Restoration and Promise to Gather Israel
Isaiah 49:9-26
Isa.49.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- לאסורים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- צאו: VERB,qal,impv,2,pl
- לאשר: CONJ
- בחשך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הגלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- על: PREP
- דרכים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ירעו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ובכל: CONJ+PREP
- שפיים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- מרעיתם: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Isaiah 42:7 (verbal): Speaks of bringing out prisoners from the dungeon and those who sit in darkness—very close verbal and thematic parallel about liberation from captivity and darkness.
- Isaiah 61:1 (thematic): Proclaims liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind—echoes the prophet’s mission of release and restoration found in 49:9.
- Luke 4:18 (quotation): Jesus quotes Isaiah’s program (Isaiah 61:1/42 themes) — 'to proclaim liberty to the captives' — applying the prophetic promise of release and restoration to his ministry.
- Psalm 107:10–14 (thematic): Describes those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, bound in affliction, whom God brings out and breaks their bands—parallels the deliverance motif and imagery of being led out of darkness into provision.
- Ezekiel 34:12–13 (thematic): God as shepherd seeks out, rescues, and feeds scattered sheep on good pasture—parallels the pastoral imagery of feeding along the ways and pasturing on bare heights in Isaiah 49:9.
Alternative generated candidates
- To say to the prisoners, "Go forth"; to those in darkness, "Be released." They shall graze along the roads, and on every bare hill shall be their pasture.
- To say to those in prison, 'Go forth'; to those who sit in darkness, 'Appear.' They shall graze along the roads, and their pasture shall be on every bare height.
Isa.49.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לא: PART_NEG
- ירעבו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ולא: CONJ
- יצמאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ולא: CONJ
- יכם: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- שרב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ושמש: CONJ
- כי: CONJ
- מרחמם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ינהגם: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- מבועי: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- מים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ינהלם: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Revelation 7:16-17 (quotation): Almost direct echo: believers 'shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more' and the Lamb 'shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters,' clearly drawing on Isaiah's promise of guidance and water.
- Psalm 23:1-2 (thematic): Shepherd imagery and pastoral care: 'He leadeth me beside the still waters' and God as guide and provider, paralleling Isaiah's depiction of God leading and providing springs of water.
- Isaiah 58:11 (verbal): Similar wording of divine guidance and sustenance: 'The LORD will guide thee continually... and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water,' echoing Isaiah 49:10's promise of leading to waters and protection from thirst.
- Isaiah 41:17-18 (thematic): God's provision for the needy in drought—'I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys'—parallels Isaiah 49:10’s promise to lead the needy to springs and relieve hunger and thirst.
Alternative generated candidates
- They shall not hunger or thirst, nor shall scorching wind or sun strike them; for he who has compassion will guide them, and lead them beside springs of water.
- They shall not hunger or thirst, and the scorching heat and sun shall not strike them; for he who has compassion on them will lead them, and by springs of water he will guide them.
Isa.49.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ושמתי: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- כל: DET
- הרי: NOUN,m,pl,def
- לדרך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ומסלתי: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs,poss:1
- ירמון: VERB,niphal,impf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Isaiah 40:3-4 (verbal): Both verses use the motif of leveling terrain—making valleys high and mountains low—to describe preparing a way; Isaiah 40:3-4 is the prominent parallel about smoothing a road for the Lord.
- Isaiah 35:8 (thematic): Speaks of 'a highway' called the Way of Holiness created for the redeemed—shares the theme of a prepared road/route for God’s people to return or travel to salvation.
- Isaiah 62:10 (verbal): Commands to 'prepare the way' and 'build up the highway' for the return of the people directly parallel the imagery of making mountains into a road and raising highways for return.
- Isaiah 43:19 (thematic): God’s promise 'I will make a way in the wilderness' echoes the theme of divine action to create paths and routes for deliverance and return, similar to Isa. 49:11.
Alternative generated candidates
- I will make all my mountains a road, and my highways shall be raised up.
- I will make all my mountains a road, and my highways shall be raised up.
Isa.49.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הנה: PART
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- מרחוק: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יבאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- והנה: ADV
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- מצפון: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ואלה: CONJ+DEM,pl,abs
- מארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- סינים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 43:5-6 (verbal): Shares near-identical language and theme of God gathering his people from distant quarters—‘I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west… bring my sons from far’—paralleling the coming ‘from afar… from the north and from the land of Sinim.’
