Isaiah 49:7

Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, to Him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the Servant of rulers: “Kings will see You and rise, and princes will bow down, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen You.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Yahweh, identified as Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, addresses the Servant directly in his despised state, before the kings rise and princes bow.

The words — בָּזָה (bāzâh) carries the sense of contemptuous scorn, treating someone as worthless; it is the same participle used in Isaiah 53:3. נֶֶ֜פֶשׁ (nephesh), literally "life," is the object of that scorn — the Servant's very personhood is what is despised.

The thread — Isaiah 53:3 uses the same verb to describe the Suffering Servant; 1 Peter 2:4 applies the rejected-but-chosen pattern to Christ; Matthew 26:67 records the physical enactment of the despising.

Why it lands — The verse names the Servant by his humiliation, not his triumph, and forces the reader to hold both facts at once: the one the nation abhorred is the one kings will rise before.

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

כֹּ֣הkohthus אָֽמַר־'a.mar-he says יְהוָה֩Yah.wehYahweh גֹּאֵ֨לgo.'El[the] redeemer of יִשְׂרָאֵ֜לYis.ra.'ElIsrael קְדוֹשׁ֗וֹke.do.Sh/oholy [one]/ its לִבְזֹה־li/v.zoh-to/ despise נֶ֜פֶשׁNe.feshlife לִמְתָ֤עֵֽבli/m.Ta.'evto/ [one who] abhors גּוֹי֙goy<of> a nation לְעֶ֣בֶדle./'E.vedto/ a servant of מֹשְׁלִ֔יםmo.she.Limrulers מְלָכִים֙me.la.Khimkings יִרְא֣וּyir.'Uthey will see וָקָ֔מוּva./Ka.muand/ they will stand up שָׂרִ֖יםsa.Rimprinces וְיִֽשְׁתַּחֲוּ֑וּve./yish.ta.cha.Vuso/ they may bow down לְמַ֤עַןle.Ma.'anon account of יְהוָה֙Yah.wehYahweh אֲשֶׁ֣ר'a.Sherwho נֶאֱמָ֔ןne.'e.Man[is] faithful קְדֹ֥שׁke.Dosh[the] holy [one] of יִשְׂרָאֵ֖לYis.ra.'ElIsrael וַיִּבְחָרֶֽךָּ׃va/i.yiv.cha.Re./kaand/ he has chosen/ you

King James Version

Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.

Cross-references

1 Peter 2:4 As you come to Him, the living stone, rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight,
Isaiah 53:3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.
Matthew 26:67 Then they spit in His face and struck Him. Others slapped Him
Isaiah 48:17 Thus says the LORD your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you for your benefit, who directs you in the way you should go.
Psalms 22:6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.
Psalms 72:10 May the kings of Tarshish and distant shores bring tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.
Isaiah 49:23 Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow to you facedown and lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in Me will never be put to shame.”
Psalms 69:7 For I have endured scorn for Your sake, and shame has covered my face.
Isaiah 49:1 Listen to Me, O islands; pay attention, O distant peoples: The LORD called Me from the womb; from the body of My mother He named Me.
Matthew 20:28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”