13 Heb “call you in righteousness.” The pronoun “you” is masculine singular, referring to the servant. See the note at .
14 The translation assumes the verb is derived from the root נָצַר (natsar, “protect”). Some prefer to derive it from the root יָצַר (yatsar, “form”).
15 Heb “a covenant of people.” A person cannot literally be a covenant; בְּרִית (bérit) is probably metonymic here, indicating a covenant mediator. The precise identity of עָם (’am, “people”) is uncertain. In v. 5 עָם refers to mankind, and the following reference to “nations” also favors this. But in 49:8, where the phrase בְּרִית עָם occurs again, Israel seems to be in view.
16 Light here symbolizes deliverance from bondage and oppression; note the parallelism in 49:6b and in 51:4–6.
17 Or “the Gentiles” (so , , ); the same Hebrew word can be translated “nations” or “Gentiles” depending on the context.
18 This does not refer to literal physical healing of the blind. As the next two lines suggest, this refers metonymically to freeing captives from their dark prisons where their eyes have grown unaccustomed to light.
19 This does not refer to hardened, dangerous criminals, who would have been executed for their crimes in ancient Near Eastern society. This verse refers to political prisoners or victims of social injustice.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

“I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;

I will take you by the hand and keep you;

I will give you as a covenant for the people,

a light for the nations,

to open the eyes that are blind,

to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,

from the prison those who sit in darkness.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;

I will take hold of your hand.

I will keep you and will make you

to be a covenant for the people

and a light for the Gentiles,

to open eyes that are blind,

to free captives from prison

and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

“I am the Lord. I have called you

for a righteous purpose,

and I will hold you by your hand.

I will watch over you, and I will appoint you

to be a covenant for the people

and a light to the nations,

in order to open blind eyes,

to bring out prisoners from the dungeon,

and those sitting in darkness from the prison house.

NLTNew Living Translation

“I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness.

I will take you by the hand and guard you,

and I will give you to my people, Israel,

as a symbol of my covenant with them.

And you will be a light to guide the nations.

You will open the eyes of the blind.

You will free the captives from prison,

releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

“I am Yahweh; I have called you in righteousness,

and I have grasped your hand and watched over you;

and I have given you as a covenant of the people,

as a light of the nations,

to open the blind eyes,

to bring the prisoner out from the dungeon,

those who sit in darkness from the house of imprisonment.

KJV 1900King James Version

I the Lord have called thee in righteousness,

And will hold thine hand, and will keep thee,

And give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;

To open the blind eyes,

To bring out the prisoners from the prison,

And them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

Public Domain