Isaiah / Chapter 49

Isaiah 49

26 verses • Westminster Leningrad Codex 2 traditions available

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

The Second Servant Song opens this chapter, presenting a figure called from the womb and appointed as a light to the nations. The scope of the Servant's mission expands beyond Israel's restoration to encompass all peoples. The chapter then pivots to Zion's lament of abandonment, which God answers with one of Scripture's most tender images: a mother's unbreakable bond with her nursing child — and declares His own faithfulness surpasses even that.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

Verse 16 presents the extraordinary image of Zion's walls engraved on the palms of God's hands — a metaphor of permanent, embodied remembrance that has no parallel in ancient Near Eastern literature. The tension between the Servant as an individual figure (vv.1-6) and the Servant as Israel (v.3) is left deliberately unresolved in the Hebrew text.

Translation Friction

The identity of the Servant is intensely debated. In verse 3 God calls the Servant 'Israel,' yet in verse 5 the Servant has a mission to Israel — creating a deliberate ambiguity. We have rendered the text as it stands without collapsing this tension. The verb yatsar (formed) in verse 5 echoes Genesis 2:7, linking the Servant's calling to creation itself.

Connections

The 'light to the nations' (or la-goyim, v.6) echoes Isaiah 42:6 (First Servant Song) and anticipates the universal scope of 52:13-53:12. The mother imagery (v.15) connects to Isaiah 66:13. The re-gathering language (vv.12, 22) reverberates through Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 37. Paul quotes verse 6 in Acts 13:47, applying it to his Gentile mission. **Tradition comparisons:** The Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaiah-a) preserve this chapter with notable variants: Verse 5: a moderate variant in the verb form. Verse 6: 'a light to the nations' (or la-goyim) — the scroll reads identically to the MT, confirming this universal mission language was in the pre-Christian text. Verse 7: a possible variant in the participle. Verse 12: the scroll reads 'Sinim' where.... See the [DSS Isaiah comparison](/dss-isaiah/49). Targum Jonathan provides interpretive renderings: In the second Servant Song, Jonathan preserves the identification with Israel. The Servant is both Israel corporately and the Messiah individually — a dual identification that generates the creative t... See [Targum Jonathan on Isaiah](/targum/isaiah).

Isaiah 49:1

שִׁמְע֤וּ אִיִּים֙ אֵלַ֔י וְהַקְשִׁ֥יבוּ לְאֻמִּ֖ים מֵרָח֑וֹק יְהוָה֙ מִבֶּ֣טֶן קְרָאָ֔נִי מִמְּעֵ֥י אִמִּ֖י הִזְכִּ֥יר שְׁמִֽי׃

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.

KJV Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Hebrew iyyim (coastlands/islands) refers to distant Mediterranean lands, representing the farthest reaches of the known world. The Servant addresses the nations directly, signaling a universal scope from the opening line.
Isaiah 49:2

וַיָּ֤שֶׂם פִּי֙ כְּחֶ֣רֶב חַדָּ֔ה בְּצֵ֥ל יָד֖וֹ הֶחְבִּיאָ֑נִי וַיְשִׂימֵ֙נִי֙ לְחֵ֣ץ בָּר֔וּר בְּאַשְׁפָּת֖וֹ הִסְתִּירָֽנִי׃

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.

KJV And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The dual imagery of sword and arrow presents the Servant's word as both weapon and instrument of divine purpose. The concealment in God's hand and quiver suggests a period of hidden preparation before the Servant's mission is revealed.

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)minor

"a sword"

Identical consonantal text. 'He made my mouth like a sharp sword.'

Isaiah 49:3

וַיֹּ֥אמֶר לִ֖י עַבְדִּי־אָ֑תָּה יִשְׂרָאֵ֕ל אֲשֶׁר־בְּךָ֖ אֶתְפָּאָֽר׃

And He said to me, 'You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my glory.'

KJV And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This verse is pivotal to the Servant identity question. God explicitly names the Servant 'Israel,' yet subsequent verses distinguish the Servant from the nation. Some scholars read 'Israel' as an honorific title for an individual who embodies the nation's calling; others see this as the nation personified. The Hebrew sustains both readings.

Targum Jonathan (Aramaic, 1st-5th c. CE)messianic

"And he said to me, 'You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.'"

In the second Servant Song, Jonathan preserves the identification with Israel. The Servant is both Israel corporately and the Messiah individually — a dual identification that generates the creative tension of the entire Servant theology.

