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Selected Verse: Isaiah 49:1 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
Isa 49:1	Strong Concordance	Listen [08085], O isles [0339], unto me; and hearken [07181], ye people [03816], from far [07350]; The LORD [03068] hath called [07121] me from the womb [0990]; from the bowels [04578] of my mother [0517] hath he made mention [02142] of my name [08034].
	King James	Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
SIMILAR TO CHAPTER 42 (Isa 49:1-9). (Isa. 49:1-26) O isles--Messiah is here regarded as having been rejected by the Jews (Isa 49:4-5), and as now turning to the Gentiles, to whom the Father hath given Him "for a light and salvation." "Isles" mean all regions beyond sea. from the womb-- (Isa 44:2; Luk 1:31; Joh 10:36). from . . . bowels . . . mention of my name--His name "Jesus" (that is, God-Saviour) was designated by God before His birth (Mat 1:21).

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

SIMILAR TO CHAPTER 42 (Isa 49:1-9). (Isa. 49:1-26)

O isles--Messiah is here regarded as having been rejected by the Jews (Isa 49:4-5), and as now turning to the Gentiles, to whom the Father hath given Him "for a light and salvation." "Isles" mean all regions beyond sea.

from the womb-- (Isa 44:2; Luk 1:31; Joh 10:36).

from . . . bowels . . . mention of my name--His name "Jesus" (that is, God-Saviour) was designated by God before His birth (Mat 1:21).

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
Listen - This is the exordium, or introduction. According to the interpretation which refers it to the Messiah, it is to be regarded as the voice of the Redeemer calling the distant parts of the earth to give a respectful attention to the statement of his qualifications for his work, and to the assurances that his salvation would be extended to them (compare Isa 41:1). The Redeemer here is to be regarded as having already come in the flesh, and as having been rejected and despised by the Jews (see Isa 49:4-5), and as now turning to the Gentile world, and proffering salvation to them. The time when this is supposed to occur, therefore, as seen by the prophet, is when the Messiah had preached in vain to his own countrymen, and when there was a manifest fitness and propriety in his extending the offer of salvation to the pagan world. O isles - Ye distant lands (see the note at Isa 41:1). The word is used here, as it is there, in the sense of countries beyond sea; distant, unknown regions; the dark, pagan world. Ye people from far - The reason why the Messiah thus addresses them is stated in Isa 49:6. It is because he was appointed to be a light to them, and because, having been rejected by the Jewish nation, it was resolved to extend the offers and the blessings of salvation to other lands. The Lord hath called me from the womb - Yahweh hath set me apart to this office from my very birth. The stress here is laid on the fact that he was thus called, and not on the particular time when it was done. The idea is, that he had not presumptuously assumed this office; he had not entered on it without being appointed to it; he had been designated to it even before he was born (see Isa 49:5). A similar expression is used in respect to Jeremiah Jer 1:5 : 'Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee; and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.' Paul also uses a similar expression respecting himself Gal 1:15 : 'But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb.' That this actually occurred in regard to the Redeemer, it is not needful to pause here to show (see Luk 1:31). From the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name - This is another form of stating the fact that he had been designated to this office from his very infancy. Many have supposed that the reference here is to the fact that Mary was commanded by the angel, before his birth, to call his name Jesus Luk 1:31. The same command was also repeated to Joseph in a dream Mat 1:21. So Jerome, Vitringa, Michaelis, and some others understand it. By others it has been supposed that the phrase 'he hath made mention of my name is the same as to call. The Hebrew is literally, 'He has caused my name to be remembered from the bowels of my mother.' The Septuagint renders it, 'He hath called my name.' Grotius renders it, 'He has given to me a beautiful name, by which salvation is signified as about to come from the Lord.' I see no objection to the supposition that this refers to the fact that his name was actually designated before he was born. The phrase seems obviously to imply more than merely to call to an office; and as his name was thus actually designated by God, and as he designed that there should be special significancy and applicability in the name, there can be no impropriety in supposing that this refers to that fact. If so, the idea is, that he was not only appointed to the work of the Messiah from his birth, but that he actually had a name given him by God before he was born, which expressed the fact that he would save people, and which constituted a reason why the distant pagan lands should hearken to his voice.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]

Listen - This is the exordium, or introduction. According to the interpretation which refers it to the Messiah, it is to be regarded as the voice of the Redeemer calling the distant parts of the earth to give a respectful attention to the statement of his qualifications for his work, and to the assurances that his salvation would be extended to them (compare Isa 41:1). The Redeemer here is to be regarded as having already come in the flesh, and as having been rejected and despised by the Jews (see Isa 49:4-5), and as now turning to the Gentile world, and proffering salvation to them. The time when this is supposed to occur, therefore, as seen by the prophet, is when the Messiah had preached in vain to his own countrymen, and when there was a manifest fitness and propriety in his extending the offer of salvation to the pagan world.

O isles - Ye distant lands (see the note at Isa 41:1). The word is used here, as it is there, in the sense of countries beyond sea; distant, unknown regions; the dark, pagan world.

Ye people from far - The reason why the Messiah thus addresses them is stated in Isa 49:6. It is because he was appointed to be a light to them, and because, having been rejected by the Jewish nation, it was resolved to extend the offers and the blessings of salvation to other lands.

The Lord hath called me from the womb - Yahweh hath set me apart to this office from my very birth. The stress here is laid on the fact that he was thus called, and not on the particular time when it was done. The idea is, that he had not presumptuously assumed this office; he had not entered on it without being appointed to it; he had been designated to it even before he was born (see Isa 49:5). A similar expression is used in respect to Jeremiah Jer 1:5 : 'Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee; and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.' Paul also uses a similar expression respecting himself Gal 1:15 : 'But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb.' That this actually occurred in regard to the Redeemer, it is not needful to pause here to show (see Luk 1:31).

