The growth of God's servant, representing the nation of Israel in exile, unfolds through a surprising botanical metaphor. It captures the nation's profound lowliness before the dawn of redemption. Reduced to a state of extreme weakness and stripped of all external grace or power, the very survival and eventual rise of the nation emerge as a sheer miracle.
The primary approach among commentators is that this imagery portrays the nation's development from a place of deep degradation before God. The servant is likened to a soft, fragile branch and a root struggling in a barren wasteland. This paints a picture of a lifeform possessing no independent strength and lacking any nurturing environment. Just as a root buried in parched, moistureless earth is expected to quickly wither and dry up [מצודת דוד], the exiled nation is entirely devoid of political resilience, wealth, or leadership [מלבי״ם]. Yet, there is widespread agreement that a fragile branch or root successfully growing out of such desolate soil defies nature. It is a completely unexpected miracle brought about solely through the help of God [רד״ק, שד״ל, ביאור שטיינזלץ].
Throughout this long exile, the people were completely stripped of glory, beauty, and vitality. Much like a frail plant that lacks the impressive height and sturdy structure of a mighty tree, as well as any appealing color or shape, the nation possessed no outward charm, heroism, or might that could possibly inspire awe or admiration [מלבי״ם, רד״ק, מצודת דוד].
The reaction of those observing God's servant reflects this severe lowliness. The prevailing view suggests a continuous negative reaction: when onlookers gazed upon the servant, his appearance was so unusual and devoid of glory that they felt no desire for him whatsoever, but rather despised him [רד״ק, אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד]. Other commentators frame this reaction as a rhetorical question, asking how anyone could possibly desire a nation that lacked any respectable appearance [רש״י, מלבי״ם]. A slightly different reading proposes a two-part rejection: the servant had no appealing form that would attract anyone to even look at him in the first place, and no appearance that would cause anyone to desire him once they did [שד״ל]. In contrast to these views of complete rejection, another approach identifies a surprising turning point hinting at the future. According to this perspective, even though the servant previously lacked anything impressive and was completely ignored, he will ultimately become deeply desired [ביאור שטיינזלץ].