Isaiah 49:4

וַאֲנִ֤י אָמַ֙רְתִּי֙ לְרִ֣יק יָגַ֔עְתִּי לְתֹ֥הוּ וְהֶ֖בֶל כֹּחִ֣י כִלֵּ֑יתִי אָכֵן֙ מִשְׁפָּטִ֣י אֶת־יְהוָ֔ה וּפְעֻלָּתִ֖י אֶת־אֱלֹהָֽי׃

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.

KJV Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Hebrew tohu (futility/void) echoes Genesis 1:2 — the Servant fears his work has returned to primordial chaos. Yet the adversative achen (surely/yet) pivots to trust: the Servant entrusts his vindication to God rather than measuring success by visible results.
Isaiah 49:5

וְעַתָּ֞ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֗ה יֹצְרִ֤י מִבֶּ֙טֶן֙ לְעֶ֣בֶד ל֔וֹ לְשׁוֹבֵ֤ב יַעֲקֹב֙ אֵלָ֔יו וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֹ֣א יֵאָסֵ֑ף וְאֶכָּבֵ֥ד בְּעֵינֵ֣י יְהוָ֔ה וֵאלֹהַ֖י הָיָ֥ה עֻזִּֽי׃

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) —

KJV And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Qere reading lo (to him) is followed here rather than the Ketiv lo (not), yielding 'that Israel might be gathered to Him.' This verse critically distinguishes the Servant from Israel: the Servant's mission is to restore Jacob/Israel, implying the Servant is not identical with the nation.

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)moderate

"to bring back"

The MT reads leshovev with a possible Qere/Ketiv issue ('to him' vs. 'not'). 1QIsaiah-a appears to read 'to bring Jacob back to him' (lo with vav, 'to him'), supporting the positive reading. This is the verse where the servant's mission is 'to bring Jacob back to God.'

Isaiah 49:6

וַיֹּ֗אמֶר נָקֵ֨ל מִֽהְיוֹתְךָ֥ לִי֙ עֶ֔בֶד לְהָקִ֖ים אֶת־שִׁבְטֵ֣י יַעֲקֹ֑ב וּנְצוּרֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לְהָשִׁ֔יב וּנְתַתִּ֙יךָ֙ לְא֣וֹר גּוֹיִ֔ם לִהְי֥וֹת יְשׁוּעָתִ֖י עַד־קְצֵ֥ה הָאָֽרֶץ׃

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.'

KJV And he said, It is a light 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.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

אוֹר גּוֹיִם or goyim
"a light for the nations" — light, illumination, enlightenment

The Servant's mission extends beyond restoring Israel: he becomes or goyim ('a light for the nations'). The universal scope transforms a national restoration into a global revelation. This phrase echoes 42:6 and anticipates Luke 2:32 (Simeon's 'a light for revelation to the Gentiles').

Translator Notes

  1. The word naqel (too small/too light) dramatically expands the Servant's mission. Restoring Israel alone would be insufficient — the Servant must become or goyim (a light to the nations). The word yeshu'ati (my salvation) shares its root with the name Yeshua/Joshua.

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)theological

"a light to the nations"

1QIsaiah-a reads 'a light to the nations' (or goyim) identically to the MT, with only the characteristic plene spelling of goyim with aleph. This is one of the most important phrases in the Hebrew Bible — the servant's mission extends beyond Israel to all nations.

Isaiah 49:7

כֹּ֣ה אָֽמַר־יְ֠הוָה גֹּאֵ֨ל יִשְׂרָאֵ֤ל קְדוֹשׁוֹ֙ לִבְזֹה־נֶ֜פֶשׁ לִמְתָ֤עֵב גּוֹי֙ לְעֶ֣בֶד מֹשְׁלִ֔ים מְלָכִ֥ים יִרְא֖וּ וָקָ֑מוּ שָׂרִים֙ וְיִֽשְׁתַּחֲו֔וּ לְמַ֤עַן יְהוָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נֶאֱמָ֔ן קְדֹ֥שׁ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וַיִּבְחָרֶֽךָּ׃

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.'

KJV Thus saith the LORD, 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 also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

גֹּאֵל go'el
"Redeemer" — redeemer, kinsman-redeemer, one who reclaims what was lost

God as Israel's go'el — the kinsman obligated to buy back what the family has lost. Capitalized when applied to God. Here paired with 'the Holy One of Israel,' combining intimacy (kinsman) with transcendence (Holy One).

