Servant and Covenant: Again Yahweh challenges opponents to come to court to argue out who is God (41:21–29). Again a passage about Yahweh’s servant (42:1–9) follows this court case. Again this leads into praise and a vision of Yahweh transforming nature (42:10–17). While the three sections parallel the preceding set of three, they take matters much further.

42:10–17 The invitation to praise announces that we are coming to the end of a section of the book, and/or draws attention to the significance of what we have just read. This praise thus parallels chapter 12, though it also contrasts with it. That was a promise to the people of Judah about the prospect of rejoicing in the hearing of the nations in what Yahweh is going to do for it. This is a declaration of the way the world itself can be…