Isaiah 49:3
in Isaiah 49He said to Me, “You are My Servant, Israel, in whom I will display My glory.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and he said unto me, Thou art my servant; Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
KJV
And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
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This verse in Isaiah 49
Commentary
11 notes on this verseAnd he said to me: You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified. A servant, because although he was in the form of God, he chose to take on the form of a servant (Philippians 2), and Israel, because he was born from the seed of the Jews. And what can be understood about no other servant is joined together: In you I will be glorified (or I will be glorified). For he himself says in the Gospel, Father, glorify your name (John 12:28).
This site's exposition
You are My Servant, Israel
The LORD names the servant outright, “You are My Servant, Israel, in whom I will display My glory”. The name ties the servant to the nation. Verses 5 and 6 then send the same servant “to raise up the tribes of Jacob”, a mission to Israel itself.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
"You are my servant Israel, and I will glorify myself in you." This is to be understood according to Christ's human nature. For according to his human nature Christ is called Israel, Jacob, the son of David, the seed of Abraham, and so on. Christ …
(Chapter 49—Verse 1 onwards) Listen, O islands, and pay attention, O peoples from afar: The Lord called me from the womb; from the body of my mother he remembered my name. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword; in the shadow of his hand he protected me. He made me like a polished arrow; in his quiver he hid me away. And he said to me: You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
The Medieval Church1 voice
Fourth, the glory of divine service: and he said to me: in you will I glory, through the wonders shown in you, I will appear glorious, above: every one that calls upon my name, I have created him for my glory (Isa 43:7). 897. According …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
O Israel - As the name of David is sometimes given to his successors, so here the name of Israel may not unfitly be given to Christ, not only because he descended from his loins; but also because he was the true and the great Israel, who, in a more eminent manner, prevailed with God, as that name signifies, of whom Jacob, who was first called Israel, was but a type.
But this is directed to the isles (that is, the Gentiles, for they are called the isles of the Gentiles, Gen. x. 5 ) and to the people from far, that were strangers to the commonwealth of Israel, and afar off.
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
He is sent to the Gentiles with gracious promises, ver. 5-12. God's love to his church perpetual, ver. 13-17. The ample restoration of the church, and its enlargement, ver. 18-23.
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And said unto me,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
And said unto me - That is, as I suppose, to the Messiah. God said to him that he was his servant; he by whom he would be particularly glorified and honored. Thou art my servant, O Israel - There has been great variety, as was intimated in the analysis of the chapter, in the interpretation of this verse. The question of difficulty is, to whom does the word ‘Israel’ refer? And if it refer to the Messiah, why is this name given to him? There is no variety in the ancient versions, or in the MSS.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Israel--applied to Messiah, according to the true import of the name, the Prince who had power with God in wrestling in behalf of man, and who prevails (Ge 32:28; He is also the ideal Israel, the representative man of the nation (compare Mt 2:15 with Ho 11:1). in whom . . . glorified-- (Joh 14:13;
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The words behind it
8 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֥אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לִ֖י | li | to me | ||
| עַבְדִּי־ | ʾavdi- | [are] servant my | H5650 → | 799 times |
| אָ֑תָּה | ʾatah | you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֕ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | whom | H834 → | 5497 times |
| בְּךָ֖ | bekha | by you | ||
| אֶתְפָּאָֽר׃ | ʾetpaar | I will get glory for myself | H6286 → | 14 times |
וַיֹּ֥אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
לִ֖יto me
li
עַבְדִּי־[are] servant my
ʾavdi-H5650 →799 times
אָ֑תָּהyou
ʾatahH859 →1094 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֕לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
אֲשֶׁר־whom
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
בְּךָ֖by you
bekha
אֶתְפָּאָֽר׃I will get glory for myself
ʾetpaarH6286 →14 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Peter 2:9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
it leads to
- Exodus 19:5–6
Now if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you will be My treasured possession out of all the nations—for the whole earth is Mine.
- Deuteronomy 7:6
For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His prized possession out of all peoples on the face of…
- Revelation 1:6
who has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen.
- Revelation 5:10
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign upon the earth.”
- Isaiah 61:6
But you will be called the priests of the LORD; they will speak of you as ministers of our God; you will feed on the wealth of nations, and you will boast in their…
- Exodus 19:5–6
Through
Isaiah 42:1“Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen One, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations.
it leads to
- Matthew 12:18–21
“Here is My Servant, whom I have chosen, My beloved, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations.
- Matthew 12:18–21
Through
John 17:1When Jesus had spoken these things, He lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You.
it leads to
- John 13:31–32
When Judas had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him.
- John 17:4–5
I have glorified You on earth by accomplishing the work You gave Me to do.
- John 13:31–32
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies5
About Isaiah
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Prophecies of Isaiah; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Calvin, Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 15:49.3 and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.