Chapter Overview
Summary
Isaiah 49 contains the SECOND SERVANT-SONG (vv. 1–6) — opening Second-Isaiah's-second-half. Verse 6's 'I will give you as a light for the nations' is cited at Acts 13:47 (Paul's-Antioch-of-Pisidia speech) and at Luke 2:32. Verse 8's 'in a day of salvation I have helped you' is cited at 2 Corinthians 6:2 ('now is the day of salvation').
Notable Variants
49:1–6 SECOND SERVANT-SONG; 49:6 'LIGHT FOR THE NATIONS' → Acts 13:47 + Luke 2:32; 49:8 'day of salvation' → 2 Corinthians 6:2; 49:15 'can a woman forget her nursing child?' maternal-divine-imagery; 49:18 'as a bride adorns herself' → Rev 21:2.
Structural Notes
MT Isaiah 49 = LXX Isaiah 49. 26 verses. SECOND SERVANT-SONG.
Listen to me, O coastlands, and give heed, you peoples from afar: The LORD called me from the womb; from the body of my mother He named me.
'Listen to me, O coastlands, and give attention, you peoples from afar. The LORD called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name' tracks MT. CALLED-FROM-WOMB. Galatians 1:15 (Paul: 'he who had set me apart before I was born') Christologically-extends. The Servant-figure called-from-pre-natal-existence.
He made my mouth like a sharpened sword; in the shadow of His hand He hid me. He made me a polished arrow; in His quiver He concealed me.
'He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow; in his quiver he hid me away' tracks MT. SHARP-SWORD-MOUTH. Revelation 1:16 ('from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword') Christologically-extends. Hebrews 4:12's 'word of God … sharper than any two-edged sword' shares-vocabulary.
And He said to me, 'You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my glory.'
'And he said to me: You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified' tracks MT. SERVANT-AS-ISRAEL — corporate-personality. Christologically — Christ-as-the-true-Israel.
But I said, 'I have labored in vain; for nothing and futility I have spent my strength.' Yet surely my justice is with the LORD, and my recompense with my God.
'But I said: I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my right is with the LORD, and my recompense with my God' tracks MT. LABORED-IN-VAIN servant-anguish. The Servant's-frustration.
And now the LORD says — He who formed me from the womb to be His servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, that Israel might be gathered to Him (for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD, and my God has become my strength) —
'And now the LORD says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him; and that Israel might be gathered to him — for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD, and my God has become my strength' tracks MT.
He says: 'It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel. I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.'
Masoretic (WLC)
וַיֹּאמֶר נָקֵל מִהְיוֹתְךָ לִי עֶבֶד לְהָקִים אֶת־שִׁבְטֵי יַעֲקֹב וּנְצוּרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהָשִׁיב וּנְתַתִּיךָ לְאוֹר גּוֹיִם לִהְיוֹת יְשׁוּעָתִי עַד־קְצֵה הָאָרֶץ
He says: It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth
Septuagint (LXX)
καὶ εἶπέν μοι μέγα σοί ἐστιν τοῦ κληθῆναί σε παῖδά μου τοῦ στῆσαι τὰς φυλὰς Ιακωβ καὶ τὴν διασπορὰν τοῦ Ισραηλ ἐπιστρέψαι ἰδοὺ τέθεικά σε εἰς διαθήκην γένους εἰς φῶς ἐθνῶν τοῦ εἶναί σε εἰς σωτηρίαν ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς
And he said to me: It is a great thing for you to be called my servant, to set up the tribes of Jacob and to turn back the dispersion of Israel. Behold, I have given you for a covenant of a race, for a light of the Gentiles, that you may be for salvation to the end of the earth
ACTS 13:47 EXPLICIT CITATION — PAUL'S MISSIONAL-WARRANT. Paul cites this verse at-Acts 13:47 in his-Antioch-of-Pisidia-speech: 'For so the Lord has commanded us, saying: I HAVE MADE YOU A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES, THAT YOU MAY BRING SALVATION TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH (tetheika se eis phōs ethnōn, tou einai se eis sōtērian heōs eschatou tēs gēs).' Paul applies-the-Servant-Song to-his-own-apostolic-mission to-the-Gentiles.
LUKE 2:32 SIMEON. Already cited at-Isa 42:6's notes — 'a light for revelation to the Gentiles' echoes-this-verse too. The eschatological-light-to-the-Gentiles is-the-Servant's-extended-mission.
TO-THE-END-OF-THE-EARTH. Acts 1:8 ('you will be my witnesses … to the end of the earth') Christologically-fulfills.
This is what the LORD says — the Redeemer of Israel, the Holy One of Israel — to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation, a servant of rulers: 'Kings shall see and rise; princes shall bow down, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.'
'Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation, the servant of rulers: Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you' tracks MT. DEEPLY-DESPISED. // Isaiah 53:3. Suffering-Servant anticipated.
