Isaiah 49:6

He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Yahweh speaks to the Servant, expanding his commission beyond the restoration of Israel to include a global mission.

The words — נָקֵל (na.Kel) carries the literal sense of "trifling" or "too light," stressing that the Servant’s work for Jacob is incomplete without the wider mandate.

The thread — This commission to be a light for the nations appears in Isaiah 42:6 and Luke 2:32, and is applied to the apostolic mission in Acts 13:47.

Why it lands — The text states that God’s salvation reaches the ends of the earth, requiring the reader to abandon parochial expectations and align with a universal scope.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וַיֹּ֗אמֶרva/i.Yo.merand/ he said נָקֵ֨לna.Kelit is [too] trifling מִֽהְיוֹתְךָ֥mi/h.yot./Khafor/ being/ youלִי֙l/iof/ meעֶ֔בֶד'E.vedservant לְהָקִים֙le./ha.Kimto/ raise up אֶת־'et-<obj.>שִׁבְטֵ֣יshiv.Tei[the] tribes of יַעֲקֹ֔בya.'a.KoJacob וּנְצוּרֵ֥יu./ne.tzi.reiand/ [the] preserved [ones] of יִשְׂרָאֵ֖לYis.ra.'ElIsrael לְהָשִׁ֑יבle./ha.Shivto/ bring back וּנְתַתִּ֙יךָ֙u./ne.ta.Ti./khaand/ I will make/ you לְא֣וֹרle./'or<into>/ a light of גּוֹיִ֔םgo.Yim[the] nations לִֽהְי֥וֹתli/h.Yotto/ be יְשׁוּעָתִ֖יye.shu.'a.T/isalvation/ my עַד־'ad-to קְצֵ֥הke.Tzeh[the] end of הָאָֽרֶץ׃ סha./'A.retzthe/ earth

King James Version

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.

Cross-references

Acts 13:47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
Isaiah 42:6 “I, the LORD, have called you for a righteous purpose, and I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and appoint you to be a covenant for the people and a light to the nations,
Luke 2:32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel.”
Psalms 98:2 The LORD has proclaimed His salvation and revealed His righteousness to the nations.
Isaiah 52:10 The LORD has bared His holy arm in the sight of all the nations; all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.
Isaiah 60:3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
Luke 24:46 And He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,
Acts 26:18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Me.’
Isaiah 11:10 On that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and His place of rest will be glorious.
John 1:4 In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.