From the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name - This is another form of stating the fact that he had been designated to this office from his very infancy. Many have supposed that the reference here is to the fact that Mary was commanded by the angel, before his birth, to call his name Jesus Luk 1:31. The same command was also repeated to Joseph in a dream Mat 1:21. So Jerome, Vitringa, Michaelis, and some others understand it. By others it has been supposed that the phrase 'he hath made mention of my name is the same as to call. The Hebrew is literally, 'He has caused my name to be remembered from the bowels of my mother.' The Septuagint renders it, 'He hath called my name.' Grotius renders it, 'He has given to me a beautiful name, by which salvation is signified as about to come from the Lord.' I see no objection to the supposition that this refers to the fact that his name was actually designated before he was born. The phrase seems obviously to imply more than merely to call to an office; and as his name was thus actually designated by God, and as he designed that there should be special significancy and applicability in the name, there can be no impropriety in supposing that this refers to that fact. If so, the idea is, that he was not only appointed to the work of the Messiah from his birth, but that he actually had a name given him by God before he was born, which expressed the fact that he would save people, and which constituted a reason why the distant pagan lands should hearken to his voice.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
The very same person who was introduced by Jehovah in Isa 42:1. here speaks for himself, commencing thus in Isa 49:1-3 : "Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye nations afar off: Jehovah hath called me from the womb; from my mother's lap hath He remembered my name. And He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand hath He hid me, and made me into a polished shaft; in His quiver hath He concealed me. And He said to me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, thou in whom I glorify myself." Although the speaker is called Israel in Isa 49:3, he must not be regarded as either a collective person representing all Israel, or as the collective personality of the kernel of Israel, which answered to its true idea. It is not the former, because in Isa 49:5 he is expressly distinguished from the nation itself, which is the immediate object of his special work as restorer and (according to Isa 49:8 and Isa 42:6) covenant-mediator also; not the latter, because the nation, whose restoration he effects, according to Isa 49:5, was not something distinct from the collective personality of the "servant of Jehovah" in a national sense, but rather the entire body of the "servants of Jehovah" or remnant of Israel (see, for example, Isa 65:8-16). Moreover, it cannot be either of these, because what he affirms of himself is expressed in such terms of individuality, that they cannot be understood as employed in a collective sense at all, more especially where he speaks of his mother's womb. In every other case in which Israel is spoken of in this way, we find only "from the womb" (mibbeten, Isa 44:2, Isa 44:24; Isa 56:3, along with minnı̄-racham; also Isa 48:8), without the addition of אם (mother), which is quite unsuitable to the collective body of the nation (except in such allegorical connections as Isa 51:1-2, and Eze 16:3). Is it then possibly the prophet, who is here speaking of himself and refers in Isa 49:1 to his own mother (compare אמּי in Jer 15:10; Jer 20:14, Jer 20:17)? This is very improbable, if only because the prophet, who is the medium of the word of God in these prophecies, has never placed himself in the foreground before. In Isa 40:6 he merely speaks of himself indirectly; in Isa 44:26, even if he refer to himself at all (which we greatly doubt), it is only objectively; and in Isa 48:16, the other person, into whose words the words of Jehovah pass, cannot be the prophet, for the simple reason that the transition of the words of Jehovah into those of His messenger is essentially different in this instance from the otherwise frequent interchange of the words of Jehovah and those of His prophet, and also because the messenger of Jehovah speaks of himself there, after the "former things" have come to pass, as the mediator (either in word or deed) of the "new things" which were never heard of before, but are to be expected now; whereas the author of these addresses was also the prophet of the "former things," and therefore the messenger referred to rises up within the course of sacred history predicted by the author of these prophecies. Moreover, what the speaker in this case (Isa 49:1-2) says of himself is so unique, so glorious, that it reaches far beyond the vocation and performance of any single prophet, or, in fact, of any individual man subject to the limitations of human life and human strength. There is nothing else left, therefore, than to suppose that the idea implied in the expression "servant of Jehovah" is condensed in this instance, as in Isa 42:1., into that of a single person. When it is expanded to its widest circumference, the "servant of Jehovah" is all Israel; when it only covers its smaller and inner circle, it is the true people of Jehovah contained within the entire nation, like the kernel in the shell (see the definition of this at Isa 51:7; Isa 65:10; Psa 24:6; Psa 73:15); but here it goes back to its very centre. The "servant of Jehovah," in this central sense, is the heart of Israel. From this heart of Israel the stream of salvation flows out, first of all through the veins of the people of God, and thence through the veins of the nations generally. Just as Cyrus is the world-power in person, as made subservient to the people of God, so the servant of Jehovah, who is speaking here, is Israel in person, as promoting the glorification of Jehovah in all Israel, and in all the world of nations: in other words, it is He in whom the true nature of Israel is concentrated like a sun, in whom the history of Israel is coiled up as into a knot for a further and final development, in whom Israel's world-wide calling to be the Saviour of mankind, including Israel itself, is fully carried out; the very same who took up the word of Jehovah in Isa 48:16, in the full consciousness of His fellowship with Him, declaring Himself to be His messenger who had now appeared. It must not be forgotten, moreover, that throughout these prophecies the breaking forth of salvation, not for Israel only, but for all mankind, is regarded as bound up with the termination of the captivity; and from this its basis, the restoration of the people who were then in exile, it is never separated. This fact is of great importance in relation to the question of authorship, and favours the conclusion that they emanated from a prophet who lived before the captivity, and not in the midst of it. Just as in chapter 7 Isaiah sees the son of the virgin grow up in the time of the Assyrian oppressions, and then sees his kingdom rising up on the ruins of the Assyrian; so does he here behold the servant of Jehovah rising up in the second half of the captivity, as if born in exile, in the midst of the punishment borne by his people, to effect the restoration of Israel. At the present time, when he begins to speak, coming forward without any further introduction, and speaking in his own name (a unique instance of dramatic style, which goes beyond even Psa 2:1-12), he has already left behind him the commencement of his work, which was directed towards the salvation of mankind. His appeal is addressed to the "isles," which had been frequently mentioned already when the evangelization of the heathen was spoken of (Isa 42:4, Isa 42:10, Isa 42:12; cf., Isa 24:15), and to the "nations from afar," i.e., the distant nations (as in Isa 5:26; compare, on the other hand, Jer 23:23). They are to hear what he says, not merely what he says in the words that follow, but what he says generally. What follows is rather a vindication of his right to demand a hearing and obedience, then the discourse itself, which is to be received with the obedience of faith; at the same time, the two are most intimately connected. Jehovah has called him ab utero, has thought of his name from the bowels of his mother (מעי as in Psa 71:6), i.e., even before he was born; ever since his conception has Jehovah assigned to him his calling, viz., his saving calling. We call to mind here Jer 1:5; Luk 1:41; Gal 1:15, but above all the name Immanuel, which is given by anticipation to the Coming One in Isa 7:14, and the name Jesus, which God appointed through the mouth of angels, when the human life of Him who was to bear that name was still ripening in the womb of the Virgin (Mat 1:20-23). It is worthy of notice, however, that the great Coming One, though he is described in the Old Testament as one who is to be looked for "from the seed of David," is also spoken of as "born of a woman," whenever his entrance into the world is directly referred to. In the Protevangelium he is called, though not in an individual sense, "the seed of the woman;" Isaiah, in the time of Ahaz, mentions "the virgin" as his mother; Micah (Mic 5:2) speaks of his יולדה; even the typical psalms, as in Psa 22:10-11, give prominence to the mother. And is not this a sign that prophecy is a work of the Spirit, who searches out the deep things of the counsel of God? In Isa 49:2 the speaker says still further, that Jehovah has made his mouth kecherebh chaddâh (like a sharp sword), namely, that he may overcome everything that resists him as if with a sharp sword, and sever asunder things that are bound up together in a pernicious bond (Isa 11:4; Rev 1:16; Heb 4:12); also that He has made him into chēts bârūr (not βέλος εκλεκτόν, lxx, but, as in Jer 51:11, cleaned, (Note: The comparison to purus is one that naturally suggests itself; but this, like putus, is derived from a root pū.) polished, sharpened, pointed), namely, to pierce the hearts (Psa 45:6), and inflict upon them the most wholesome wounds; and again, that Jehovah has hidden him under the shadow of His almighty hand, and kept him concealed in the quiver of His loving counsel, just girt as men keep their swords and arrows in sheaths and quivers ready for the time when they want to use them, in order that in the fulness of time He might draw out this His sword, and put this His arrow to the bow. The question whether the allusion here is to the time preceding the foreknown period of his coming, or whether it is to eternity that the words refer, does not present any great dilemma; at the same time, the prophecy in this instance only traces back the being of the person, who now appears, to the remotest point of his historical coming. Isa 49:3 describes, without any figure, what Jehovah has made him. He has said to him (cf., Psa 2:7): Thou art my servant; thou art Israel, in whom (in quo, as in Isa 44:23) I glorify myself. Schenkel's exposition is grammatically impossible: "(It is) in Israel that I will glorify myself through thee." The servant himself is called Israel. We call to mind here the expression in Mat 16:18, "Thou art Peter;" and the use of the name "Israel," as the individuation of a generic name, reminds us of the fact that the kings of a nation are sometimes called by the name of the nation itself (e.g., Asshur, Isa 10:5.). But Israel was from the very first the God-given name of an individual. Just as the name Israel was first of all given to a man, and then after that to a nation, so the name which sprang from a personal root has also a personal crown. The servant of Jehovah is Israel in person, inasmuch as the purpose of mercy, upon the basis of which and for the accomplishment of which Jehovah made Jacob the father of the twelve-tribed nation, is brought by him into full and final realization. We have already seen that Israel, as an entire nation, formed the basis of the idea contained in the term "servant of Jehovah;" Israel, regarded as a people faithful to its calling, the centre; and the personal servant of Jehovah its apex. In the present instance, where he is called distinctly "Israel," the fact is clearly expressed, that the servant of Jehovah in these prophecies is regarded as the kernel of the kernel of Israel, as Israel's inmost centre, as Israel's highest head. He it is in whom (i.e., on whom and through whom) Jehovah glorifies Himself, inasmuch as He carried out through him the counsels of His love, which are the self-glorification of His holy love, its glory and its triumph.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]