- Zechariah 8:7-8 (thematic): Promises God will bring his people back ‘from the east country, and from the west country,’ echoing Isaiah’s motif of return and regathering from distant lands to dwell in Jerusalem.
- Isaiah 11:11-12 (structural): Foretells a renewed gathering of Israel ‘from Assyria…and from the isles of the sea’ and that he will assemble the dispersed from the ‘four corners’—structurally parallel as a prophetic promise of return from many directions.
- Psalm 107:3-4 (verbal): Uses cardinal-direction language—‘they wandered in the wilderness… from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south’—mirroring Isaiah’s depiction of people coming from various compass points.
Alternative generated candidates
- Behold, these shall come from far away; behold, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Sinim.
- Behold, these will come from afar; behold, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Sinim.
Isa.49.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- רנו: VERB,qal,imp,2,mp
- שמים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וגילי: VERB,qal,impv,2,f,sg
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ופצחו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- הרים: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- רנה: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- כי: CONJ
- נחם: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- עמו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- ועניו: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ירחם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 44:23 (verbal): Repeats the same summons to the heavens, earth and mountains to sing—close verbal parallel and shared prophetic formula of cosmic rejoicing.
- Isaiah 55:12 (verbal): Speaks of mountains breaking forth into singing and creation rejoicing at the Lord’s restorative action—similar language and image of creation’s praise.
- Psalm 96:11-13 (thematic): Calls heaven and earth to be glad because the Lord is coming to judge and save—shares the theme of cosmic rejoicing in response to Yahweh’s saving/comforting act.
- Psalm 98:7-9 (thematic): Depicts rivers, hills and trees rejoicing before the LORD as God acts to save and judge—another psalmic portrayal of creation’s exuberant response to divine salvation.
- Zephaniah 3:17 (thematic): Describes the LORD rejoicing over and comforting his people with singing and love—parallels Isaiah’s emphasis on God’s consolation and compassion for the afflicted.
Alternative generated candidates
- Rejoice, O heavens, and be glad, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the LORD has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted.
- Sing, O heavens, and be glad, O earth; break forth into singing, O mountains; for the LORD has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his afflicted.
Isa.49.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- ציון: NOUN,prop,f,sg,abs
- עזבני: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ואדני: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- שכחני: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 49:15 (structural): Immediate literary response/contrast: after Zion's complaint that the LORD has forsaken her, the prophet answers with God's assurance (Can a woman forget her nursing child?).
- Psalm 22:1 (verbal): Shares the language of divine abandonment ('My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'), expressing the same experience of feeling forsaken by God.
- Matthew 27:46 (quotation): Jesus' cry on the cross ('Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?') directly echoes Psalm 22:1 and the theme of being forsaken by God.
- Psalm 42:9 (verbal): Expresses a similar lament of feeling forgotten by God ('Why have you forgotten me?'), paralleling Zion's complaint in Isaiah 49:14.
- Lamentations 5:20 (thematic): A communal lament asking why God has forgotten and forsaken his people — thematically parallel to Zion's sense of divine abandonment.
Alternative generated candidates
- But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me."
- But Zion said, 'The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.'
Isa.49.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- התשכח: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- אשה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עולה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מרחם: VERB,piel,ptc,3,m,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בטנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- גם: ADV
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- תשכחנה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,pl
- ואנכי: PRON,1,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- אשכחך: VERB,qal,impf,1,c,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 27:10 (thematic): Contrasts human abandonment ("When my father and my mother forsake me") with God's sustaining care—same theme of God not forsaking the people as Isaiah 49:15.
- Isaiah 66:13 (thematic): Uses maternal comfort imagery ("As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you"), paralleling Isaiah 49:15's appeal to motherly compassion to highlight God's greater care.
- Hosea 11:3-4 (thematic): God's care for Israel described in parental/nursing terms (leading, teaching, drawing with cords of kindness), echoing the maternal metaphor and divine fidelity in Isaiah 49:15.
- Psalm 22:9-10 (verbal): Speaks of God's involvement from the womb and reliance on God ("Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust on you from my mother's breasts"), echoing the infant/maternal setting and divine care invoked in Isaiah 49:15.
- Psalm 103:13 (thematic): Compares God's compassion to parental compassion ("As a father has compassion on his children"), paralleling Isaiah's contrast between human parental feelings and God's unfailing remembrance.
