Isaiah 42:21
ESV
The Lord was pleased, for his righteousness ' sake, to magnify his law and make it glorious.
NIV
It pleased the Lord for the sake of his righteousness to make his law great and glorious.
NASB
The Lord was pleased for His righteousness’ sake To make the Law great and glorious.
CSB
Because of his righteousness, the Lord was pleased to magnify his instruction and make it glorious.
NLT
Because he is righteous, the Lord has exalted his glorious law.
KJV
The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable.
NKJV
The Lord is well pleased for His righteousness’ sake; He will exalt the law and make it honorable.
What does Isaiah 42:21 mean?
During a long exile in Babylon (Jeremiah 29:10), some Israelites may have thought God was waiting too long to rescue them. Worse, they may have given up on God entirely, perhaps believing He had abandoned them. Even though Isaiah writes before this captivity, the words he records are meant to reassure Israel (Isaiah 42:13–16). Most recently, the Lord is reminding them why they will have been exiled in the first place. The captivity was the result of their willful blindness and deafness to the revelation of God.The Lord revealed His will to Israel because He is righteous. Sharing His righteousness is who He is. It is His nature. The Law, also called the torah, was a gift to His chosen people, Israel. What could be more valuable than to know the mind and will of the Maker of all things?
The Law and Scripture should have caused Israel to praise and celebrate Him before the entire world. Instead, Israel chose to become deaf and blind to the glorious revelations of God (Isaiah 42:18–20).