The very same person who was introduced by Jehovah in Isa 42:1. here speaks for himself, commencing thus in Isa 49:1-3 : "Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye nations afar off: Jehovah hath called me from the womb; from my mother's lap hath He remembered my name. And He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand hath He hid me, and made me into a polished shaft; in His quiver hath He concealed me. And He said to me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, thou in whom I glorify myself." Although the speaker is called Israel in Isa 49:3, he must not be regarded as either a collective person representing all Israel, or as the collective personality of the kernel of Israel, which answered to its true idea. It is not the former, because in Isa 49:5 he is expressly distinguished from the nation itself, which is the immediate object of his special work as restorer and (according to Isa 49:8 and Isa 42:6) covenant-mediator also; not the latter, because the nation, whose restoration he effects, according to Isa 49:5, was not something distinct from the collective personality of the "servant of Jehovah" in a national sense, but rather the entire body of the "servants of Jehovah" or remnant of Israel (see, for example, Isa 65:8-16). Moreover, it cannot be either of these, because what he affirms of himself is expressed in such terms of individuality, that they cannot be understood as employed in a collective sense at all, more especially where he speaks of his mother's womb. In every other case in which Israel is spoken of in this way, we find only "from the womb" (mibbeten, Isa 44:2, Isa 44:24; Isa 56:3, along with minnı̄-racham; also Isa 48:8), without the addition of אם (mother), which is quite unsuitable to the collective body of the nation (except in such allegorical connections as Isa 51:1-2, and Eze 16:3). Is it then possibly the prophet, who is here speaking of himself and refers in Isa 49:1 to his own mother (compare אמּי in Jer 15:10; Jer 20:14, Jer 20:17)? This is very improbable, if only because the prophet, who is the medium of the word of God in these prophecies, has never placed himself in the foreground before. In Isa 40:6 he merely speaks of himself indirectly; in Isa 44:26, even if he refer to himself at all (which we greatly doubt), it is only objectively; and in Isa 48:16, the other person, into whose words the words of Jehovah pass, cannot be the prophet, for the simple reason that the transition of the words of Jehovah into those of His messenger is essentially different in this instance from the otherwise frequent interchange of the words of Jehovah and those of His prophet, and also because the messenger of Jehovah speaks of himself there, after the "former things" have come to pass, as the mediator (either in word or deed) of the "new things" which were never heard of before, but are to be expected now; whereas the author of these addresses was also the prophet of the "former things," and therefore the messenger referred to rises up within the course of sacred history predicted by the author of these prophecies. Moreover, what the speaker in this case (Isa 49:1-2) says of himself is so unique, so glorious, that it reaches far beyond the vocation and performance of any single prophet, or, in fact, of any individual man subject to the limitations of human life and human strength.

