The Bible — World English Bible

Isaiah 50

In brief

Isaiah 50 opens with a reproach: Israel was not sent away without reason, it was because of its sins. God affirms that his hand is not too short to deliver. Then a voice is heard: that of the Servant, a disciple whose ear God wakens every morning, who accepts suffering without drawing back and who trusts in God. Christians see in it a portrait of Jesus Christ and a model for those who follow him.

The chapter in 4 parts

  1. v. 1-3God has not divorced his people and his hand is not too short
  2. v. 4-5The Servant as disciple: an ear opened every morning
  3. v. 6-9The suffering Servant, helped by the Lord
  4. v. 10-11Walking in darkness while trusting the Lord, or lighting your own fire

1Yahweh says, “Where is the bill of your mother’s divorce, with which I have put her away? Or to which of my creditors have I sold you? Behold, you were sold for your iniquities, and your mother was put away for your transgressions.

2Why, when I came, was there no one? When I called, why was there no one to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it can’t redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea. I make the rivers a wilderness. Their fish stink because there is no water, and die of thirst.

3I clothe the heavens with blackness. I make sackcloth their covering.”

4The Lord Yahweh has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with words him who is weary. He awakens morning by morning, he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught.

5The Lord Yahweh has opened my ear. I was not rebellious. I have not turned back.

6I gave my back to those who beat me, and my cheeks to those who plucked off the hair. I didn’t hide my face from shame and spitting.

7For the Lord Yahweh will help me. Therefore I have not been confounded. Therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I won’t be disappointed.

8He who justifies me is near. Who will bring charges against me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me.

9Behold, the Lord Yahweh will help me! Who is he who will condemn me? Behold, they will all grow old like a garment. The moths will eat them up.

10Who among you fears Yahweh and obeys the voice of his servant? He who walks in darkness and has no light, let him trust in Yahweh’s name, and rely on his God.

11Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who adorn yourselves with torches around yourselves, walk in the flame of your fire, and among the torches that you have kindled. You will have this from my hand: you will lie down in sorrow.

Key verses

Verse 2
Why, when I came, was there no one? When I called, why was there no one to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it can’t redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea. I make the rivers a wilderness. Their fish stink because there is no water, and die of thirst.

God asks questions that turn the accusation around: he came, he called, and no one answered. His hand is not too short to redeem, which places the responsibility on the people, not on his power.

Verse 4
The Lord Yahweh has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with words him who is weary. He awakens morning by morning, he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught.

The Servant receives from God the tongue of a disciple to sustain the weary, and an ear wakened every morning. Useful words are born first of listening.

Verse 5
The Lord Yahweh has opened my ear. I was not rebellious. I have not turned back.

The open ear leads to obedience: the Servant does not rebel and does not turn back. Yielding to God is not weakness but a way of following his will.

Verse 6
I gave my back to those who beat me, and my cheeks to those who plucked off the hair. I didn’t hide my face from shame and spitting.

The Servant offers his back and his cheeks and does not hide his face. Christians read in this verse an announcement of the sufferings of Jesus, and a reminder that obeying God can cost dearly.

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What the sermons say

Isaiah 50: The Servant Who Listens Every MorningThe message walks through Isaiah 50:4-11: a servant and disciple who listens, obeys, suffers and trusts in God. It sees Christ as the model and calls everyone to lend an ear morning after morning.Read the summary →"I Am the Good Shepherd": He Lays Down His Life for YouVerse 4 is used to explain how to recognize the shepherd's voice: an ear wakened every morning, trained by a regular practice of listening to the Word, in silence and prayer.Read the summary →The Light of Christ: It Reveals, Illuminates, and GuidesVerse 10 is cited in a message on the light of Christ, which reveals, lights up and guides, to invite people to walk with him rather than in false lights.Read the summary →

Frequently asked questions about Isaiah 50

What does Isaiah 50:4 mean?

The Servant says that God has given him the tongue of a disciple to sustain the weary, and that he wakens his ear every morning to listen as a disciple. The meaning is simple: you can only encourage others with words if you have first learned to listen to God. Regular listening comes before words and feeds them.

Who is the Servant in Isaiah 50?

Isaiah 50 contains the third of the Servant songs of the Lord. In the original text, it describes a faithful disciple who accepts suffering. The Christian tradition sees in it Jesus Christ, the perfect servant who did not shrink from insult, while also finding in it a model for every believer.

What does it mean that God's hand is not too short in Isaiah 50:2?

God answers those who thought he could no longer save them. He reminds them that he has the strength to redeem and deliver, pointing to his power over the sea and the rivers. If the people remain in distress, the cause is not a lack of power in God, but the absence of any response to his call.

Articles quoting Isaiah 50

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World English Bible translation — public domain.