This chapter is about God publicly reclaiming what empires p

Isaiah 52 treats exile like a fraudulent sale: the empires never legitimately “owned” Israel, so God’s redemption is a public repossession—“without money”—meant to vindicate God’s name in front of the nations, not merely comfort the victims. The shock is that this triumphant “Your God reigns” announcement is fused to a Servant whose authority comes through being visibly disfigured, as if God’s victory is proved by a body that looks like defeat.