Pentecost Season · Nativity of St John the Baptist: Mass · Year C
Isaiah 49:1-6
The Servant of the Lord
June 24, 2028
Overview & Insights
“I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6)
So 49:1–6 is a major turning point. So far the Poet’s focus has been Jacob-Israel. Henceforth it will be Jerusalem-Zion. So far the addressee has been Jacob-Israel. Henceforth it will be Jerusalem-Zion. So far Yahweh’s promise has thus concerned the fall of Babylon and the end of the Judeans’ enforced residence there. Henceforth it will concern the restoring of the city that virtually none of the exiles have ever seen. Once more there is no need to infer that time has moved on or that the people are already back in the city. While that might be so, it is just as plausible to imagine the prophet continuing to exercise a ministry in Babylon. Chapters 49–55 are just as relevant to the people there as are chapters 40–48 to people in Judah.
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Commentary
Isaiah 49 Commentary Enduring Word · David Guzik
Walks through the servant's call before birth.
Isaiah 49 Commentary Precept Austin
Verse-by-verse resource collection on the chapter.
Isaiah 49:1 Commentaries BibleHub
Collects several older commentaries on the servant song.
Isaiah 49 (Barnes) StudyLight
Barnes' Notes on the servant's naming from the womb.
Background & Word Study
Isaiah Course Enter the Bible
Luther Seminary overview of Isaiah's servant songs.
Isaiah 40-66 Overview BibleProject
Video overview of the section containing this servant song.
Isaiah 49:1 Interlinear BibleHub
Shows the Hebrew behind 'the Lord called me from the womb.'
Isaiah 49:1 Sefaria
Hebrew text with classic Jewish commentators.
The Church Fathers
Questions preachers ask
Who is the Servant of Isaiah 49?
Called from the womb, the Servant is given as a light to the nations so that God's salvation may reach the ends of the earth, a portrait fulfilled in Christ.
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