 |  |
"A Light to lighten the Gentiles"
(49: 1 12).
A | 1-. "From far." Call.
B | -1-6. "Given." A Light to Gentiles and salvation to end of earth. |
a | Called from the womb.
b | My servant.
c | Labour in vain.
a | Formed from the womb.
b | My servant.
C | 7. Abhorred by the nation (Goi). Worshipped by princes.
B | 8-11. "Given." A covenant of the people. Inherit heritages. |
a | Acceptable time.
b | Inherit.
a | Prisoner go forth.
b | Fed and led.
A | 12. "From far." Come.
We need at this point to clear a textual problem in verse 5 and the sentence:
"Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord" (A.V.).
But in the R.V. this passage reads:
"And that Israel be gathered unto Him; (for I am honourable in the eyes of the Lord . . .)",
with a note in the margin which says:
"Another reading is `But Israel is not gathered, yet shall I be etc.'."
In the Hebrew text the word translated "not" is l'o, but this has been marked to read lo
"to Him" and this alteration is confirmed by the list of readings given in the Massorah.
The Septuagint versions is evidence that the Hebrew text which these translators used
read lo "to Him" and we therefore accept the evidence presented and read the passage as
given in the R.V. The Companion Bible says in a note on this problem:
"Probably both readings may be correct, for Israel was not gathered at His first
coming (John 1: 11), but will be at His second coming."
We give the reader the benefit of this comment, although we ourselves believe that
every passage in the Scriptures can have had but one intended and exclusive meaning
when written by the inspired penman, and cannot permit this elastic principle into our
canon of interpretation.
We can now proceed to examine the passage as it unfolds its teaching. It is not
without significance that the opening and closing members of the structure speak of those
who are called and who come "from far". Isaiah when he speaks of the restoration of
Israel, says "Thy sons shall come from far" (Isa. 60: 4), but here are words in these
opening and closing verses of Isa. 49: that show us that the Gentiles are here in view.