Focused Passage

Isaiah 49:14-21

The Servant Restores Israel and Becomes a Light for the Nations

From the Servant’s womb-called mission, to his apparent frustration and divine vindication, to the expansion of salvation to the nations, to the restoration of prisoners and exiles, to Zion’s comfort and renewal, to the LORD’s final promise that captives will be rescued from the mighty.

Berean Standard Bible, Public Domain - Translation notes - Reference sources

14 But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; the Lord has forgotten me!”

15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Even if she could forget, I will not forget you!

16 Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are ever before Me.

17 Your builders hasten back; your destroyers and wreckers depart from you.

18 Lift up your eyes and look around. They all gather together; they come to you. As surely as I live,” declares the LORD, “you will wear them all as jewelry and put them on like a bride.

19 For your ruined and desolate places and your ravaged land will now indeed be too small for your people, and those who devoured you will be far away.

20 Yet the children of your bereavement will say in your hearing, ‘This place is too small for us; make room for us to live here.’

21 Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has begotten these for me? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. So who has reared them? Look, I was left all alone, so where did they come from?’”

Study Helps

References and Original Words

Verse 14

Original words

But Zion צִיּ֖וֹן H6726 Noun - proper - feminine singular said וַתֹּ֥אמֶר H559 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular The LORD יְהוָ֑ה H3068 Noun - proper - masculine singular has forsaken me עֲזָבַ֣נִי H5800 Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular | first person common singular the Lord וַאדֹנָ֖י H136 Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular has forgotten me שְׁכֵחָֽנִי׃ H7911 Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular | first person common singular
Verse 15

Original words

Can a woman אִשָּׁה֙ H802 Noun - feminine singular forget הֲתִשְׁכַּ֤ח H7911 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular her nursing child עוּלָ֔הּ H5764 Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular or lack compassion מֵרַחֵ֖ם H7355 Preposition-m | Verb - Piel - Infinitive construct for the son בֶּן־ H1121 Noun - masculine singular construct of her womb בִּטְנָ֑הּ H990 Noun - feminine singular construct | third person feminine singular Even if גַּם־ H1571 Conjunction she אֵ֣לֶּה H428 Pronoun - common plural could forget תִשְׁכַּ֔חְנָה H7911 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine plural I will וְאָנֹכִ֖י H595 Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - first person common singular not לֹ֥א H3808 Adverb - Negative particle forget you אֶשְׁכָּחֵֽךְ׃ H7911 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular | second person feminine singular
Verse 16

Original words

Behold הֵ֥ן H2005 Interjection I have inscribed you חַקֹּתִ֑יךְ H2710 Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular | second person feminine singular on עַל־ H5921 Preposition the palms of My hands כַּפַּ֖יִם H3709 Noun - fd your walls חוֹמֹתַ֥יִךְ H2346 Noun - feminine plural construct | second person feminine singular are ever תָּמִֽיד׃ H8548 Adverb before Me נֶגְדִּ֖י H5048 Preposition | first person common singular
Verse 17

Original words

Your builders בָּנָ֑יִךְ H1121 Noun - masculine plural construct | second person feminine singular hasten back מִֽהֲר֖וּ H4116 Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person common plural your destroyers מְהָֽרְסַ֥יִךְ H2040 Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine plural construct | second person feminine singular and wreckers וּמַחֲרִבַ֖יִךְ H2717 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine plural construct | second person feminine singular depart יֵצֵֽאוּ׃ H3318 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural from you מִמֵּ֥ךְ H4480 Preposition | second person feminine singular

