Isaiah 49:6

49:6 he says, “Is it too insignificant a task for you to be my servant,

to reestablish the tribes of Jacob,

and restore the remnant ¹  of Israel? ² 

I will make you a light to the nations, ³ 

so you can bring ⁴  my deliverance to the remote regions of the earth.”

Isaiah 49:9-10

49:9 You will say ⁵  to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’

and to those who are in dark dungeons, ⁶  ‘Emerge.’ ⁷ 

They will graze beside the roads;

on all the slopes they will find pasture.

49:10 They will not be hungry or thirsty;

the sun’s oppressive heat will not beat down on them, ⁸ 

for one who has compassion on them will guide them;

he will lead them to springs of water.

Matthew 4:16

4:16 the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,

and on those who sit in the region and shadow of death a light has dawned.” ⁹ 

Matthew 5:14

5:14 You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden.

Luke 1:79

1:79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, ¹⁰ 

to guide our feet into the way ¹¹  of peace.”

Acts 26:18

26:18 to open their eyes so that they turn ¹²  from darkness to light and from the power ¹³  of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share ¹⁴  among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Philippians 2:15

2:15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without blemish though you live in a crooked and perverse society, in which you shine as lights in the world ¹⁵ 

¹ tn Heb “the protected [or “preserved”] ones.”

² sn The question is purely rhetorical; it does not imply that the servant was dissatisfied with his commission or that he minimized the restoration of Israel.

³ tn See the note at 42:6.

⁴ tn Heb “be” (so KJV, ASV); CEV “you must take.”

⁵ tn Heb “to say.” In the Hebrew text the infinitive construct is subordinated to what precedes.

⁶ tn Heb “in darkness” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “the prisoners of darkness.”

⁷ tn Heb “show yourselves” (so ASV, NAB, NASB).

⁸ tn Heb “and the heat and the sun will not strike them.” In Isa 35:7, its only other occurrence in the OT, שָׁרָב (sharav) stands parallel to “parched ground” and in contrast to “pool.” In later Hebrew and Aramaic it refers to “dry heat, heat of the sun” (Jastrow 1627 s.v.). Here it likely has this nuance and forms a hendiadys with “sun.”

⁹ sn A quotation from Isa 9:1.

¹⁰ sn On the phrases who sit in darkness…and…death see Isa 9:1-2; 42:7; 49:9-10.

¹¹ tn Or “the path.”

¹² sn To open their eyes so that they turn… Here is Luke’s most comprehensive report of Paul’s divine calling. His role was to call humanity to change their position before God and experience God’s forgiveness as a part of God’s family. The image of turning is a key one in the NT: Luke 1:79; Rom 2:19; 13:12; 2 Cor 4:6; 6:14; Eph 5:8; Col 1:12; 1 Thess 5:5. See also Luke 1:77-79; 3:3; 24:47.

¹³ tn BDAG 352-53 s.v. ἐξουσία 2 states, “Also of Satan’s power Ac 26:18.” It is also possible to translate this “the domain of Satan” (cf. BDAG 353 s.v. 6)

¹⁴ tn Or “and an inheritance.”

¹⁵ tn Or “as stars in the universe.”