There is nothing else left, therefore, than to suppose that the idea implied in the expression "servant of Jehovah" is condensed in this instance, as in Isa 42:1., into that of a single person. When it is expanded to its widest circumference, the "servant of Jehovah" is all Israel; when it only covers its smaller and inner circle, it is the true people of Jehovah contained within the entire nation, like the kernel in the shell (see the definition of this at Isa 51:7; Isa 65:10; Psa 24:6; Psa 73:15); but here it goes back to its very centre. The "servant of Jehovah," in this central sense, is the heart of Israel. From this heart of Israel the stream of salvation flows out, first of all through the veins of the people of God, and thence through the veins of the nations generally. Just as Cyrus is the world-power in person, as made subservient to the people of God, so the servant of Jehovah, who is speaking here, is Israel in person, as promoting the glorification of Jehovah in all Israel, and in all the world of nations: in other words, it is He in whom the true nature of Israel is concentrated like a sun, in whom the history of Israel is coiled up as into a knot for a further and final development, in whom Israel's world-wide calling to be the Saviour of mankind, including Israel itself, is fully carried out; the very same who took up the word of Jehovah in Isa 48:16, in the full consciousness of His fellowship with Him, declaring Himself to be His messenger who had now appeared. It must not be forgotten, moreover, that throughout these prophecies the breaking forth of salvation, not for Israel only, but for all mankind, is regarded as bound up with the termination of the captivity; and from this its basis, the restoration of the people who were then in exile, it is never separated. This fact is of great importance in relation to the question of authorship, and favours the conclusion that they emanated from a prophet who lived before the captivity, and not in the midst of it. Just as in chapter 7 Isaiah sees the son of the virgin grow up in the time of the Assyrian oppressions, and then sees his kingdom rising up on the ruins of the Assyrian; so does he here behold the servant of Jehovah rising up in the second half of the captivity, as if born in exile, in the midst of the punishment borne by his people, to effect the restoration of Israel. At the present time, when he begins to speak, coming forward without any further introduction, and speaking in his own name (a unique instance of dramatic style, which goes beyond even Psa 2:1-12), he has already left behind him the commencement of his work, which was directed towards the salvation of mankind. His appeal is addressed to the "isles," which had been frequently mentioned already when the evangelization of the heathen was spoken of (Isa 42:4, Isa 42:10, Isa 42:12; cf., Isa 24:15), and to the "nations from afar," i.e., the distant nations (as in Isa 5:26; compare, on the other hand, Jer 23:23). They are to hear what he says, not merely what he says in the words that follow, but what he says generally. What follows is rather a vindication of his right to demand a hearing and obedience, then the discourse itself, which is to be received with the obedience of faith; at the same time, the two are most intimately connected. Jehovah has called him ab utero, has thought of his name from the bowels of his mother (מעי as in Psa 71:6), i.e., even before he was born; ever since his conception has Jehovah assigned to him his calling, viz., his saving calling. We call to mind here Jer 1:5; Luk 1:41; Gal 1:15, but above all the name Immanuel, which is given by anticipation to the Coming One in Isa 7:14, and the name Jesus, which God appointed through the mouth of angels, when the human life of Him who was to bear that name was still ripening in the womb of the Virgin (Mat 1:20-23). It is worthy of notice, however, that the great Coming One, though he is described in the Old Testament as one who is to be looked for "from the seed of David," is also spoken of as "born of a woman," whenever his entrance into the world is directly referred to. In the Protevangelium he is called, though not in an individual sense, "the seed of the woman;" Isaiah, in the time of Ahaz, mentions "the virgin" as his mother; Micah (Mic 5:2) speaks of his יולדה; even the typical psalms, as in Psa 22:10-11, give prominence to the mother. And is not this a sign that prophecy is a work of the Spirit, who searches out the deep things of the counsel of God?

In Isa 49:2 the speaker says still further, that Jehovah has made his mouth kecherebh chaddâh (like a sharp sword), namely, that he may overcome everything that resists him as if with a sharp sword, and sever asunder things that are bound up together in a pernicious bond (Isa 11:4; Rev 1:16; Heb 4:12); also that He has made him into chēts bârūr (not βέλος εκλεκτόν, lxx, but, as in Jer 51:11, cleaned,

(Note: The comparison to purus is one that naturally suggests itself; but this, like putus, is derived from a root pū.)

