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Isaiah 49

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The Servant's Divine Calling and Mission 1–7

1
Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye peoples, from far: Jehovah hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name: ​
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and he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me: and he hath made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he kept me close: ​
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and he said unto me, Thou art my servant; Israel, in whom I will be glorified. ​
4
But I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nought and vanity; yet surely the justice due to me is with Jehovah, and my recompense with my God. ​
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And now saith Jehovah that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, and that Israel be gathered unto him (for I am honorable in the eyes of Jehovah, and my God is become my strength); ​
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yea, he saith, It is too light a thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. ​
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Thus saith Jehovah, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers: Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall worship; because of Jehovah that is faithful, even the Holy One of Israel, who hath chosen thee. ​

The Day of Salvation and Restoration 8–13

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Thus saith Jehovah, In an acceptable time have I answered thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee; and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to raise up the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritages; ​
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saying to them that are bound, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and on all bare heights shall be their pasture. ​
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They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them will lead them, even by springs of water will he guide them. ​
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And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.
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Lo, these shall come from far; and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim. ​
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Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for Jehovah hath comforted his people, and will have compassion upon his afflicted.

Zion's Complaint and God's Assurance 14–23

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But Zion said, Jehovah hath forsaken me, and the Lord hath forgotten me. ​
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Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, these may forget, yet will not I forget thee. ​
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Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. ​
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Thy children make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth from thee.
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Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith Jehovah, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all as with an ornament, and gird thyself with them, like a bride. ​
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For, as for thy waste and thy desolate places, and thy land that hath been destroyed, surely now shalt thou be too strait for the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.
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The children of thy bereavement shall yet say in thine ears, The place is too strait for me; give place to me that I may dwell.
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Then shalt thou say in thy heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have been bereaved of my children, and am solitary, an exile, and wandering to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where were they?
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Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and set up my ensign to the peoples; and they shall bring thy sons in their bosom, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. ​
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And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their faces to the earth, and lick the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am Jehovah; and they that wait for me shall not be put to shame. ​

The Deliverance of the Captives 24–26

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Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captives be delivered? ​
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But thus saith Jehovah, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered; for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children. ​
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And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I, Jehovah, am thy Saviour, and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Isaiah 49

Verse 1

The LORD hath called me from the womb — The speaker addresses the 'isles' (iy) and peoples 'from far', as in 40:15 and 41:1. 'Made mention' is zakar, to cause to be remembered: the name was spoken before birth, as with the name given to Mary's son, 'thou shalt call his name JESUS' (Luke 1:31), and with Paul, 'separated me from my mother's womb' (Gal 1:15).

Verse 2

my mouth like a sharp sword — 'Shaft' is chets, an arrow, 'polished' for the bow. The sword is the speaker's word: Rev 1:16 has 'out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword', and Heb 4:12 says 'the word of God is… sharper than any twoedged sword'. The shadow of the hand returns in 51:16, 'I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand'.

Verse 3

Thou art my servant, O Israel — The servant is called 'Israel', and in vv.5–6 he is sent 'to bring Jacob again to him' and 'to raise up the tribes of Jacob', so the name is read of Christ, who sums up the people and then gathers them. 'Glorified' is pa'ar, the verb of 44:23. The New Testament applies the commission to Christ (Luke 2:32) and to the apostles (Acts 13:47).

Verse 4

my judgment is with the LORD — Israel's words in 40:27, 'my judgment is passed over from my God', are answered here: 'my judgment' (mishpat) is 'with the LORD'. 'Laboured' is yaga, the verb 'weary' of 40:28, and 'nought' is tohu, as in 41:29. 'Work' is peullah, also a recompense, as in 40:10, 'his reward is with him, and his work before him'.

Verse 5

formed me from the womb to be his servant — 'Formed' is yatsar, the verb said of Israel in 44:2 and 44:24. The one formed to be servant is sent to Israel, 'to bring Jacob again to him' (shuv, to return, the verb of 'return unto me' in 44:22). 'Glorious' is kabad, honoured; 'my God shall be my strength' meets the 'laboured in vain' of v.4.

Verse 6

a light to the Gentiles — The KJV uses 'light' for two Hebrew words: 'a light thing' is qalal, small, and 'a light' for the Gentiles is or, brightness, as in 42:6. Simeon says of the child, 'A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel' (Luke 2:32), and Paul and Barnabas quote the verse of their preaching (Acts 13:47).

