49:1 Listen to me, coastlands A generic address calling for the attention of all the people of the world (compare 41:1). Elsewhere, Isaiah uses this term as a generic reference to include the farthest regions of the earth (e.g., 11:11).

called me from the womb Reflects the servant’s prophetic call as in Jer 1:5 (compare Psa 22:9). The image of calling before birth is associated with Israel in Isa 44:2.

49:2 he made my mouth like a sharp sword God raised up Cyrus, who conquered by his military strength. The Servant conquers by the power of His word, just like the Messiah who strikes with the “rod of his mouth” in Isa 11:4.

49:3 my servant, Israel The individual Servant now embodies and represents corporate Israel. In Isa 44:1, Israel was explicitly called the servant, but v. 5 makes it clear that the Servant is distinct from corporate Israel and sent to save Israel. Yahweh will use the Servant to display His glory. The Servant’s work will fulfill everything the nation of Israel was supposed to have done to glorify Yahweh, but failed to do.

49:4 I have labored in vain Reflecting the complaint of the prophets, who continually brought Yahweh’s message to the people, but rarely received a positive response from the people (see 1 Kgs 19:14).

my reward is with my God The Servant trusts in God to bring the salvation He promised and reward Him for His efforts. His response contrasts with the nation that failed to trust God through their sufferings.

49:5 Israel might not be gathered The Servant’s mission was to restore Israel’s relationship with Yahweh. See note on Isa 49:3.

49:6 It is trivial for you to be The Servant announced His mission to Israel in v. 5. Now, Yahweh reveals that the mission is not to Israel only, but to all the nations of the world. Redeeming Israel alone was too easy; Yahweh wishes for a greater display of His sovereignty.

a light to the nations Compare 42:6, where Israel may be given this mission to be a light to the nations (see note on 42:1–9). The mission that was Israel’s corporately is reassigned to the Servant individually, who fulfills Israel’s obligations to Yahweh in order to restore their relationship.

be my salvation to the end of the earth The entire world—not just Israel—will have access to Yahweh’s salvation through the Servant (see Acts 13:47). Isaiah has elsewhere hinted that the nations would one day be included in the people of God (see Isa 2:2–4).

49:7 Kings shall see and stand up First, the Servant is despised, then honored by kings. Compare the silent astonishment of the kings before the Servant in 52:15 and the humility of royalty in the imagery of kings carrying the exiles back to Jerusalem in v. 23.

49:8 a time of favor The arrival of the promised salvation is partially fulfilled in the return from exile but described in idealistic terms that reflect the future rule of the Messiah. Second Corinthians 6:2 quotes this passage in announcing that the gospel of Christ has brought about the promised day of salvation.

a covenant of the people Israel was commissioned to be a covenant for the people and a light for the nations. Compare Isa 42:6. Based on the reassignment of the “light for the nations” role to the individual servant in v. 6, the Servant may be the one addressed here—He is the agent of Yahweh’s salvation.

49:9 to the prisoners Compare the release of captives in 42:7. Prosperity and the release of prisoners were considered hallmarks of the reign of a righteous and just king. Those attributes become part of the ideal future envisioned under the reign of the Messiah.

their pasturage shall be on all the barren heights The imagery shifts to the more familiar motif of wilderness renewal, and an easy trek through the desert for the returning exiles (see 41:18).

49:10 will lead them See 40:11. Yahweh is the one leading them back, just as He led them through the wilderness in the first exodus.

49:11 I will make all my mountains like a road The leveling of the mountains and the raising of the valleys prepared the land for Yahweh’s coming in 40:4.

49:12 the land of Sinim The Hebrew text has “land of Sinim,” which is believed to be a reference to Syene, a settlement at the first cataract of the Nile in Egypt and the location of modern-day Aswan. A Jewish settlement was nearby that seems to have been established during the exile. It symbolizes the furthest spread of Jewish exiles opposite Babylon with Jerusalem in the center.

49:13 Yahweh has comforted his people God called for someone to comfort Israel; now He comforts them Himself. See 40:3.

49:14 Yahweh has forsaken me Despite the repeated assurances that redemption is coming, the exiles are still feeling abandoned. They should be responding with joy as the prophet has in v. 13, but they resist, denying the reality behind the message of comfort and hope. Yahweh addresses Zion directly in vv. 15–21 to reassure her of His care.

49:15 a woman forget her suckling Both masculine and feminine metaphors are used to describe Yahweh and His relationship with people. He is described as both mother (66:13), father (63:16), and sometimes husband to Israel (54:6).

I, I will not forget you Illustrates God’s love. While it is rare and unlikely for human parents to abandon their newborns, it is still possible. It is not possible for Yahweh to forget or fail to fully love His children.

49:16 I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands The second person address is directed at Zion or Jerusalem in vv. 15–21. The reference to “walls” suggests that what was engraved was a plan for restoring the city.

49:17 your destroyers and those who laid you waste Since the invaders have gone, they have freedom to return home—perhaps to rebuild.

49:18 Lift your eyes up all around Directs Zion’s attention to the returning exiles to confirm that she has not been forgotten or forsaken.

you shall bind them on like a bride Jerusalem will bind on those who have returned from exile.

49:19 you will be too cramped for your inhabitants The magnitude of the return will be so great that Zion will be too small for all who want to live there. Since the historical return was a small band of exiles, the reference either points to a future restoration or functions as hyperbole to emphasize that Jerusalem will be inhabited, not forgotten.

49:21 Who has borne me these? Zion is astonished at the restoration of her population. Those returning from Babylon were mostly second-generation exiles who never lived in Judah or Jerusalem. In that sense, her grandchildren are returning, but she never knew them.

49:22 I will raise my signal to the peoples This return was foreshadowed in 11:10–12. The signal was used to summon nations for judgment in 5:26. Now, it is used to signal the time for God’s people to be brought home.

49:23 faces to the ground See v. 7, which predicts the kings and princes will bow before the Servant or Messiah.

you will know that I am Yahweh Yahweh’s sovereignty over the nations is demonstrated by His power even over kings and queens who bring the exiles home personally. The theme that the foreign nations would eventually acknowledge Yahweh’s sovereignty is found in 2:2–5.

49:25 a captive of the mighty shall be taken Returning from exile or imprisonment in the ancient world was unusual; it was rare for prisoners to be rescued. But these obstacles are no problem for Yahweh.

49:26 I will feed your oppressors their own flesh Highlights the extreme, siege-like conditions of their punishment (compare 2 Kgs 6:28–29). Assyrian accounts of sieges describe the desperation of the besieged people, who turned to drinking blood and eating human flesh.

Then all flesh shall know Yahweh’s victory will prove that He is the true God of Israel. The use of this recognition formula is likely meant to evoke the traditions of the first exodus, where it was used extensively (e.g., Exod 6:7; 14:18; 29:46). The formula is also used by Isaiah in Isa 49:23 and 45:3, and becomes a central part of Ezekiel’s message (used more than 60 times including Ezek 12:15; Ezek 21:5; see note on Ezek 5:13).

the strong one of Jacob Similar phrasing using the recognition formula and the same names for God is found in Isa 60:16. The title “Mighty One of Jacob” derives from Gen 49:24. Isaiah uses the variation “Mighty One of Israel” in Isa 1:24.