Alternative generated candidates
- Can a woman forget the child of her womb, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.
- Can a woman forget her nursing child, so as not to have compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget—yet I will not forget you.
Isa.49.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הן: PART
- על: PREP
- כפים: NOUN,f,du,abs
- חקתיך: VERB,qal,perf,1,?,sg
- חומתיך: NOUN,f,sg,poss2ms
- נגדי: PREP
- תמיד: ADV
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 6:8 (verbal): Commands to bind God's words 'as a sign upon your hand' parallel the image of inscription on the hand—both use the hand as locus of remembrance and identity.
- Song of Solomon 8:6 (verbal): 'Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm' uses seal/inscription on the body (arm/hand) to express enduring possession and remembrance, echoing Isaiah's 'engraved upon the palms.'
- Jeremiah 31:33 (thematic): God's promise to write his law within people (on their hearts) parallels the theme of divine inscription and intimate, internalized remembrance displayed in Isaiah 49:16.
- Zechariah 2:8 (thematic): The declaration that those who touch Zion 'touch the apple of his eye' conveys the same intimate protective care as the image of God keeping Jerusalem continually before him—both stress vigilant, personal concern.
- Psalm 139:16 (thematic): 'All the days ordained for me were written in your book' expresses God's detailed, continuous knowledge and forethought about a person, akin to Isaiah's image of the beloved constantly before God and 'engraved' on his hands.
Alternative generated candidates
- Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.
- Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.
Isa.49.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מהרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- בניך: NOUN,m,pl,abs+POSS,2,m,sg
- מהרסיך: NOUN,m,pl,abs,2ms
- ומחרביך: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs,2ms
- ממך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- יצאו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Isaiah 60:4 (verbal): Speaks of sons and daughters coming to Zion (‘your sons shall come from afar’), echoing the image of children hastening back to the city.
- Jeremiah 31:8–9 (thematic): Promises the return of Israel’s scattered children from the north and other lands—theme of restoration and homecoming that parallels ‘your children shall hasten.’
- Ezekiel 36:24–28 (thematic): God’s promise to gather the people from the nations, cleanse and restore them to their land—connects with the motif of enemies/depredators departing and the people returning.
- Psalm 126:1–4 (thematic): Celebrates the return from exile—‘the LORD has done great things...we were like those who dream’—a liturgical parallel to the joy of children returning and enemies removed.
- Zechariah 8:7–8 (allusion): God’s pledge to bring the exiles home and make them dwell securely in Jerusalem, implying the removal or neutralization of those who devastated them.
Alternative generated candidates
- Hasten, O children—your destroyers and those who ruined you shall go out from you.
- Your children shall hasten—your destroyers and those who made you desolate shall depart from you.
Isa.49.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שאי: VERB,qal,imp,2,f,sg
- סביב: ADV
- עיניך: NOUN,f,pl,abs+2ms
- וראי: CONJ+VERB,qal,imp,2,f,sg
- כלם: PRON,3,m,pl
- נקבצו: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,pl
- באו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- חי: ADJ,m,sg
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- כלם: PRON,3,m,pl
- כעדי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,cstr,1ms
- תלבשי: VERB,qal,impf,2,f,sg
- ותקשרים: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ככלה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 61:10 (verbal): Uses clothing/adornment imagery ('clothed with garments of salvation', 'as a bridegroom... as a bride') parallel to putting on the gathered ones as jewels and binding them as a bride.
- Isaiah 54:5-6 (thematic): Zion/Israel portrayed as a wife of the LORD; theme of restoration and renewed marital imagery echoes the bride motif and divine promise in Isa 49:18.
- Jeremiah 31:8-9 (thematic): Promise of gathering the exiles and bringing them back to Zion; parallels 'look around... they all gather together, they come to you' in the context of restoration.
- Ezekiel 16:8-14 (allusion): God's marriage to Jerusalem and the subsequent adorning of the city (garments, jewelry) parallels the image of clothing/adornment and binding as a bride in Isa 49:18.
Alternative generated candidates
- Lift up your eyes and look about: they all gather and come to you. As I live, declares the LORD, you shall clothe yourself with them all and bind them on as a bride.
- Lift up your eyes round about and see: they all gather themselves and come to you. As I live, declares the LORD, you shall put them on like jewels and bind them on like a bride.