This is what the LORD says: 'In a time of favor I have answered you; in a day of salvation I have helped you. I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, to raise up the land, to apportion the desolate inheritances,'
Masoretic (WLC)
כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה בְּעֵת רָצוֹן עֲנִיתִיךָ וּבְיוֹם יְשׁוּעָה עֲזַרְתִּיךָ וְאֶצָּרְךָ וְאֶתֶּנְךָ לִבְרִית עָם
Thus says the LORD: In a time of favor I have answered you; in a day of salvation I have helped you; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people
Septuagint (LXX)
οὕτως λέγει κύριος καιρῷ δεκτῷ ἐπήκουσά σου καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ σωτηρίας ἐβοήθησά σοι καὶ ἔδωκά σε εἰς διαθήκην ἐθνῶν
Thus says the Lord: In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you; and I have given you for a covenant of nations
2 CORINTHIANS 6:2 CITATION. Paul cites this verse VERBATIM at-2 Cor 6:2: 'For he says: IN A FAVORABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND IN A DAY OF SALVATION I HAVE HELPED YOU. Behold, NOW IS THE FAVORABLE TIME; behold, NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION.' Paul-applies-the-Servant-promise to-the-current-gospel-age. The 'now' urgency.
saying to the prisoners, 'Come out!' to those in darkness, 'Show yourselves!' They shall feed along the roads, and on every bare height shall be their pasture.
'To say to the prisoners: Come out, to those who are in darkness: Appear. They shall feed along the ways; on all bare heights shall be their pasture' tracks MT. PRISONERS-COME-OUT. Luke 4:18 ('proclaim liberty to the captives') Christologically-extends.
They shall not hunger or thirst; scorching wind and sun shall not strike them, for He who has compassion on them will lead them, and by springs of water He will guide them.
'They shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them' tracks MT. NOT-HUNGER-OR-THIRST. Revelation 7:16 ('they shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore') verbatim-extends Christologically.
I will turn all my mountains into a road, and my highways shall be raised up.
'And I will make all my mountains a road, and my highways shall be raised up' tracks MT.
Behold, these shall come from afar — some from the north, some from the west, and some from the land of Sinim.
'Behold, these shall come from afar, and behold, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Syene' tracks MT.
Sing for joy, O heavens! Rejoice, O earth! Break forth into singing, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted His people and will have compassion on His afflicted ones.
'Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the LORD has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted' tracks MT.
But Zion said, 'The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.'
'But Zion said: The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me' tracks MT.
Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.
'Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you' tracks MT. MATERNAL-DIVINE-IMAGERY. God-as-mother-comparison. The-strongest divine-maternal-passage in-the-OT.
Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.
'Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me' tracks MT. ENGRAVED-ON-PALMS. The proto-stigmata-on-divine-hands. Christologically-fulfilled in-Christ's-pierced-hands (Luke 24:40, John 20:27).
Your builders hasten to you; your destroyers and those who laid you waste go out from you.
'Your builders make haste; your destroyers and those who laid you waste go out from you' tracks MT.
Lift up your eyes all around and see: they all gather together; they come to you. As I live, declares the LORD, you shall put them all on like an ornament and bind them on like a bride.
'Lift up your eyes around and see; they all gather, they come to you. As I live, declares the LORD, you shall put them all on as an ornament; you shall bind them on as a bride does' tracks MT. AS-A-BRIDE. Revelation 21:2 ('the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband') extends Christologically.
For your ruins and your desolate places and your devastated land — surely now you will be too cramped for your inhabitants, and those who swallowed you will be far away.
'Surely your waste and your desolate places and your devastated land — surely now you will be too narrow for your inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up will be far away' tracks MT.
The children born in your bereavement will yet say in your hearing, 'The place is too cramped for me; make room for me to dwell!'
'The children of your bereavement will yet say in your ears: The place is too narrow for me; make room for me to dwell in' tracks MT.
Then you will say in your heart, 'Who has borne me these? I was bereaved and barren, exiled and put away — so who has raised these? Behold, I was left alone; where then have these come from?'
'Then you will say in your heart: Who has borne me these? I was bereaved and barren, exiled and put away, but who has brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; from where have these come?' tracks MT.
This is what the Lord GOD says: 'Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations and raise my signal to the peoples; and they shall bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.'
'Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and raise my signal to the peoples; and they shall bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders' tracks MT.
Kings shall be your guardians, and their queens your nursing mothers. With faces to the ground they shall bow down to you and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.
'Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame' tracks MT.
Can the prey be taken from the mighty, or the captives of a tyrant be rescued?
'Can the prey be taken from the mighty, or the captives of a tyrant be rescued?' tracks MT.
For this is what the LORD says: 'Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken, and the prey of the tyrant shall be rescued. I myself will contend with those who contend with you, and I myself will save your children.'
'For thus says the LORD: Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken, and the prey of the tyrant be rescued, for I will contend with those who contend with you, and I will save your children' tracks MT. Matthew 12:29 (Jesus: 'how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?') Christologically-extends.
I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh, and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine. Then all flesh shall know that I am the LORD, your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
'I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh, and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with wine. Then all flesh shall know that I am the LORD your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob' tracks MT.