Albert Barnes Commentary Matthew 12:17

"that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying," — Matthew 12:17 (ASV)

That it might be fulfilled, and so on. Matthew here quotes a passage from Isaiah 43:1-4 to show the reason why he so retired from his enemies and sought concealment. The Jews, and the disciples also, at first expected that the Messiah would be a conqueror and vindicate himself from all his enemies. When they saw him retiring before them, and instead of subduing them by force, seeking a place of concealment, it was contrary to all their previous notions of the Messiah. Matthew, by this quotation, shows that their conceptions of him had been wrong.

Instead of a warrior and an earthly conqueror, he was predicted under a totally different character. Instead of shouting for battle, lifting up his voice in the streets, oppressing the feeble—breaking bruised reeds, and quenching smoking flax, as a conqueror—he would be peaceful, retiring, strengthening the feeble, and cherishing the faintest desires of holiness. This appears to be the general meaning of this quotation here. (Compare to Isaiah 42:1 and following; see Barnes on Isaiah 42:1).