Isa.49.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- חרבתיך: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- ושממתיך: VERB,hiphil,perf,1,_,sg
- וארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הרסתיך: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- כי: CONJ
- עתה: ADV
- תצרי: VERB,qal,impf,2,f,sg
- מיושב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ורחקו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מבלעיך: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:2,f
Parallels
- Isaiah 51:3 (thematic): Both verses contrast the prior desolation of Zion with the LORD’s promise to transform the waste into joy and a fruitful habitation—theme of reversal from ruin to restoration.
- Ezekiel 36:33-36 (verbal): Ezekiel uses similar language of a devastated land being rebuilt and inhabited again; both passages link divine action to the reversal of desolation and reproach.
- Jeremiah 31:12-14 (thematic): Jeremiah promises return, gladness, and restoration after exile—paralleling Isaiah’s concern with ruined land and the hope for restoration of the people and their dwellings.
- Isaiah 54:11-12 (structural): Isaiah 54 responds to earlier images of desolation in Isaiah by promising reconstruction and beautification of the afflicted city—structurally continuing the motif of conversion of shame/desolation into a restored dwelling.
Alternative generated candidates
- For I had laid you waste and made your land desolate; but now you shall be built, you shall be inhabited, and those who swallowed you up shall be far away.
- For I made you a desolation and your land a waste; but now you will be too narrow for your inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up will be far away.
Isa.49.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- עוד: ADV
- יאמרו: VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,pl
- באזניך: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs+2ms
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- שכליך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+suffix,2,m
- צר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- המקום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- גשה: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ואשבה: VERB,qal,imperfect,1,_,sg
Parallels
- Gen.26:22 (verbal): In the story of Rehoboth Abraham/Isaac names a well saying the LORD has 'made room' for us—language of enlarging space and fruitfulness echoes 'the place is too small... make room for me.'
- Isa.54:2-3 (verbal): Direct prophetic parallel: speaks of enlarging the tent/place and spreading out so descendants inherit nations—closely echoes the demand for more room and growing offspring in Isaiah 49:20.
- Isa.54:1 (thematic): Promises of increased children and reversal of barrenness (’sing, O barren’) form the broader theme of restoration and multiplication that Isaiah 49:20 expresses.
- Ps.127:3-5 (thematic): Portrays children as a blessing/heritage and the increase of offspring as God’s blessing—thematically parallels the image of many children pressing for more space.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then your sons will say in your hearing, "The place is too narrow for me; make room for me—let me dwell."
- Your sons will say in your hearing, 'The place is too narrow for me; make room for me, that I may dwell.'
Isa.49.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואמרת: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- בלבבך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- ילד: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- ואני: PRON,1,sg
- שכולה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- וגלמודה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- גלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- וסורה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- ואלה: CONJ+DEM,pl,abs
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- גדל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- הן: PART
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- נשארתי: VERB,niphal,perf,1,m,sg
- לבדי: ADV,sg,suff,1,sg
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- איפה: ADV
- הם: PRON,personal,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Isaiah 54:1 (verbal): Both verses use the image of a formerly barren woman now bearing children—Isaiah 54:1’s 'Sing, O barren' directly echoes the reversal of barrenness and increase promised in 49:21–23.
- Psalm 113:9 (thematic): Speaks of God giving the barren a home and making her a joyful mother of children, paralleling the theme of divine restoration of those who were childless in Isaiah 49:21.
- 1 Samuel 1:2, 1:19-20 (Hannah) (thematic): Hannah’s experience—barrenness, distress, God’s intervention, and subsequent childbirth—mirrors the motif of personal and communal reversal from childlessness to fruitfulness found in Isaiah 49:21.
- Luke 1:7, 1:24-25 (allusion): Elizabeth’s prior barrenness and later conception (in the birth narrative of John the Baptist) resonates with the Isaiah promise of the barren being given children, a New Testament exemplification of the theme.
- Jeremiah 31:15-17 (thematic): Jeremiah records Rachel weeping for her exiled children (a motif of loss and lament), which contrasts with Isaiah 49:21’s image of reversal—where the lost/childless are restored and children are brought back.
Alternative generated candidates
- And you will say in your heart, "Who has borne these for me? I was bereaved and barren, driven away and rejected—who has brought these up? Behold, I was left alone; where were these?"
