Isaiah 49:14-26

Promise to Zion

14 But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me, And the Lord has forgotten me."

15 "Can a woman forget her nursing child And have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but ¹I will not forget you.

16 "Behold, I have ²inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your ³walls are continually before Me.

17 "Your builders hurry; Your ⁴destroyers and devastators Will depart from you.

18 "⁵Lift up your eyes and look around; ⁶All of them gather together, ⁷they come to you. ⁸As I live," declares the LORD, "You will surely ⁹put on all of them as jewels and bind them on as a bride.

19 "For ¹⁰your waste and desolate places and your destroyed land - Surely now you will be ¹¹too cramped for the inhabitants, And those who ¹²swallowed you will be far away.

20 "The ¹³children of whom you were bereaved will yet say in your ears, 'The place is too cramped for me; Make room for me that I may live here.'

21 "Then you will ¹⁴say in your heart, 'Who has begotten these for me, Since I have been bereaved of my children And am ¹⁵barren, an ¹⁶exile and a wanderer? And who has reared these? Behold, I was ¹⁷left alone; ¹⁸From where did these come?' "

22 Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations And set up My ¹⁹standard to the peoples; And they will ²⁰bring your sons in their bosom, And your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.

23 "²¹Kings will be your guardians, And their princesses your nurses. They will ²²bow down to you with their faces to the earth And ²³lick the dust of your feet; And you will ²⁴know that I am the LORD; Those who hopefully ²⁵wait for Me will ²⁶not be put to shame.

24 "²⁷Can the prey be taken from the mighty man, Or the captives of a tyrant be rescued?"

25 Surely, thus says the LORD, "Even the ²⁸captives of the mighty man will be taken away, And the prey of the tyrant will be rescued; For I will contend with the one who contends with you, And I will ²⁹save your sons.

26 "I will feed your ³⁰oppressors with their ³¹own flesh, And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine; And ³²all flesh will know that I, the LORD, am your ³³Savior And your ³⁴Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob."

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Isaiah 49:14-26 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 49

This is a prophecy concerning Christ, and redemption by him; and of the enlargement of the church in the latter day, by the conversion of Jews and Gentiles; which the isles, and people afar off, are exhorted to listen and hearken to, delivered out by the prophet, in the person of Christ; who gives an account of his call to his office, and the time of it; of what the Lord did for him, and said unto him, Isa 49:1-3, then follows a complaint of his labouring in vain, and a correction of it, Isa 49:4 and a further declaration of his call and appointment to office, and of each of the parts of the work assigned him, with encouragement to it, Isa 49:5,6. Christ is again represented under discouraging circumstances, as despised of men, abhorred by the nation, and a servant of rulers; who is encouraged by divine promises that kings should rise up before him, and worship him; that God would be faithful to his promise to him, and yet choose him, hear and help him, at a proper time; preserve him, and give him for a covenant to the people, to the establishment of the earth, and making it habitable, Isa 49:7,8 for the release of prisoners, and feeding, leading, and guiding them, and removing all difficulties out of the way, Isa 49:9-11 when the calling of the Gentiles is foretold, which would occasion great joy in the world, Isa 49:12,13 yet the church is introduced as complaining that she was forsaken of God, Isa 49:14 which is denied, and the contrary affirmed; being dear to the Lord as a sucking child to its mother, and more so; never forgotten by him, and always under his care, Isa 49:16, and, for her comfort, she is assured that those who had destroyed and made her waste should be removed; and that she should have converts that would be an ornament to her, and these numerous, insomuch that the place of their habitation would be too strait and narrow, and which would be matter of astonishment to her, Isa 49:17-21 and, besides those that would be converted in the land of Judea, there would be great numbers in the Gentile world converted by the power of God accompanying his Gospel, set up as a standard there, kings and queens countenancing and encouraging the interest of Christ, Isa 49:22,23 and yet still it is questioned whether the church should be delivered from her oppressors, Isa 49:24 to which it is answered, that she should be delivered, and her persecutors destroyed; by which it would be known that the Lord is the Redeemer and Saviour of his people, Isa 49:25,26.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 34

1. Isaiah 44:21
2. Song of Songs 8:6; Haggai 2:23
3. Psalms 48:12, 13; Isaiah 62:6, 7
4. Isaiah 10:6; Isaiah 37:18
5. Isaiah 60:4; John 4:35
6. Isaiah 43:5; Isaiah 54:7; Isaiah 60:4
7. Isaiah 49:12
8. Isaiah 45:23; Isaiah 54:9
9. Isaiah 52:1; Isaiah 61:10
10. Isaiah 1:7; Isaiah 3:8; Isaiah 5:6; Isaiah 51:3
11. Isaiah 54:1, 2; Zechariah 10:10
12. Psalms 56:1, 2
13. Isaiah 54:1-3
14. Isaiah 29:23; Isaiah 54:6, 7
15. Isaiah 27:10; Lamentations 1:1
16. Isaiah 5:13
17. Isaiah 1:8
18. Isaiah 60:8
19. Isaiah 11:10, 12; Isaiah 18:3; Isaiah 62:10
20. Isaiah 14:2; Isaiah 43:6; Isaiah 60:4
21. Isaiah 14:1, 2; Isaiah 60:3, 10, 11
22. Isaiah 45:14; Isaiah 60:14
23. Psalms 72:9; Micah 7:17
24. Isaiah 41:20; Isaiah 43:10; Isaiah 60:16
25. Psalms 37:9; Isaiah 25:9; Isaiah 26:8
26. Psalms 25:3; Isaiah 45:17; Joel 2:27
27. Matthew 12:29; Luke 11:21
28. Isaiah 10:6; Isaiah 14:1, 2; Jeremiah 50:33, 34
29. Isaiah 25:9; Isaiah 33:22; Isaiah 35:4
30. Isaiah 9:4; Isaiah 14:4; Isaiah 16:4; Isaiah 51:13; Isaiah 54:14
31. Isaiah 9:20
32. Isaiah 45:6; Ezekiel 39:7
33. Isaiah 43:3
34. Isaiah 49:7

Footnotes 6

[a]. So ancient versions and DSS; M.T. reads "sons"
[b]. Lit "an ornament"
[c]. Lit "your bereavement"
[d]. Lit "These, where are they?"
[e]. Heb "YHWH," usually rendered LORD
[f]. So ancient versions and DSS; M.T. reads "the righteous," cf v 25