Bible Strands
Isaiah 42:3
A bruised reed He will not break and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God speaks of His Servant in the first Servant Song (Isaiah 42:1–7), addressing the nations who will place their hope in His law (42:4). The verse sits between the Servant's quiet demeanor (42:2) and His perseverance until justice is established (42:4).
The words — קָנֶה (qaneh) is a reed, a common marsh plant; רָצוּץ (ratsutz) means crushed or dented, so the image is a reed already bent and weakened. The verb יִשְׁבּוֹר (yishbor) is a strong, decisive "he will break" — the refusal is against a specific act of destruction.
The thread — Ezekiel 34:16, Jeremiah 31:25, and Psalm 147:3 all pair God's action with the broken, weak, or weary, emphasizing binding up and strengthening rather than discarding. The Servant in Isaiah 42 is the one who enacts this pattern.
Why it lands — The verse defines the Servant's justice as something that does not crush the weak; it asks the reader to expect gentleness from the one who will establish justice on earth. It removes any assumption that God's vindication of the oppressed requires the destruction of the vulnerable.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.
Cross-references
- Ezekiel 34:16 I will seek the lost, bring back the strays, bind up the broken, and strengthen the weak; but the sleek and strong I will destroy. I will shepherd them with justice.’
- Jeremiah 31:25 for I will refresh the weary soul and replenish all who are weak.”
- Psalms 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
- Isaiah 40:11 He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads the nursing ewes.
- Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
- Isaiah 11:3 And He will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what His eyes see, and He will not decide by what His ears hear,
- John 5:30 I can do nothing by Myself; I judge only as I hear. And My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
- Matthew 18:10 See that you do not look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven.
- Revelation 19:11 Then I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse. And its rider is called Faithful and True. With righteousness He judges and wages war.
- John 20:19 It was the first day of the week, and that very evening, while the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you!” He said to them.