Yeshayahu 49 | The Words of the Prophet and the Words of Jerusalem

The chapter opens with a rare confession by the prophet about his frustration. God appointed him to his role as a prophet and rebuker, tasked with bringing the people of Israel back to their Father in Heaven: “He made my mouth a dagger, sharp, concealed in the shadow of His hand” (49:2). However, in practice, the prophet feels he has achieved nothing: “And I say: I toiled for nothing; in breath and emptiness I spent my strength” (49:4). The prophet laments that the people are not listening to him. What is the point of exhausting himself? God comforts the prophet, assuring him that not only will he succeed in bringing Israel back to God — "Now the Lord has spoken, the One who made me in the womb to serve Him, to bring Yaakov back to Him" (49:5) — but that his words will even impact distant nations: “I made you to be a light unto nations; My rescue must reach the ends of this earth” (49:6).

The chapter also includes the words of Zion, despairing over her condition: “Zion speaks: ‘The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord, He has forgotten me’” (49:14). Professor Yehuda Eisenberg points out that Zion’s words are framed from the perspective of a woman abandoned by her husband. God’s response uses a different metaphor regarding Zion, that of a mother and her child: “Can a mother forget her own baby; can she fail to care for the child of her womb?” (49:15). Even if a mother could forget her child, God promises – “I will not forget you.” Later, in the redemption of Jerusalem, both metaphors come together: Jerusalem, likened to a mother, is blessed as her children gather back to her: “Your children will run to you... Raise your eyes; look around and see: the children all gathered and coming back to you” (49:17–18). Jerusalem’s joy will be like that of a bride: “As I live, so says the Lord, you will wear them all as jewels, which you will bind on like a bride” (49:18).

Perhaps this is an opportunity to reflect on how we have been privileged to witness the fulfillment of these prophecies with our own eyes. For instance, the prophet’s words, “You will be too narrow for your dwellers” (49:19), resonate powerfully with the congestion we sometimes experience in traffic or the rising housing prices — direct results of the growing population and its density in our small land.