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase 'this is what the LORD says' renders ko amar YHWH. Go'el (Redeemer) casts God in the role of kinsman-redeemer who reclaims His people from bondage. The Servant is described as despised and abhorred — language that anticipates the Suffering Servant of 52:13-53:12.

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)moderate

"to one deeply despised"

1QIsaiah-a uses plene spelling with vav. The description of the servant as 'deeply despised, abhorred by the nation' anticipates the Suffering Servant of chapters 52-53.

Isaiah 49:8

כֹּ֣ה ׀ אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֗ה בְּעֵ֤ת רָצוֹן֙ עֲנִיתִ֔יךָ וּבְי֥וֹם יְשׁוּעָ֖ה עֲזַרְתִּ֑יךָ וְאֶצָּרְךָ֗ וְאֶתֶּנְךָ֙ לִבְרִ֣ית עָ֔ם לְהָקִ֣ים אֶ֔רֶץ לְהַנְחִ֖יל נְחָל֥וֹת שֹׁמֵמֽוֹת׃

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,'

KJV Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard 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 establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Servant is described as berit am (a covenant to the people) — not merely a covenant mediator but the covenant itself embodied. Paul quotes this verse in 2 Corinthians 6:2, applying the 'acceptable time' to the present age of grace.
Isaiah 49:9

לֵאמֹ֤ר לַאֲסוּרִים֙ צֵ֔אוּ לַאֲשֶׁ֥ר בַּחֹ֖שֶׁךְ הִגָּל֑וּ עַל־דְּרָכִ֣ים יִרְע֔וּ וּבְכָל־שְׁפָיִ֖ים מַרְעִיתָֽם׃

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.

KJV That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The imagery shifts from liberation to pastoral care — the freed captives become a flock grazing in safety. The 'bare heights' (shefayim), normally barren terrain, are transformed into lush grazing land.

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)minor

"to the prisoners"

Identical consonantal text.

Isaiah 49:10

לֹ֤א יִרְעָ֙בוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א יִצְמָ֔אוּ וְלֹא־יַכֵּ֥ם שָׁרָ֖ב וָשָׁ֑מֶשׁ כִּי־מְרַחֲמָ֣ם יְנַהֲגֵ֔ם וְעַל־מַבּ֥וּעֵי מַ֖יִם יְנַהֲלֵֽם׃

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.

KJV They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The language echoes the Exodus wilderness journey (cf. Psalm 23, Exodus 15:22-27) — a new exodus surpassing the first. Merachamam (He who has compassion) shares its root with rechem (womb), connecting divine mercy to maternal tenderness.
Isaiah 49:11

וְשַׂמְתִּ֥י כָל־הָרַ֛י לַדֶּ֖רֶךְ וּמְסִלֹּתַ֥י יְרֻמֽוּן׃

I will turn all my mountains into a road, and my highways shall be raised up.

KJV And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. God transforms the very topography to facilitate the return of His people — mountains become level roads. This echoes Isaiah 40:3-4, where every valley is lifted and every mountain brought low.
Isaiah 49:12

הִנֵּה־אֵ֕לֶּה מֵרָח֖וֹק יָבֹ֑אוּ וְהִנֵּה־אֵ֙לֶּה֙ מִצָּפ֣וֹן וּמִיָּ֔ם וְאֵ֖לֶּה מֵאֶ֥רֶץ סִינִֽים׃

Behold, these shall come from afar — some from the north, some from the west, and some from the land of Sinim.

KJV Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The identity of 'Sinim' (sinim) is debated. Ancient suggestions include Aswan in southern Egypt (supported by the Dead Sea Scrolls reading 'Seveneh') or a distant eastern land. The point is comprehensiveness: God's people return from every direction.

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)minor

"Sinim"

Both the scroll and the MT read 'Sinim.' Some scholars emend to 'Syene' (Aswan in Egypt, modern Elephantine), but 1QIsaiah-a offers no support for that emendation. The text stands as 'from the land of Sinim.'

Isaiah 49:13

רָנּ֤וּ שָׁמַ֙יִם֙ וְגִ֣ילִי אָ֔רֶץ יִפְצְח֥וּ הָרִ֖ים רִנָּ֑ה כִּֽי־נִחַ֤ם יְהוָה֙ עַמּ֔וֹ וַעֲנִיָּ֖ו יְרַחֵֽם׃

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.