BSB notes

  • DSS; MT Your sons
Verse 18

Original words

Lift up שְׂאִֽי־ H5375 Verb - Qal - Imperative - feminine singular your eyes עֵינַ֙יִךְ֙ H5869 Noun - cdc | second person feminine singular and look וּרְאִ֔י H7200 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - feminine singular around סָבִ֤יב H5439 Adverb They all כֻּלָּ֖ם H3605 Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural gather together נִקְבְּצ֣וּ H6908 Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural they come בָֽאוּ־ H935 Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural to you לָ֑ךְ Preposition | second person feminine singular As surely as I אָ֣נִי H589 Pronoun - first person common singular live חַי־ H2416 Noun - masculine singular declares נְאֻם־ H5002 Noun - masculine singular construct the LORD יְהוָ֗ה H3068 Noun - proper - masculine singular - כִּ֤י H3588 Conjunction you will wear them תִלְבָּ֔שִׁי H3847 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person feminine singular all כֻלָּם֙ H3605 Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural as jewelry כָּעֲדִ֣י H5716 Preposition-k, Article | Noun - masculine singular and put them on וּֽתְקַשְּׁרִ֖ים H7194 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive imperfect - second person feminine singular | third person masculine plural like a bride כַּכַּלָּֽה׃ H3618 Preposition-k, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Verse 19

Original words

For כִּ֤י H3588 Conjunction your ruined חָרְבֹתַ֙יִךְ֙ H2723 Noun - feminine plural construct | second person feminine singular and desolate places וְשֹׁ֣מְמֹתַ֔יִךְ H8074 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine plural construct | second person feminine singular and your ravaged land וְאֶ֖רֶץ H776 Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct . . . הֲרִֽסֻתֵ֑יךְ H2035 Noun - feminine singular construct | second person feminine singular will now עַתָּה֙ H6258 Adverb indeed כִּ֤י H3588 Conjunction be too small תֵּצְרִ֣י H3334 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person feminine singular for your people מִיּוֹשֵׁ֔ב H3427 Preposition-m | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular and those who devoured you מְבַלְּעָֽיִךְ׃ H1104 Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine plural construct | second person feminine singular will be far away וְרָחֲק֖וּ H7368 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Verse 20

Original words

Yet ע֚וֹד H5750 Adverb the children בְּנֵ֖י H1121 Noun - masculine plural construct of your bereavement שִׁכֻּלָ֑יִךְ H7923 Noun - masculine plural construct | second person feminine singular will say יֹאמְר֣וּ H559 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural in your hearing בְאָזְנַ֔יִךְ H241 Preposition-b | Noun - feminine dual construct | second person feminine singular This place הַמָּק֖וֹם H4725 Article | Noun - masculine singular is too small for us צַר־ H6862 Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular make room גְּשָׁה־ H5066 Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular | third person feminine singular for us לִּ֥י Preposition | first person common singular to live here וְאֵשֵֽׁבָה׃ H3427 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative - first person common singular
Verse 21

Original words

Then you will say וְאָמַ֣רְתְּ H559 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person feminine singular in your heart בִּלְבָבֵ֗ךְ H3824 Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person feminine singular Who מִ֤י H4310 Interrogative has begotten יָֽלַד־ H3205 Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular - אֶת־ H853 Direct object marker these אֵ֔לֶּה H428 Pronoun - common plural for me לִי֙ Preposition | first person common singular I וַאֲנִ֥י H589 Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - first person common singular was bereaved שְׁכוּלָ֖ה H7909 Adjective - feminine singular and barren וְגַלְמוּדָ֑ה H1565 Conjunctive waw | Adjective - feminine singular I was exiled גֹּלָ֣ה׀ H1540 Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular and rejected וְסוּרָ֗ה H5494 Conjunctive waw | Adjective - feminine singular So who מִ֣י H4310 Interrogative vvv וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ H428 Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - common plural has reared them גִדֵּ֔ל H1431 Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person masculine singular Look הֵ֤ן H2005 Interjection I אֲנִי֙ H589 Pronoun - first person common singular was left נִשְׁאַ֣רְתִּי H7604 Verb - Nifal - Perfect - first person common singular all alone לְבַדִּ֔י H905 Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular so אֵ֖לֶּה H428 Pronoun - common plural where אֵיפֹ֥ה H375 Interrogative did they come from הֵֽם׃פ H1992 Pronoun - third person masculine plural

Berean Standard Bible (BSB): CC0 Public Domain Scripture text. Focused passages are drawn from the same reader contract as the full chapter. Reference sources explains external study-link sources.