Having heard the promises that precede, promises that God will bring the whole world to Himself, Israel, personified as Zion, complained that the Lord had forgotten about her. What about the special relationship that He had promised she would always have with Him? That appeared to be over. Isaiah often used Zion when he spoke of Jerusalem or the Israelites in the future, as here.
"The sense of anticlimax at Isaiah 49:14 could hardly be stronger. Reminiscent of the "Why do you say, O Jacob?" of Isaiah 40:27 after the assurances of Isaiah 40:1-26, the complaining voice of Zion contrasts sharply with the world song over the work of the Servant [1]." [2]This pericope focuses on God"s salvation of the Israelites through the future ministry of the Servant. Isaiah used the figure of Zion being the wife of Yahweh to present the Lord"s relationship with His chosen people. [source][source][source]
"The Lord assures them of His love by comparing Himself to a compassionate mother ( Isaiah 49:14-23), a courageous warrior ( Isaiah 49:24-26), and a constant lover ( Isaiah 50:1-3)." [1][source]
Context Summary
Isaiah 49:14-26 - The Lord Cannot Forget His Own
These assurances were given to the chosen race on the eve of their return from Babylon. They were timid and reluctant to quit the familiar scenes of their captivity; they dreaded the dangers and privations of their way home, and questioned whether the great empire of their captors would ever let them go or allow their city to rise from its ruins. Therefore the Lord's voice takes on a tone of unusual persuasiveness. Let us ponder His assurances of compassion and comfort, Isaiah 49:13; Isaiah 49:15-16.
He will lead us with a shepherd's care, Isaiah 49:10. He will make obstacles subserve His purpose, Isaiah 49:11. His love is more than motherhood, Isaiah 49:15. He treasures the remembrance of His own, Isaiah 49:16. Zion thinks herself cast away as a derelict, Isaiah 49:14, but such is not the case. Even her broken walls are ever before God, with a view to their rebuilding, Isaiah 49:19, etc. God's love is stronger than our strongest enemies, Isaiah 49:25, etc. Let us hide in it, standing above the fears that compose the cloudland of our soul, in the upper peaks of a strong faith. [source]
Chapter Summary: Isaiah 49
1Christ being sent to the Jews, complains of them 5He is sent to the Gentiles with gracious promises 13God's love is perpetual to his church 18The ample restoration of the church 24The powerful deliverance out of captivity
What do the individual words in Isaiah 49:14 mean?
But saidZionhas forsaken meYahwehand my Lordhas forgotten me