KJV Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This cosmic hymn of praise — heavens, earth, and mountains summoned to worship — serves as a structural marker dividing the Servant Song from the Zion discourse that follows. The verb nicham (comforted) is the root of Isaiah's great theme from 40:1.
Isaiah 49:14

וַתֹּ֥אמֶר צִיּ֖וֹן עֲזָבַ֣נִי יְהוָ֑ה וַאדֹנָ֖י שְׁכֵחָֽנִי׃

But Zion said, 'The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.'

KJV But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Zion is personified as a woman who feels abandoned — a devastatingly honest lament that the text does not rebuke but rather answers with overwhelming tenderness in the verses that follow.
Isaiah 49:15

הֲתִשְׁכַּ֤ח אִשָּׁה֙ עוּלָ֔הּ מֵרַחֵ֖ם בֶּן־בִּטְנָ֑הּ גַּם־אֵ֣לֶּה תִשְׁכַּ֔חְנָה וְאָנֹכִ֖י לֹ֥א אֶשְׁכָּחֵֽךְ׃

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.

KJV Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This verse is one of the most striking maternal images of God in the Hebrew Bible. The rhetorical question expects the answer 'No!' — yet God's faithfulness surpasses even a mother's instinct. The concessive gam-elleh tishkachnah (even these may forget) acknowledges the unthinkable to magnify the divine promise.

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)minor

"your ruins"

1QIsaiah-a uses the -ki suffix form characteristic of Qumran. Same meaning.

Isaiah 49:16

הֵ֥ן עַל־כַּפַּ֖יִם חַקֹּתִ֑יךְ חוֹמֹתַ֥יִךְ נֶגְדִּ֖י תָּמִֽיד׃

Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.

KJV Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Hebrew chaqqotikh (I have engraved you) uses a verb for permanent inscription — not ink that fades but carved marks that endure. God carries the blueprint of Zion's walls on His very hands, an image of intimate, unbreakable remembrance.
Isaiah 49:17

מִהֲר֖וּ בָּנָ֑יִךְ מְהָרְסַ֥יִךְ וּמַחֲרִיבַ֖יִךְ מִמֵּ֥ךְ יֵצֵֽאוּ׃

Your builders hasten to you; your destroyers and those who laid you waste go out from you.

KJV Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. There is a wordplay between banayikh (your sons/children) and bonayikh (your builders) — the returning children become the rebuilders of Zion. Many Hebrew manuscripts and the LXX read 'builders' here.
Isaiah 49:18

שְׂאִי־סָבִ֤יב עֵינַ֙יִךְ֙ וּרְאִ֔י כֻּלָּ֖ם נִקְבְּצ֣וּ בָאוּ־לָ֑ךְ חַי־אָ֙נִי֙ נְאֻם־יְהוָ֔ה כִּ֤י כֻלָּם֙ כָּעֲדִ֣י תִלְבָּ֔שִׁי וּתְקַשְּׁרִ֖ים כַּכַּלָּֽה׃

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.

KJV Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. God swears by His own life — the most solemn oath possible — that Zion's children will return. The returning exiles become Zion's bridal adornment, transforming her from desolate widow to radiant bride.
Isaiah 49:19

כִּ֤י חָרְבֹתַ֙יִךְ֙ וְשֹׁמְמֹתַ֔יִךְ וְאֶ֖רֶץ הֲרִסֻתֵ֑יךְ כִּ֤י עַתָּה֙ תֵּצְרִ֣י מִיּוֹשֵׁ֔ב וְרָחֲק֖וּ מְבַלְּעָֽיִךְ׃

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.

KJV For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The reversal is total: Zion's problem shifts from emptiness to overcrowding. The land that was desolate will be bursting with returned exiles.
Isaiah 49:20

ע֚וֹד יֹאמְר֣וּ בְאָזְנַ֔יִךְ בְּנֵ֖י שִׁכֻּלָ֑יִךְ צַר־לִ֣י הַמָּק֔וֹם גְּשָׁ֥ה לִּ֖י וְאֵשֵֽׁבָה׃

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!'

KJV The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The children born during exile — Zion's season of bereavement — will be so numerous they demand more space. Loss is transformed into superabundance.
Isaiah 49:21

וְאָמַ֣רְתְּ בִּלְבָבֵ֗ךְ מִ֤י יָֽלַד־לִי֙ אֶת־אֵ֔לֶּה וַאֲנִ֥י שְׁכוּלָ֖ה וְגַלְמוּדָ֑ה גֹּלָ֣ה ׀ וְסוּרָ֗ה וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ מִ֣י גִדֵּ֔ל הֵ֤ן אֲנִי֙ נִשְׁאַ֣רְתִּי לְבַדִּ֔י אֵ֖לֶּה אֵיפֹ֥ה הֵֽם׃

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?'

