He said to me, “You are my servant; Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”
Parallel translations
- KJV And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
- BSB He said to Me, “You are My Servant, Israel, in whom I will display My glory.”
- NKJV “And He said to me, ‘You are My servant, O Israel, In whom I will be glorified.’
- NASB He said to Me, “You are My Servant, Israel, In whom I will show My glory.”
- NLT He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, and you will bring me glory.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God names the Servant 'Israel,' the one in whom He will be glorified, summing up in a single figure the calling the nation failed to fulfill.
Overview
The Servant is called 'Israel,' yet in the next verses he has a mission to Israel, so he both represents and stands distinct from the nation. He is the true Israel who succeeds where the people failed and through whom God displays His glory. Christians see Christ as this faithful Israel, who perfectly embodies the people of God and brings God glory (John 17:4).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Isa 42:1“Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen, in whom my soul delights — I have put my Spirit on him. He will bring justice to the nations.
- 1 Pet 2:9But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:
- Isa 44:23Sing, you heavens, for Yahweh has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth! Break out into singing, you mountains, O forest, all of your trees, for Yahweh has redeemed Jacob, and will glorify himself in Israel.
- Isa 52:13Behold, my servant will deal wisely. He will be exalted and lifted up, and will be very high.
- John 17:1Jesus said these things, and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may also glorify you;
- Zech 3:8Hear now, Joshua the high priest, you and your fellows who sit before you; for they are men who are a sign: for, behold, I will bring out my servant, the Branch.
- John 17:4I glorified you on the earth. I have accomplished the work which you have given me to do.
- John 13:31–32When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him.
- Luke 2:10–14The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the people.
- Isa 53:10Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him. He has caused him to suffer. When you make his soul an offering for sin, he will see his offspring. He will prolong his days, and Yahweh’s pleasure will prosper in his hand.
- Eph 1:6to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely gave us favor in the Beloved,
- John 12:28Father, glorify your name!” Then there came a voice out of the sky, saying, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
- Matt 17:5While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. Behold, a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.”
- Isa 43:21the people which I formed for myself, that they might declare my praise.
- Phil 2:6–11who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped,
- John 15:8“In this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; and so you will be my disciples.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 49:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.