John Gill Commentary Isaiah 42:2

John Gill Commentary

Isaiah 42:2

1697–1771
Reformed Baptist
John Gill
John Gill

John Gill Commentary

Isaiah 42:2

1697–1771
Reformed Baptist
SCRIPTURE

"He will not cry, nor lift up his voice, nor cause it to be heard in the street." — Isaiah 42:2 (ASV)

He shall not cry
According to Aben Ezra and Kimchi, as a judge in court is obliged to extend his voice that he may be heard: the Evangelist Matthew renders it, "he shall not strive"; or contend in a disputatious way, about mere words and things to no profit, or litigate a point in law; he shall bring no complaints, or enter an action against any, but rather suffer wrong, as he advises his followers, (Matthew 5:40) , for this does not respect the lowness of his voice in his ministry; in this sense he often cried, as Wisdom is said to do, (Proverbs 1:20Proverbs 1:21) (8:1-3) (John 7:37) :

"nor lift up"; that is, his voice, as Jarchi, Kimchi, and Ben Melech supply it; or, as others, he shall not lift up faces, or accept persons; and so the Vulgate Latin version renders it, neither shall he accept any person ;
or the person of any man, which is true of Christ; but the former sense seems best, which agrees with what goes before and follows after:

nor cause his voice to be heard in the street ;
his voice was heard in the street in a ministerial way; he sometimes preached in the street, as in many other public places, (Luke 13:26) , but not in a clamorous contentious way; not in an opprobrious and menacing manner; nor in a way of ostentation, boasting of himself, his doctrines, and miracles, but behaved with great humility and meekness; his kingdom was without pomp and noise, which worldly princes are attended with; but this was not to be, nor was it his case; (See Gill on Matthew 12:19).