Verse 7

Kings shall see and arise — 'Despiseth' is of one family with 53:3, 'He is despised and rejected of men', and 'the kings shall shut their mouths at him' (52:15) shows the same turn. Peter gives the two verdicts on the stone, 'disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious' (1 Pet 2:4); 'he shall choose thee' ends this verse.

Verse 8

a day of salvation — 'Acceptable' is ratson, favour or goodwill, and 'salvation' is yeshuah. Paul quotes the verse to the Corinthians and gives its hour: 'behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation' (2 Cor 6:2). 'A covenant of the people' repeats 42:6, and the 'desolate heritages' meet the promise 'Ye shall be built' (44:26).

Verse 9

Go forth… Shew yourselves — The commands go to 'prisoners' (asir) and to those 'in darkness', as in 42:7, 'to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness'. 'They shall feed' is ra'ah, the shepherd's verb of 40:11, and the 'high places' (shephi) are the bare heights where rivers are opened in 41:18.

Verse 10

they shall not hunger nor thirst — Rev 7:16–17 takes up the verse: 'They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat', and the Lamb 'shall lead them unto living fountains of waters'. 'He that hath mercy' is racham, the verb of v.15, 'compassion on the son of her womb'. Ps 121:6 has 'The sun shall not smite thee by day'.

Verse 12

the land of Sinim — The KJV keeps the Hebrew name Sinim, which occurs only here, and Scripture does not locate it. The gathering comes from every side, as in 43:5–6: 'from the east, and gather thee from the west', 'to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back'. 'From far' is rachoq, the word of 46:12.

Verse 14

The LORD hath forsaken me — 'Forsaken' is azab, the verb of the LORD's own promise in 41:17, 'I the God of Israel will not forsake them'; 'forgotten' is shakach. It is the second complaint after 40:27, and uses the cry of Ps 22:1, 'why hast thou forsaken me?' Paul puts the same fear as a question, 'Hath God cast away his people?', and answers 'God forbid' (Rom 11:1).

Verse 15

yet will I not forget thee — 'Forget' (shakach) is used three times in the verse. 'Compassion' is racham, the verb behind rechem, 'womb' (46:3), and Ps 103:13 uses it of a father, 'Like as a father pitieth his children'. Isa 66:13 gives the mother's side, 'As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you'.

Verse 16

graven thee upon the palms of my hands — Chaqaq, to cut in, engrave. Israel was told the feast of unleavened bread should be 'for a sign unto thee upon thine hand' (Ex 13:9); here the sign is on the LORD's own hand. Zion's 'walls' are 'continually before me', and 62:6 sets 'watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem'.

Verse 18

Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold — The command opens 60:4, 'Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee'. The returning children are worn 'as with an ornament' (adi, jewellery) and 'as a bride doeth'; 61:10 has 'as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels'. 'As I live, saith the LORD' is the LORD's own oath.

Verse 22

set up my standard to the people — 'Standard' is nes, a banner raised for a gathering, the word of 11:10, where the root of Jesse 'shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek'. The Gentiles here carry Zion's children 'in their arms' and 'upon their shoulders', as the LORD carries his people in 46:3–4.

Verse 23

kings shall be thy nursing fathers — Omen is one who carries a child, the word of Moses' protest, 'as a nursing father beareth the sucking child' (Num 11:12). Isa 60:16 repeats 'suck the breast of kings', and Ps 72:9 has 'his enemies shall lick the dust'. 'Wait for me' is qavah, the verb of 40:31, 'they that wait upon the LORD'.

Verse 24

Shall the prey be taken from the mighty — 'Delivered' is malat, the verb of 46:2 and 46:4, and the answer follows in v.25. Christ uses the same picture of himself: 'a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils' (Luke 11:22). 'Lawful' is literally 'righteous' (tsaddiq).

Verse 25

I will contend with him that contendeth with thee — Riv, to plead a cause, the root of 'cause' in 41:21. The LORD who summoned the idols to a trial now takes up the cause of Zion's children; Jer 50:34 says of the Redeemer, 'he shall throughly plead their cause'. 'Save' is yasha, the verb of 46:7 that the idol could not do.

Verse 26

all flesh shall know — 'All flesh' is the phrase of 40:5, 'all flesh shall see it together'. The closing words, 'I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob', are repeated exactly in 60:16. The oppressors' end follows their own measure; Rev 16:6 says 'thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy'.