KJV Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Zion's astonishment mirrors Sarah's laughter (Genesis 18:12) — the impossible has happened. Four terms of desolation pile up (bereaved, barren, exiled, put away) to magnify the miracle of restoration.
Isaiah 49:22

כֹּה־אָמַ֞ר אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֗ה הִנֵּ֨ה אֶשָּׂ֤א אֶל־גּוֹיִם֙ יָדִ֔י וְאֶל־עַמִּ֖ים אָרִ֣ים נִסִּ֑י וְהֵבִ֤יאוּ בָנַ֙יִךְ֙ בְּחֹ֔צֶן וּבְנֹתַ֖יִךְ עַל־כָּתֵ֥ף תִּנָּשֶֽׂאנָה׃

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.'

KJV Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The nations themselves become the means of Israel's restoration — carrying Zion's children home. The imagery reverses the exile: foreign powers who once deported Israel now tenderly transport her children back.
Isaiah 49:23

וְהָי֨וּ מְלָכִ֜ים אֹמְנַ֗יִךְ וְשָׂרוֹתֵיהֶם֙ מֵינִ֣יקֹתַ֔יִךְ אַפַּ֤יִם אֶ֙רֶץ֙ יִשְׁתַּחֲוּ֣וּ לָ֔ךְ וַעֲפַ֥ר רַגְלַ֖יִךְ יְלַחֵ֑כוּ וְיָדַ֙עַתְּ֙ כִּֽי־אֲנִ֣י יְהוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־יֵבֹ֖שׁוּ קֹוָֽי׃

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.

KJV And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The reversal of power is complete: the mightiest rulers of the earth become caretakers for Zion's children. The closing promise — those who wait (qovai) for God will not be ashamed — echoes Isaiah 40:31.
Isaiah 49:24

הֲיֻקַּ֥ח מִגִּבּ֖וֹר מַלְק֑וֹחַ וְאִם־שְׁבִ֥י צַדִּ֖יק יִמָּלֵֽט׃

Can the prey be taken from the mighty, or the captives of a tyrant be rescued?

KJV Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Hebrew tsaddiq here is debated — the Masoretic text reads 'righteous one' but the context and Dead Sea Scrolls suggest 'tyrant' (arits), which better parallels 'mighty one' (gibbor). The rhetorical question expects the answer 'No!' — setting up God's astonishing 'Yes!' in the next verse.

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)moderate

"captive"

Identical consonantal text. The rhetorical question 'Can prey be taken from the mighty, or captives of a tyrant be rescued?' reads the same in both.

Isaiah 49:25

כִּי־כֹ֣ה ׀ אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֗ה גַּם־שְׁבִ֤י גִבּוֹר֙ יֻקָּ֔ח וּמַלְק֥וֹחַ עָרִ֖יץ יִמָּלֵ֑ט וְאֶת־יְרִיבֵ֗ךְ אָנֹכִ֣י אָרִ֔יב וְאֶת־בָּנַ֖יִךְ אָנֹכִ֥י אוֹשִֽׁיעַ׃

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.'

KJV But thus saith the LORD, 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The emphatic anokhi (I myself) appears twice, stressing that God personally enters the conflict. No oppressor is too powerful for the LORD to overcome.
Isaiah 49:26

וְהַאֲכַלְתִּ֤י אֶת־מוֹנַ֙יִךְ֙ אֶת־בְּשָׂרָ֔ם וְכֶעָסִ֖יס דָּמָ֣ם יִשְׁכָּר֑וּן וְיָדְע֣וּ כָל־בָּשָׂ֗ר כִּ֣י אֲנִ֤י יְהוָה֙ מוֹשִׁיעֵ֔ךְ וְגֹאֲלֵ֖ךְ אֲבִ֥יר יַעֲקֹֽב׃

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.

KJV 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 the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

גֹּאֲלֵךְ go'alekh
"your Redeemer" — your redeemer, your kinsman-redeemer

The suffixed form go'alekh ('your Redeemer') makes the kinship personal — God is not a generic redeemer but Israel's own kin. The context is rescue from oppressors who have consumed Israel.

Translator Notes

  1. The chapter ends with graphic imagery of divine judgment — the oppressors consume themselves — followed by universal recognition. The title 'Mighty One of Jacob' (avir ya'aqov) is an ancient patriarchal title (Genesis 49:24) anchoring God's rescue of Zion in covenant history.
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