Isaiah 49:6

Isaiah 49:6 in other versions

• King James Version (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.
• New International Version (NIV)he says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)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."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”

Context of Isaiah 49:6

4I said, ‘My work has been useless. I have worked hard with no results.’ But the Lord will do what is right for me. He will give me what I deserve for my work. 5The Lord chose me to be his servant, even before I was born. He chose me to bring Jacob's descendants back to himself. He chose me to bring Israel's people together to serve him. As a result, the Lord will honour me. He is the one who makes me strong. The Lord, my God, says, ‘As my servant, I have a greater job for you to do. It will not only be to make Jacob's tribes strong again. It will not only be to bring back Israel's people that I have kept safe. It will also be your job to bring light to the other nations. You will show people all over the world that I have the power to save them.’ 7The Lord is Israel's Redeemer, their Holy God. Nations refuse to accept his servant. Their people hate him and their rulers have made him their slave. The Lord says to his servant, ‘Kings will see you and they will rise up to respect you. Princes will bend down low in front of you. They will see that the Lord is faithful. He is Israel's Holy God, who has chosen you to serve him.’ 8This is what the Lord says: ‘I will answer your prayers at the time that I have chosen to help you. Yes, I will come to save you on that day. I will keep you safe, so that I can make a covenant with people through you. You will make the land safe again. People will return to live there, in places that had become empty.

Isaiah 49:6 word by word

וַיֹּ֗אמֶר נָקֵ֨ל מִֽהְיוֹתְךָ֥ לִי֙ עֶ֔בֶד לְהָקִים֙ אֶת־שִׁבְטֵ֣י יַעֲקֹ֔ב וּנְצוּרֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לְהָשִׁ֑יב וּנְתַתִּ֙יךָ֙ לְא֣וֹר גּוֹיִ֔ם לִֽהְי֥וֹת יְשׁוּעָתִ֖י עַד־קְצֵ֥ה הָאָֽרֶץ׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And he saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• It is a light thingקָלַלqâlal · to lightenH7043
• that thou shouldest be my servantעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
• to raise upקוּםqûm · to arise: establishH6965
• the tribesשֵׁ֫בֶטshêbeţ · tribeH7626
• of Jacobיַעֲקֹבya‛ăqôb · JacobH3290
• and to restoreשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
• the preservedנָצִירnâtsîyr · preservedH5336
• the preservedנָצַרnâtsar · to watchH5341
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• I will also giveנָתַןnâthan · to give: makeH5414
• thee for a lightאוֹר'ôr · lightH216
• to the Gentilesגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
• that thou mayest be my salvationיְשׁוּעָהyeshû‛âh · salvationH3444
• unto the endקָצֶהqâtseh qêtseh · endH7097
• of the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776

Cross-references for Isaiah 49:6

• 2 Kings 3:18This is an easy thing for the Lord to do. He will also put the Moabites under your power.
• 2 Kings 20:10Hezekiah said, ‘It is easy to cause the shadow to move down ten steps. So I want it to go back up ten steps.’
• Isaiah 42:6‘I have chosen you to bring righteousness. I will take hold of your hand, and I will keep you safe. Through you, I will make a covenant with my people, and you will bring light to the other nations.
• Isaiah 60:3People of other nations will come to your light. Kings will come to see the light of a new day that shines on you.
• Luke 2:32He will bring light to people so that they can know you. He will show you to those people who are not Jews. He will also show that your people of Israel are very special.’
• John 1:4It is the Word who caused everything to live. Because of this, he has brought light to all people.
• Acts 13:47The Lord God has also told us to do this. He said: “I have chosen you to be like a light to the Gentiles. You must go to people everywhere in the world. You must tell them how God wants to save them.” ’
• Acts 26:18You will help them to understand what is really true. They are like people who live in the dark. Teach them what is true about me. Then they will be like people who live in the light. Now Satan has power over them. Lead them from there into God's kingdom. Then God will forgive them for the wrong things that they have done. Because they believe in me, God will accept them as his own people.” ’
• Isaiah 11:10On that day, King David's descendant, the root of Jesse, will appear. He will be like a clear sign to all nations. They will come to him, so that he leads them. The place where he lives as king will be wonderful.
• Isaiah 24:14Those people who are still alive sing aloud because they are happy. People who live in the west praise the Lord because he is great.
• Isaiah 46:13But now I am ready to rescue you, and I will show you what is right. This will soon happen! I will save the people in Zion. I will make Israel great and beautiful.’
• Isaiah 51:20Your children have become weak, and they lie on the ground at the side of every street. They are like deer that a trap has caught. The anger of the Lord your God has made them helpless. He has warned them loudly.
• Psalms 98:2The Lord has shown everybody that he has the power to save. All the nations of the world can see that he does what is right.
• Luke 24:46He told them, ‘This is what it says there: The Messiah had to die. Then, after three days, he had to rise up and become alive again.

Commentaries on Isaiah 49:6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6And to restore the preserved of Irsrae "And to restore the branches of Israel" - נצירי netsirey, or נצורי netsurey, as the Masoretes correct it in the marginal reading. This word has been matter of great doubt with interpreters: the Syriac renders it the branch, taking it for the same with נצר netser, Isaiah 11:1. See Michaelis Epim. in Praelect. xix.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6And he said - That is, Yahweh said in his promise to the Messiah. It is a light thing - Margin, Art thou lighter than that thou,‘ etc. Lowth renders it, It is a small thing.‘ Hengstenberg, It is too little that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob.‘ The sense is, that God designed to glorify him in an eminent degree, and that it would not be as much honor as be designed to confer on him, to appoint him merely to produce a…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6a light for the nations: As the Messiah (God's chosen one), the servant's mission would reach the entire world (see Isaiah 11:10, 12; 42:6). The apostle Paul explained his mission to the Gentiles based on this prophecy (Acts 13:47; 26:23).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. It is a light thing--"It is too little that Thou shouldest," [Hengstenberg], that is, It is not enough honor to Thee to raise up Jacob and Israel, but I design for Thee more, namely, that Thou shouldest be the means of enlightening the Gentiles (Is 42:6, 7; 60:3). the preserved--namely, those remaining after the judgments of God on the nation--the elect remnant of Israel reserved for mercy. Lowth, with a slight but needless change of the Hebrew…Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 49:6

• Church
• Gentiles
• Jesus Continued
• Light
• Prophecy
• Quotations and Allusions

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Jacob
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Christ
• Forget
• Mouth
• Accommodation
• Atonement
• Choose; Chosen

Commentaries on Isaiah 49

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings