The Greek verb hairetizō (αἱρετίζω) means to choose — to select or prefer. It is related to haireomai (G138) and appears only once in the New Testament, in Matthew 12:18, where it is used in quoting Isaiah 42:1: 'Here is my servant whom I have chosen (hairetisa), the one I love, in whom I delight.'
The word's rarity (only this NT occurrence) makes its placement significant — it is used specifically of the Father's choosing of the Son as His servant, connecting the earthly ministry of Jesus directly to the Isaianic servant songs.
Matthew 12:18's use of hairetizō in quoting Isaiah 42 is one of the most explicit Servant-Christology texts in the Gospels. Jesus has just healed on the Sabbath and withdrawn from conflict — and Matthew says this 'fulfills' Isaiah 42's portrait of the quiet, non-quarreling servant who will bring justice to the nations without breaking a bruised reed.
The word 'chosen' (hairetisa) here carries the full weight of divine election and commissioning. The Father chose the Son for this specific mission — not the thundering conquest expected by some, but the gentle, persistent, ultimately sacrificial ministry of healing and proclamation. This is the servant God chose: not a war hero but a suffering servant who absorbs rather than inflicts pain, and through that absorption, brings healing to all nations.