Isaiah 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 ¹  arrow, he hid me in his quiver. ² 

Ps 45:2-5; Ps 45:5; Ps 91:1; Isa 11:4; Isa 42:1; Isa 50:4; Isa 51:16; Isa 61:1-3; Jer 1:18; Jer 15:19,20; Ho 6:5; Lu 23:46; Heb 4:12; Re 1:16; Re 2:12; Re 19:15

¹ tn Or perhaps, “polished” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); NASB “a select arrow.”

² 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.