Discovery BoxIsaiah 49:4-5 
Context49:4 But I thought, 1 “I have worked in vain;
I have expended my energy for absolutely nothing.” 2
But the Lord will vindicate me;
my God will reward me. 3
49:5 So now the Lord says,
the one who formed me from birth 4 to be his servant –
he did this 5 to restore Jacob to himself,
so that Israel might be gathered to him;
and I will be honored 6 in the Lord’s sight,
for my God is my source of strength 7 –
1 tn Or “said” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “I replied.”
2 tn Heb “for nothing and emptiness.” Synonyms are combined to emphasize the common idea.
3 tn Heb “But my justice is with the Lord, and my reward [or “wage”] with my God.”
4 tn Heb “from the womb” (so KJV, NASB).
5 tn The words “he did this” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the infinitive construct of purpose is subordinated to the previous statement.
6 tn The vav (ו) + imperfect is translated here as a result clause; one might interpret it as indicating purpose, “and so I might be honored.”
7 tn Heb “and my God is [perhaps, “having been”] my strength.” The disjunctive structure (vav [ו] + subject + verb) is interpreted here as indicating a causal circumstantial clause.
