord intended their benefit. Whence he sets forth the Lord's intention: "and the Lord willed him," the people; and that the people itself might magnify the law of God, by keeping it in their heart; and that the Lord might extol, that is, exalt, the people. 1 Thessalonians 4: "this is the will of God," etc.; and he also shows their contradiction, because they sinned in themselves: "but he himself, plundered," by demons through various sins, and therefore "laid waste," by enemies — above 18: "from a people torn apart," etc.; they also offered others an occasion of sinning, "a snare," that is, an occasion for sinning, "of the young," of the foolish. Hosea 5: "you have become a snare," etc., and because they hid their sins, "in houses of prison," that is, in the secret place of the heart. "With heart and heart," etc. Third he sets down the punishment: "they have become for a prey," etc. "Nor is there one to deliver," by the power of wars; "nor is there one to say," by the urgency of prayer. Ecclesiasticus, the last chapter: "they surrounded me on every side," etc.; or there the punishment begins, "in houses of prison," so that it be expounded according to the letter. "Who is there among you." Here he shows them incorrigible through scourges, because they do not even recognize the cause of the scourges: and concerning this he does three things. First he inquires after one who thinks rightly, hinting at their fewness. "The things to come," which I foretell concerning your punishments. Hosea, the last chapter: "who is wise," etc. Second he determines the truth as regards the author of the punishment: "who gave," etc., 1 Kings 2: "the Lord puts to death," etc.; as regards the fault: "he it is against whom," etc., Baruch 4. "They did not know his justices," etc.; and as regards the punishment, "and he poured out," etc., Psalm 68: "pour out your wrath upon them," etc. — "pouring out" signifies abundance. Third he excludes the recognition of the truth: "and it burned him," namely with material fire through the devastation of enemies; "he did not know," that he was punished by God for his sins. Psalm 81: "they did not know nor understand," etc. (Collationes, chapter 42.) "Cry" — of devout prayer, Hebrews 5: "with a strong cry," etc.; of attentive preaching, John 7: "on the last day of the feast," etc.; of strife and contention, above 5: "he waited that it should do," etc. Christ is given "for a covenant" of preserving salvation, Genesis 9: "my bow," etc., of fulfilling promise, II Corinthians 1: "as many as are the promises," etc., of divine love, John 3: "so God loved," etc., of the law that is to cease, Psalm: "holocausts for sin," etc.”

“Seeing many things, but thou observest not,.... The Scribes and Pharisees, saw Christ in the flesh; they saw the miracles he did; they saw the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers cleansed, the deaf hear, and the dead raised; yet they did not give note to these things, and keep them in their minds, and regard them as clear proofs of his being the Messiah: opening the ears, but he heareth not; they heard John Baptist preach, the forerunner of Christ, and the testimony he bore of him; they heard Christ himself and his apostles; they sometimes opened their ears, and seemed to listen and hear with attention, and wonder at what they heard; and some would own, that never man spake like Jesus; and yet understood not his speech, and hardened their hearts against him; they saw many things with their bodily eyes, but perceived them not with the eyes of their understandings; they heard with their ears, but understood not in their hearts; for their eyes were shut and their ears heavy, Isa 6:9.”

“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 Isa 44:2), as the type of Messiah Or translate, the friend of God, which Israel was by virtue of descent from Abraham, who was so called (Isa 41:8), [GESENIUS]. The language, "my servant" (compare Isa 42:1), "messenger" (Mal 3:1), "perfect" (Rom 10:4; Heb 2:10; Pe1 2:22), can, in the full antitypical sense, only apply to Christ. So Isa 42:21 plainly refers to Him. "Blind" and "deaf" in His case refer to His endurance of suffering and reproach, as though He neither saw nor heard (Psa 38:13-14). Thus there is a transition by contrast from the moral blindness of Israel (Isa 42:18) to the patient blindness and deafness of Messiah [HORSLEY].”

“The next v. states who these self-willed deaf and blind are, and how necessary this arousing was. "Who is blind, but my servant? and deaf, as my messenger whom I send? who blind as the confidant of God, and blind as the servant of Jehovah?" The first double question implies that Jehovah's servant and messenger is blind and deaf in a singular and unparalleled way. The words are repeated, the questioner dwelling upon the one predicate ‛ı̄vvēr, "blind," in which everything is affirmed, and, according to Isaiah's favourite custom, returning palindromically to the opening expression "servant of Jehovah" (cf., Isa 40:19; Isa 42:15, and many other passages). משׁלּם does not mean "the perfect one," as Vitringa renders it, nor "the paid, i.e., purchased one," as Rosenmller supposes, but one allied in peace and friendship, the confidant of God. It is the passive of the Arabic muslim, one who trusts in God (compare the hophal in Job 5:23). It is impossible to read the expression, "My messenger whom I send," without thinking of Isa 42:1., where the "servant of Jehovah" is represented as a messenger to the heathen. (Jerome is wrong in following the Jewish commentators, and adopting the rendering, ad quem nuntios meos misi.) With this similarity both of name and calling, there must be a connection between the "servant" mentioned here, and the "servant" referred to there. Now the "servant of Jehovah" is always Israel. But since Israel might be regarded either according to the character of the overwhelming majority of its members (the mass), who had forgotten their calling, or according to the character of those living members who had remained true to their calling, and constituted the kernel, or as concentrated in that one Person who is the essence of Israel in the fullest truth and highest potency, statements of the most opposite kind could be made with respect to this one homonymous subject. In Isa 41:8. the "servant of Jehovah" is caressed and comforted, inasmuch as there the true Israel, which deserved and needed consolation, is addressed, without regard to the mass who had forgotten their calling. In Isa 42:1. that One person is referred to, who is, as it were, the centre of this inner circle of Israel, and the head upon the body of Israel. And in the passage before us, the idea is carried from this its highest point back again to its lowest basis; and the servant of Jehovah is blamed and reproved for the harsh contrast between its actual conduct and its divine calling, between the reality and the idea. As we proceed, we shall meet again with the "servant of Jehovah" in the same systole and diastole. The expression covers two concentric circles, and their one centre. The inner circle of the "Israel according to the Spirit" forms the connecting link between Israel in its widest sense, and Israel in a personal sense. Here indeed Israel is severely blamed as incapable, and unworthy of fulfilling its sacred calling; but the expression "whom I send" nevertheless affirms that it will fulfil it - namely, in the person of the servant of Jehovah, and in all those members of the "servant of Jehovah" in a national sense, who long for deliverance from the ban and bonds of the present state of punishment (see Isa 29:18). For it is really the mission of Israel to be the medium of salvation and blessing to the nations; and this is fulfilled by the servant of Jehovah, who proceeds from Israel, and takes his place at the head of Israel. And as the history of the fulfilment shows, when the foundation for the accomplishment of this mission had been laid by the servant of Jehovah in person, it was carried on by the servant of Jehovah in a national sense; for the Lord became "a covenant of the people" through His own preaching and that of His apostles. But "a light of the Gentiles" He became purely and simply through the apostles, who represented the true and believing Israel.”