41:15 “Look, I am making you like 1 a sharp threshing sledge,
new and double-edged. 2
You will thresh the mountains and crush them;
you will make the hills like straw. 3
49:2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
he hid me in the hollow of his hand;
he made me like a sharpened 4 arrow,
he hid me in his quiver. 5
1 tn Heb “into” (so NIV); ASV “have made thee to be.”
2 tn Heb “owner of two-mouths,” i.e., double-edged.
3 sn The mountains and hills symbolize hostile nations that are obstacles to Israel’s restoration.
4 tn Or perhaps, “polished” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); NASB “a select arrow.”
5 sn The figurative language emphasizes the servant’s importance as the Lord’s effective instrument. The servant’s mouth, which stands metonymically for his words, is compared to a sharp sword because he will be an effective spokesman on God’s behalf (see 50:4). The Lord holds his hand on the servant, ready to draw and use him at the appropriate time. The servant is like a sharpened arrow reserved in a quiver for just the right moment.