- Then you will say in your heart, 'Who has borne these for me? I was bereaved and barren, exiled and rejected—who has brought these up? I was left alone; where were these?''
Isa.49.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- הנה: PART
- אשא: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- אל: NEG
- גוים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ידי: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- עמים: NOUN,pl,m,abs
- ארים: VERB,qal,impf,1,?,sg
- נסי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- והביאו: VERB,hiphil,imp,2,m,pl
- בניך: NOUN,m,pl,abs+POSS,2,m,sg
- בחצן: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ובנתיך: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs,suff:2,ms
- על: PREP
- כתף: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- תנשאנה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,pl
Parallels
- Isaiah 60:4-5 (verbal): Both passages depict nations bringing Israel's children and using family-carrying imagery (sons and daughters brought to Zion); closely related language and motif of gentile nations bringing people to Israel.
- Zechariah 8:23 (thematic): Foreigner nations and peoples attach themselves to Israel and seek to go with her—echoes the theme of Gentile nations coming to and supporting Israel.
- Isaiah 43:5-6 (thematic): God promises to bring back and gather Israel's offspring from the nations—parallel theme of God acting toward the nations to restore Israel's people.
- Psalm 68:31 (allusion): Speaks of nations stretching out hands to God (e.g., Egypt, Ethiopia); parallels the international scope and the imagery of nations reaching toward and offering to Israel/God.
- Matthew 8:11 (thematic): Jesus foretells many from east and west joining the patriarchs at God's feast—New Testament echo of Gentile inclusion and peoples coming to share in Israel's blessing.
Alternative generated candidates
- Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations and set up my standard to the peoples; and they shall bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.
- Thus says the Sovereign LORD: I will lift up my hand to the nations and set my standard to the peoples; they shall bring your sons in their arms and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.
Isa.49.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והיו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מלכים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אמניך: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- ושרותיהם: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- מיניקתיך: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- אפים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ישתחוו: VERB,hithpael,imperfect,3,m,pl
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- ועפר: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רגליך: NOUN,f,pl,abs,poss,2,f
- ילחכו: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
- וידעת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לא: PART_NEG
- יבשו: VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,pl
- קוי: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 49:22 (structural): Immediate context: the preceding verse introduces the image of nations and kings coming to Zion and serving as 'nursing' attendants, of which 49:23 is the continuation and fulfillment.
- Isaiah 60:10, 14 (thematic): Both passages depict foreign kings and nations ministering to Zion—kings aiding, serving, or bending low before Jerusalem—paralleling the motif of royal submission and service in 49:23.
- Psalm 72:10-11 (thematic): Royal homage imagery: kings bringing gifts, falling down, and serving—echoing 49:23’s picture of kings and queens bowing and paying homage to the Lord’s servant/people.
- Psalm 25:3 (verbal): Shares the promise that those who wait/hope in the LORD will not be put to shame, echoing the closing assurance of 49:23.
Alternative generated candidates
- Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers; they shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; those who hope in me shall not be put to shame.
- Kings shall be your foster fathers and their queens your nursing mothers; they shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.
Isa.49.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- היקח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- מגבור: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלקוח: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואם: CONJ
- שבי: VERB,qal,imp,2,f,sg
- צדיק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ימלט: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 49:25-26 (structural): Immediate continuation/answer to the rhetorical question in 49:24: God declares he will contend with the oppressor and bring salvation, framing the question and its divine resolution within the same oracle.
- Ezekiel 34:16 (thematic): God promises to seek the lost, bind up the injured, and strengthen the weak—same motif of the LORD rescuing vulnerable people from predation and powerful oppressors.
- Psalm 107:14 (thematic): Describes God delivering prisoners and breaking their chains—parallel imagery of divine rescue from captivity and oppression.
- Jeremiah 31:10-11 (thematic): Speaks of God gathering the scattered and redeeming his people from foreign hands, echoing the theme that God intervenes to free his people from mighty captors.
Alternative generated candidates
- Can the prey be taken from the mighty, or the captive be delivered from the righteous?
- Can the prey be taken from the mighty, or can the captives of the righteous be rescued?