polished, sharpened, pointed), namely, to pierce the hearts (Psa 45:6), and inflict upon them the most wholesome wounds; and again, that Jehovah has hidden him under the shadow of His almighty hand, and kept him concealed in the quiver of His loving counsel, just girt as men keep their swords and arrows in sheaths and quivers ready for the time when they want to use them, in order that in the fulness of time He might draw out this His sword, and put this His arrow to the bow. The question whether the allusion here is to the time preceding the foreknown period of his coming, or whether it is to eternity that the words refer, does not present any great dilemma; at the same time, the prophecy in this instance only traces back the being of the person, who now appears, to the remotest point of his historical coming. Isa 49:3 describes, without any figure, what Jehovah has made him. He has said to him (cf., Psa 2:7): Thou art my servant; thou art Israel, in whom (in quo, as in Isa 44:23) I glorify myself. Schenkel's exposition is grammatically impossible: "(It is) in Israel that I will glorify myself through thee." The servant himself is called Israel. We call to mind here the expression in Mat 16:18, "Thou art Peter;" and the use of the name "Israel," as the individuation of a generic name, reminds us of the fact that the kings of a nation are sometimes called by the name of the nation itself (e.g., Asshur, Isa 10:5.). But Israel was from the very first the God-given name of an individual. Just as the name Israel was first of all given to a man, and then after that to a nation, so the name which sprang from a personal root has also a personal crown. The servant of Jehovah is Israel in person, inasmuch as the purpose of mercy, upon the basis of which and for the accomplishment of which Jehovah made Jacob the father of the twelve-tribed nation, is brought by him into full and final realization. We have already seen that Israel, as an entire nation, formed the basis of the idea contained in the term "servant of Jehovah;" Israel, regarded as a people faithful to its calling, the centre; and the personal servant of Jehovah its apex. In the present instance, where he is called distinctly "Israel," the fact is clearly expressed, that the servant of Jehovah in these prophecies is regarded as the kernel of the kernel of Israel, as Israel's inmost centre, as Israel's highest head. He it is in whom (i.e., on whom and through whom) Jehovah glorifies Himself, inasmuch as He carried out through him the counsels of His love, which are the self-glorification of His holy love, its glory and its triumph.

Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65]
Listen - God turns his speech to the Gentiles, and invites them to hearken to those counsels and doctrines which the Jews would reject. Me - Unto Christ: Isaiah speaks these words in the name of Christ.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
Listen, O isles, unto me "Hearken unto me, O ye distant lands" - Hitherto the subject of the prophecy has been chiefly confined to the redemption from the captivity of Babylon; with strong intimations of a more important deliverance sometimes thrown in, to the refutation of idolatry, and the demonstration of the infinite power, wisdom, and foreknowledge of God. The character and office of the Messiah was exhibited in general terms at the beginning of chap. 42.; but here he is introduced in person, declaring the full extent of his commission, which is not only to restore the Israelites, and reconcile them to their Lord and Father, from whom they had so often revolted, but to be a light to lighten the Gentiles, to call them to the knowledge and obedience of the true God, and to bring them to be one Church together with the Israelites, and to partake with them of the same common salvation procured for all by the great Redeemer and Reconciler of man to God.

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²¹ And [1161] she shall bring forth [5088] a son [5207], and [2532] thou shalt call [2564] his [846] name [3686] JESUS [2424]: for [1063] he [846] shall save [4982] his [846] people [2992] from [575] their [846] sins [266].

³⁶ Say [3004] ye [5210] of him, whom [3739] the Father [3962] hath sanctified [37], and [2532] sent [649] into [1519] the world [2889], [3754] Thou blasphemest [987]; because [3754] I said [2036], I am [1510] the Son [5207] of God [2316]?

³¹ And [2532], behold [2400], thou shalt conceive [4815] in [1722] thy womb [1064], and [2532] bring forth [5088] a son [5207], and [2532] shalt call [2564] his [846] name [3686] JESUS [2424].

² Thus saith [0559] the LORD [03068] that made [06213] thee, and formed [03335] thee from the womb [0990], which will help [05826] thee; Fear [03372] not, O Jacob [03290], my servant [05650]; and thou, Jesurun [03484], whom I have chosen [0977].

⁴ Then I said [0559], I have laboured [03021] in vain [07385], I have spent [03615] my strength [03581] for nought [08414], and in vain [01892]: yet surely [0403] my judgment [04941] is with the LORD [03068], and my work [06468] with my God [0430].
⁵ And now, saith [0559] the LORD [03068] that formed [03335] me from the womb [0990] to be his servant [05650], to bring [07725] Jacob [03290] again [07725] to him, Though Israel [03478] be not gathered [0622], yet shall I be glorious [03513] in the eyes [05869] of the LORD [03068], and my God [0430] shall be my strength [05797].

¹ Listen [08085], O isles [0339], unto me; and hearken [07181], ye people [03816], from far [07350]; The LORD [03068] hath called [07121] me from the womb [0990]; from the bowels [04578] of my mother [0517] hath he made mention [02142] of my name [08034].
² And he hath made [07760] my mouth [06310] like a sharp [02299] sword [02719]; in the shadow [06738] of his hand [03027] hath he hid [02244] me, and made [07760] me a polished [01305] shaft [02671]; in his quiver [0827] hath he hid [05641] me;
³ And said [0559] unto me, Thou art my servant [05650], O Israel [03478], in whom I will be glorified [06286].
⁴ Then I said [0559], I have laboured [03021] in vain [07385], I have spent [03615] my strength [03581] for nought [08414], and in vain [01892]: yet surely [0403] my judgment [04941] is with the LORD [03068], and my work [06468] with my God [0430].
⁵ And now, saith [0559] the LORD [03068] that formed [03335] me from the womb [0990] to be his servant [05650], to bring [07725] Jacob [03290] again [07725] to him, Though Israel [03478] be not gathered [0622], yet shall I be glorious [03513] in the eyes [05869] of the LORD [03068], and my God [0430] shall be my strength [05797].
⁶ And he said [0559], It is a light thing [07043] that thou shouldest be my servant [05650] to raise up [06965] the tribes [07626] of Jacob [03290], and to restore [07725] the preserved [05341] [05336] of Israel [03478]: I will also give [05414] thee for a light [0216] to the Gentiles [01471], that thou mayest be my salvation [03444] unto the end [07097] of the earth [0776].
⁷ Thus saith [0559] the LORD [03068], the Redeemer [01350] of Israel [03478], and his Holy One [06918], to him whom man [05315] despiseth [0960], to him whom the nation [01471] abhorreth [08581], to a servant [05650] of rulers [04910], Kings [04428] shall see [07200] and arise [06965], princes [08269] also shall worship [07812], because of the LORD [03068] that is faithful [0539], and the Holy One [06918] of Israel [03478], and he shall choose [0977] thee.
⁸ Thus saith [0559] the LORD [03068], In an acceptable [07522] time [06256] have I heard [06030] thee, and in a day [03117] of salvation [03444] have I helped [05826] thee: and I will preserve [05341] thee, and give [05414] thee for a covenant [01285] of the people [05971], to establish [06965] the earth [0776], to cause to inherit [05157] the desolate [08074] heritages [05159];
⁹ That thou mayest say [0559] to the prisoners [0631], Go forth [03318]; to them that are in darkness [02822], Shew [01540] yourselves. They shall feed [07462] in the ways [01870], and their pastures [04830] shall be in all high places [08205].

