Discovery BoxIsaiah 49:5 
Context49:5 So now the Lord says,
the one who formed me from birth 1 to be his servant –
he did this 2 to restore Jacob to himself,
so that Israel might be gathered to him;
and I will be honored 3 in the Lord’s sight,
for my God is my source of strength 4 –
Isaiah 54:1
Context54:1 “Shout for joy, O barren one who has not given birth!
Give a joyful shout and cry out, you who have not been in labor!
For the children of the desolate one are more numerous
than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord.
Isaiah 66:8
Context66:8 Who has ever heard of such a thing?
Who has ever seen this?
Can a country 5 be brought forth in one day?
Can a nation be born in a single moment?
Yet as soon as Zion goes into labor she gives birth to sons!
1 tn Heb “from the womb” (so KJV, NASB).
2 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.
3 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.”
4 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.
5 tn Heb “land,” but here אֶרֶץ (’erets) stands metonymically for an organized nation (see the following line).