Isa.49.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- גם: ADV
- שבי: VERB,qal,imp,2,f,sg
- גבור: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- יקח: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- ומלקוח: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עריץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ימלט: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ואת: CONJ
- יריבך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2ms
- אנכי: PRON,1,sg
- אריב: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg
- ואת: CONJ
- בניך: NOUN,m,pl,abs+POSS,2,m,sg
- אנכי: PRON,1,sg
- אושיע: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg
Parallels
- Isa.49.24 (structural): Immediate context: v.24 poses the question about whether prey can be taken from the mighty; v.25 supplies the answer that the LORD will rescue the captives and save the children.
- Psalm 35:1 (verbal): David’s plea 'Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me' closely echoes the language of God’s promise to 'contend with those who contend with you'.
- Psalm 10:14–18 (thematic): Speaks of God noticing the afflicted, vindicating the weak and fatherless, and bringing judgment on oppressors—paralleling God’s rescue of captives and children and opposition to oppressors.
- Jeremiah 50:34 (thematic): Describes the LORD as a strong redeemer who will plead the cause of the oppressed—similar to Isaiah’s depiction of God fighting for the people and delivering their offspring.
- Exodus 14:14 (thematic): 'The LORD will fight for you' expresses the same motif of divine intervention on behalf of the people against powerful adversaries, as in Isaiah 49:25.
Alternative generated candidates
- For thus says the LORD: Even the captor of the mighty shall be taken, and the plunderer shall be plundered; I will contend with those who contend with you, and I will save your children.
- For thus says the LORD: Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken, and the prey of the tyrant shall be delivered; I will contend with those who contend with you, and I will save your children.
Isa.49.26 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והאכלתי: VERB,hiphil,perf,1,_,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- מוניך: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- בשרם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וכעסיס: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דמם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישכרון: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- וידעו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- כל: DET
- בשר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- מושיעך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2,sg
- וגאלך: VERB,qal,imperfect,1,?,sg
- אביר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezek.39.17-20 (verbal): Uses nearly identical imagery of birds eating flesh and being filled/drunk with blood at God's command; explicit language about eating flesh and drinking blood echoes Isa. 49:26.
- Isa.63.3-6 (thematic): Depicts the LORD as executing vengeance with blood‑soaked, winepress imagery; similar theme of divine vindication and violent retribution so that people will know God's saving/avenging role.
- Deut.32.43 (thematic): Calls for divine vengeance on the nations and the avenging of the blood of God's servants; parallels Isa. 49:26's motif of God avenging his people so that the nations recognize him.
- Joel 3:16-17 (Heb. 3:16-17) (verbal): After picturing the LORD's judgment on the nations, Joel declares that people will 'know that I am the LORD'—echoing Isa. 49:26's formula 'all flesh shall know that I am the LORD' as the outcome of God's saving/avenging action.
Alternative generated candidates
- I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh, and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with wine; and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
- I will feed their oppressors with their own flesh, and they shall be drunken with their own blood; and all flesh shall know that I am the LORD your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
Say to the prisoners, 'Go forth'; to those who sit in darkness, 'Appear.' Let them feed along the roads, and let their pasture be on every bare height.
They shall not hunger or thirst, neither shall the heat nor sun strike them; for he who has compassion will guide them, and by springs of water he will lead them.
I will make every mountain a road, and my highways shall be raised up.
Behold—these shall come from far away; behold—these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Sinim.
Sing for joy, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth; break forth into song, O mountains; for the LORD has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his afflicted. But Zion said, 'The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.'
Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.
Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.
Your children shall hasten back; your destroyers and those who made you desolate shall depart from you.
Lift up your eyes round about and see: they all gather together, they come to you. As I live, says the LORD, you shall put them on like ornaments and fasten them like a bride.
For I made you a desolation and laid waste your land; I made your cities a ruin—yet now you shall be too small for your inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up will be far away.
Your children shall yet say in your ears, 'The place is too narrow for me; make room for me, that I may dwell.'
Then you will say in your heart, 'Who has borne me these? I was bereaved and barren, exiled and rejected—who has brought these up? Behold, I was left alone; where were these?' Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations and set up my standard to the peoples; and they shall bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.
Kings shall be your foster fathers and their queens your nursing mothers; with their faces to the ground they shall bow to you and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in me shall not be put to shame.
Can the prey be taken from the mighty, or the captives of the tyrant be rescued?
Yet thus says the LORD: Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken, and the prey of the tyrant shall be rescued; I will contend with those who contend with you, and I will save your children.
I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh, and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with wine; and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.