³¹ And [2532], behold [2400], thou shalt conceive [4815] in [1722] thy womb [1064], and [2532] bring forth [5088] a son [5207], and [2532] shalt call [2564] his [846] name [3686] JESUS [2424].

¹⁵ But [1161] when [3753] it pleased [2106] God [2316], who [3588] separated [873] me [3165] from [1537] my [3450] mother's [3384] womb [2836], and [2532] called [2564] me by [1223] his [846] grace [5485],

⁵ Before [02962] I formed [03335] thee in the belly [0990] I knew [03045] thee; and before thou camest forth [03318] out of the womb [07358] I sanctified [06942] thee, and I ordained [05414] thee a prophet [05030] unto the nations [01471].

⁵ And now, saith [0559] the LORD [03068] that formed [03335] me from the womb [0990] to be his servant [05650], to bring [07725] Jacob [03290] again [07725] to him, Though Israel [03478] be not gathered [0622], yet shall I be glorious [03513] in the eyes [05869] of the LORD [03068], and my God [0430] shall be my strength [05797].

⁶ And he said [0559], It is a light thing [07043] that thou shouldest be my servant [05650] to raise up [06965] the tribes [07626] of Jacob [03290], and to restore [07725] the preserved [05341] [05336] of Israel [03478]: I will also give [05414] thee for a light [0216] to the Gentiles [01471], that thou mayest be my salvation [03444] unto the end [07097] of the earth [0776].

¹ Keep silence [02790] before me, O islands [0339]; and let the people [03816] renew [02498] their strength [03581]: let them come near [05066]; then let them speak [01696]: let us come near [07126] together [03162] to judgment [04941].

⁵ O [01945] Assyrian [0804], the rod [07626] of mine anger [0639], and the staff [04294] in their hand [03027] is mine indignation [02195].

¹⁸ And [1161] I say [3004] also [2504] unto thee [4671], That [3754] thou [4771] art [1488] Peter [4074], and [2532] upon [1909] this [5026] rock [4073] I will build [3618] my [3450] church [1577]; and [2532] the gates [4439] of hell [86] shall [2729] not [3756] prevail against [2729] it [846].

²³ Sing [07442], O ye heavens [08064]; for the LORD [03068] hath done [06213] it: shout [07321], ye lower parts [08482] of the earth [0776]: break forth [06476] into singing [07440], ye mountains [02022], O forest [03293], and every tree [06086] therein: for the LORD [03068] hath redeemed [01350] Jacob [03290], and glorified [06286] himself in Israel [03478].

⁷ I will declare [05608] the decree [02706]: the LORD [03068] hath said [0559] unto me, Thou art my Son [01121]; this day [03117] have I begotten [03205] thee.

³ And said [0559] unto me, Thou art my servant [05650], O Israel [03478], in whom I will be glorified [06286].

⁶ Thy throne [03678], O God [0430], is for ever [05769] and ever [05703]: the sceptre [07626] of thy kingdom [04438] is a right [04334] sceptre [07626].

¹¹ Make bright [01305] the arrows [02671]; gather [04390] the shields [07982]: the LORD [03068] hath raised up [05782] the spirit [07307] of the kings [04428] of the Medes [04074]: for his device [04209] is against Babylon [0894], to destroy [07843] it; because it is the vengeance [05360] of the LORD [03068], the vengeance [05360] of his temple [01964].

¹² For [1063] the word [3056] of God [2316] is quick [2198], and [2532] powerful [1756], and [2532] sharper [5114] than [5228] any [3956] twoedged [1366] sword [3162], piercing [1338] even to [891] the dividing asunder [3311] of soul [5590] and [5037] [2532] spirit [4151], and [5037] [2532] of the joints [719] and [2532] marrow [3452], and [2532] is a discerner [2924] of the thoughts [1761] and [2532] intents [1771] of the heart [2588].

¹⁶ And [2532] he had [2192] in [1722] his [846] right [1188] hand [5495] seven [2033] stars [792]: and [2532] out of [1537] his [846] mouth [4750] went [1607] a sharp [3691] twoedged [1366] sword [4501]: and [2532] his [846] countenance [3799] was as [5613] the sun [2246] shineth [5316] in [1722] his [846] strength [1411].

⁴ But with righteousness [06664] shall he judge [08199] the poor [01800], and reprove [03198] with equity [04334] for the meek [06035] of the earth [0776]: and he shall smite [05221] the earth [0776] with the rod [07626] of his mouth [06310], and with the breath [07307] of his lips [08193] shall he slay [04191] the wicked [07563].

² And he hath made [07760] my mouth [06310] like a sharp [02299] sword [02719]; in the shadow [06738] of his hand [03027] hath he hid [02244] me, and made [07760] me a polished [01305] shaft [02671]; in his quiver [0827] hath he hid [05641] me;

¹⁰ I was cast [07993] upon thee from the womb [07358]: thou art my God [0410] from my mother's [0517] belly [0990].
¹¹ Be not far [07368] from me; for trouble [06869] is near [07138]; for there is none to help [05826].

² But thou, Bethlehem [01035] Ephratah [0672], though thou be little [06810] among the thousands [0505] of Judah [03063], yet out of thee shall he come forth [03318] unto me that is to be ruler [04910] in Israel [03478]; whose goings forth [04163] have been from of old [06924], from everlasting [03117] [05769].

