The Hebrew word translated as “contrite” ( dakka’ ) in Isaiah 57:15 means “crushed” as in “crushed to powder.” In Psalm 90:3, it means “dust.” The word has a history in Isaiah.
In Isaiah 3:15, Yahweh charges Judah with “crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor.” The lowly/contrite/crushed with whom the Lord dwells are the poor who have been beaten down by the wealthy of Jerusalem.
The Servant of Yahweh is also crushed to powder. He shares the fate of the poor in Judah by being “crushed for our iniquities” (53:5). And behind this Yahweh is “crushing” Him (53:10). But when the Servant is reduced to dust, it’s only preparation for him to be exalted. When he’s returned to adamah , it is to become a new Adam.
The fact that the Servant shares the fate of the crushed demonstrates the truth of 57:15: Yahweh was with His crushed Servant as he was ground to the dust. He will be with all who are crushed, to give them new life.
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