²⁰ But [1161] while he [846] thought on [1760] these things [5023], behold [2400], the angel [32] of the Lord [2962] appeared [5316] unto him [846] in [2596] a dream [3677], saying [3004], Joseph [2501], thou son [5207] of David [1138], fear [5399] not [3361] to take [3880] unto thee [4675] Mary [3137] thy wife [1135]: for [1063] that which is conceived [1080] in [1722] her [846] is [2076] of [1537] the Holy [40] Ghost [4151].
²¹ And [1161] she shall bring forth [5088] a son [5207], and [2532] thou shalt call [2564] his [846] name [3686] JESUS [2424]: for [1063] he [846] shall save [4982] his [846] people [2992] from [575] their [846] sins [266].
²² Now [1161] all [3650] this [5124] was done [1096], that [2443] it might be fulfilled [4137] which [3588] was spoken [4483] of [5259] the Lord [2962] by [1223] the prophet [4396], saying [3004],
²³ Behold [2400], a virgin [3933] shall be with child [1722] [1064] [2192], and [2532] shall bring forth [5088] a son [5207], and [2532] they shall call [2564] his [846] name [3686] Emmanuel [1694], which [3739] being interpreted [3177] is [2076], God [2316] with [3326] us [2257].

¹⁴ Therefore the Lord [0136] himself shall give [05414] you a sign [0226]; Behold, a virgin [05959] shall conceive [02030], and bear [03205] a son [01121], and shall call [07121] his name [08034] Immanuel [06005] [0410].

⁴¹ And [2532] it came to pass [1096], that, when [5613] Elisabeth [1665] heard [191] the salutation [783] of Mary [3137], the babe [1025] leaped [4640] in [1722] her [846] womb [2836]; and [2532] Elisabeth [1665] was filled [4130] with the Holy [40] Ghost [4151]:

⁶ By thee have I been holden up [05564] from the womb [0990]: thou art he that took [01491] me out of my mother's [0517] bowels [04578]: my praise [08416] shall be continually [08548] of thee.

²³ Am I a God [0430] at hand [07138], saith [05002] the LORD [03068], and not a God [0430] afar off [07350]?

²⁶ And he will lift up [05375] an ensign [05251] to the nations [01471] from far [07350], and will hiss [08319] unto them from the end [07097] of the earth [0776]: and, behold, they shall come [0935] with speed [04120] swiftly [07031]:

¹⁵ Wherefore glorify [03513] ye the LORD [03068] in the fires [0217], even the name [08034] of the LORD [03068] God [0430] of Israel [03478] in the isles [0339] of the sea [03220].

¹² Let them give [07760] glory [03519] unto the LORD [03068], and declare [05046] his praise [08416] in the islands [0339].

¹⁰ Sing [07891] unto the LORD [03068] a new [02319] song [07892], and his praise [08416] from the end [07097] of the earth [0776], ye that go down [03381] to the sea [03220], and all that is therein [04393]; the isles [0339], and the inhabitants [03427] thereof.

⁴ He shall not fail [03543] nor be discouraged [07533], till he have set [07760] judgment [04941] in the earth [0776]: and the isles [0339] shall wait [03176] for his law [08451].

¹ Why do the heathen [01471] rage [07283], and the people [03816] imagine [01897] a vain thing [07385]?
² The kings [04428] of the earth [0776] set [03320] themselves, and the rulers [07336] take counsel [03245] together [03162], against the LORD [03068], and against his anointed [04899], saying,
³ Let us break [05423] their bands [04147] asunder [05423], and cast away [07993] their cords [05688] from us.
⁴ He that sitteth [03427] in the heavens [08064] shall laugh [07832]: the Lord [0136] shall have them in derision [03932].
⁵ Then shall he speak [01696] unto them in his wrath [0639], and vex [0926] them in his sore displeasure [02740].
⁶ Yet have I set [05258] my king [04428] upon my holy [06944] hill [02022] of Zion [06726].
⁷ I will declare [05608] the decree [02706]: the LORD [03068] hath said [0559] unto me, Thou art my Son [01121]; this day [03117] have I begotten [03205] thee.
⁸ Ask [07592] of me, and I shall give [05414] thee the heathen [01471] for thine inheritance [05159], and the uttermost parts [0657] of the earth [0776] for thy possession [0272].
⁹ Thou shalt break [07489] them with a rod [07626] of iron [01270]; thou shalt dash them in pieces [05310] like a potter's [03335] vessel [03627].
¹⁰ Be wise [07919] now therefore, O ye kings [04428]: be instructed [03256], ye judges [08199] of the earth [0776].
¹¹ Serve [05647] the LORD [03068] with fear [03374], and rejoice [01523] with trembling [07461].
¹² Kiss [05401] the Son [01248], lest he be angry [0599], and ye perish [06] from the way [01870], when his wrath [0639] is kindled [01197] but a little [04592]. Blessed [0835] are all they that put their trust [02620] in him.

¹⁶ Come [07126] ye near [07126] unto me, hear [08085] ye this; I have not spoken [01696] in secret [05643] from the beginning [07218]; from the time [06256] that it was, there am I: and now the Lord [0136] GOD [03069], and his Spirit [07307], hath sent [07971] me.

¹⁵ If I say [0559], I will speak [05608] thus [03644]; behold, I should offend [0898] against the generation [01755] of thy children [01121].

⁶ This is the generation [01755] of them that seek [01875] him, that seek [01245] thy face [06440], O Jacob [03290]. Selah [05542].

¹⁰ And Sharon [08289] shall be a fold [05116] of flocks [06629], and the valley [06010] of Achor [05911] a place for the herds [01241] to lie down in [07258], for my people [05971] that have sought [01875] me.

⁷ Hearken [08085] unto me, ye that know [03045] righteousness [06664], the people [05971] in whose heart [03820] is my law [08451]; fear [03372] ye not the reproach [02781] of men [0582], neither be ye afraid [02865] of their revilings [01421].

¹ Behold my servant [05650], whom I uphold [08551]; mine elect [0972], in whom my soul [05315] delighteth [07521]; I have put [05414] my spirit [07307] upon him: he shall bring forth [03318] judgment [04941] to the Gentiles [01471].

²⁶ That confirmeth [06965] the word [01697] of his servant [05650], and performeth [07999] the counsel [06098] of his messengers [04397]; that saith [0559] to Jerusalem [03389], Thou shalt be inhabited [03427]; and to the cities [05892] of Judah [03063], Ye shall be built [01129], and I will raise up [06965] the decayed places [02723] thereof:

⁶ The voice [06963] said [0559], Cry [07121]. And he said [0559], What shall I cry [07121]? All flesh [01320] is grass [02682], and all the goodliness [02617] thereof is as the flower [06731] of the field [07704]:

¹⁷ Because he slew [04191] me not from the womb [07358]; or that my mother [0517] might have been my grave [06913], and her womb [07358] to be always [05769] great [02030] with me.

¹⁴ Cursed [0779] be the day [03117] wherein I was born [03205]: let not the day [03117] wherein my mother [0517] bare [03205] me be blessed [01288].

¹⁰ Woe [0188] is me, my mother [0517], that thou hast borne [03205] me a man [0376] of strife [07379] and a man [0376] of contention [04066] to the whole earth [0776]! I have neither lent on usury [05383], nor men have lent to me on usury [05383]; yet every one of them doth curse [07043] me.

³ And say [0559], Thus saith [0559] the Lord [0136] GOD [03069] unto Jerusalem [03389]; Thy birth [04351] and thy nativity [04138] is of the land [0776] of Canaan [03669]; thy father [01] was an Amorite [0567], and thy mother [0517] an Hittite [02850].

¹ Hearken [08085] to me, ye that follow after [07291] righteousness [06664], ye that seek [01245] the LORD [03068]: look [05027] unto the rock [06697] whence ye are hewn [02672], and to the hole [04718] of the pit [0953] whence ye are digged [05365].
² Look [05027] unto Abraham [085] your father [01], and unto Sarah [08283] that bare [02342] you: for I called [07121] him alone [0259], and blessed [01288] him, and increased [07235] him.

⁸ Yea, thou heardest [08085] not; yea, thou knewest [03045] not; yea, from that time that thine ear [0241] was not opened [06605]: for I knew [03045] that thou wouldest deal very [0898] treacherously [0898], and wast called [07121] a transgressor [06586] from the womb [0990].

³ Neither let the son [01121] of the stranger [05236], that hath joined [03867] himself to the LORD [03068], speak [0559], saying [0559], The LORD [03068] hath utterly [0914] separated [0914] me from his people [05971]: neither let the eunuch [05631] say [0559], Behold, I am a dry [03002] tree [06086].

²⁴ Thus saith [0559] the LORD [03068], thy redeemer [01350], and he that formed [03335] thee from the womb [0990], I am the LORD [03068] that maketh [06213] all things; that stretcheth forth [05186] the heavens [08064] alone; that spreadeth abroad [07554] the earth [0776] by myself;

⁸ Thus saith [0559] the LORD [03068], As the new wine [08492] is found [04672] in the cluster [0811], and one saith [0559], Destroy [07843] it not; for a blessing [01293] is in it: so will I do [06213] for my servants [05650]' sakes, that I may not destroy [07843] them all.
⁹ And I will bring forth [03318] a seed [02233] out of Jacob [03290], and out of Judah [03063] an inheritor [03423] of my mountains [02022]: and mine elect [0972] shall inherit [03423] it, and my servants [05650] shall dwell [07931] there.
¹⁰ And Sharon [08289] shall be a fold [05116] of flocks [06629], and the valley [06010] of Achor [05911] a place for the herds [01241] to lie down in [07258], for my people [05971] that have sought [01875] me.
¹¹ But ye are they that forsake [05800] the LORD [03068], that forget [07913] my holy [06944] mountain [02022], that prepare [06186] a table [07979] for that troop [01409] [01408], and that furnish [04390] the drink offering [04469] unto that number [04507].
¹² Therefore will I number [04487] you to the sword [02719], and ye shall all bow down [03766] to the slaughter [02874]: because when I called [07121], ye did not answer [06030]; when I spake [01696], ye did not hear [08085]; but did [06213] evil [07451] before mine eyes [05869], and did choose [0977] that wherein I delighted [02654] not.
¹³ Therefore thus saith [0559] the Lord [0136] GOD [03069], Behold, my servants [05650] shall eat [0398], but ye shall be hungry [07456]: behold, my servants [05650] shall drink [08354], but ye shall be thirsty [06770]: behold, my servants [05650] shall rejoice [08055], but ye shall be ashamed [0954]:
¹⁴ Behold, my servants [05650] shall sing [07442] for joy [02898] of heart [03820], but ye shall cry [06817] for sorrow [03511] of heart [03820], and shall howl [03213] for vexation [07667] of spirit [07307].
¹⁵ And ye shall leave [03240] your name [08034] for a curse [07621] unto my chosen [0972]: for the Lord [0136] GOD [03069] shall slay [04191] thee, and call [07121] his servants [05650] by another [0312] name [08034]:
¹⁶ That he who blesseth [01288] himself in the earth [0776] shall bless [01288] himself in the God [0430] of truth [0543]; and he that sweareth [07650] in the earth [0776] shall swear [07650] by the God [0430] of truth [0543]; because the former [07223] troubles [06869] are forgotten [07911], and because they are hid [05641] from mine eyes [05869].

⁶ I the LORD [03068] have called [07121] thee in righteousness [06664], and will hold [02388] thine hand [03027], and will keep [05341] thee, and give [05414] thee for a covenant [01285] of the people [05971], for a light [0216] of the Gentiles [01471];

⁸ Thus saith [0559] the LORD [03068], In an acceptable [07522] time [06256] have I heard [06030] thee, and in a day [03117] of salvation [03444] have I helped [05826] thee: and I will preserve [05341] thee, and give [05414] thee for a covenant [01285] of the people [05971], to establish [06965] the earth [0776], to cause to inherit [05157] the desolate [08074] heritages [05159];

³ And said [0559] unto me, Thou art my servant [05650], O Israel [03478], in whom I will be glorified [06286].