The phrase “light to the nations” (or lagoyim) from Isaiah 49:6 is one of the most profound and debated in the prophets. Many who honor the God of Israel, including those who identify the Messiah ben David as the promised descendant of King David, see this verse as central to messianic expectation. But does the Tanakh present Messiah ben David himself as the light, or does it describe a different dynamic?
Isaiah 49 reveals a deliberate progression. The servant is called from the womb to restore Israel: “to bring Jacob back to Him” and gather the people (v. 5). Then God responds: “It is too light a thing that you should be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel; I will also make you a light to the nations, so that My salvation may reach the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6, emphasis added).
The servant’s first task is restoration. He renews Israel, drawing the nation back to faithfulness, Torah, and Hashem. This is the core mission: light shining inward to heal and gather. Only then does God expand it. He actively appoints the servant as the light, with the Hebrew וּנְתַתִּיךָ (“I will give/place/appoint you”). The servant is never the origin. He is the instrument. The purpose is explicit: Hashem’s salvation flowing outward, beginning with a renewed Israel.
Isaiah makes this exclusive claim unmistakable: “I, even I, am the LORD, and besides Me there is no savior” (Isaiah 43:11; Hebrew: אָנֹכִי אָנֹכִי יְהוָה וְאֵין מִבַּלְעָדַי מוֹשִׁיעַ). Salvation belongs solely to Hashem. No other is the Savior (מוֹשִׁיעַ). The light to the nations serves His deliverance.
This pattern continues in the end-times vision: nations declare, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways” (Isaiah 2:3). The mountain is exalted as Hashem’s house. His Torah proceeds from Zion. He judges the nations. The Teacher and Judge is God alone.
Isaiah repeats the theme: “I am the LORD, and there is none else, beside Me there is no God” (Isaiah 45:5; also 45:6, 18, 22). The Tetragrammaton (YH-VH), Hashem’s unique Name, belongs to Him exclusively. No other holds the divine role as source of light, salvation, or instruction.
The Torah in Deuteronomy 17:14-20 outlines proper respect for the king (the model for Messiah ben David). Honor comes through obedience to just rulings, recognition of his God-given authority for peace and Torah observance. Yet this respect is earthly. The king must copy the Torah, read it daily to fear Hashem, and never exalt himself above his brethren (Deut. 17:20). He cannot multiply power or wealth for arrogance or idolatry. Divine worship, prayers to him, treating him as salvation’s source, is forbidden. It is reserved for Hashem alone (Deut. 17:2-5).
Bowing as homage is not forbidden. Scripture shows Joseph’s brothers bowing to him (Genesis 42:6) and Bathsheba and Nathan bowing to David (1 Kings 1:23, 31). Tradition distinguishes: a gesture of royal dignity differs from spiritual worship involving devotion, prayer, or divine attribution. The former fits a righteous king. The latter belongs only to God.
The command “never exalt himself above his brethren” stands out. Daily Torah reading prevents pride. It keeps the king humble, one among equals, bound to the same law and God. These safeguards exist because even the anointed must remain a servant.
The Torah-prescribed honor for Messiah ben David, respect, loyalty, awe, even bowing in homage, is beautiful when it mirrors this humble model. The kingship safeguards ensure the leader elevates as God’s instrument, always pointing to Hashem.
Thus, Messiah ben David, restorer of Israel, Temple-builder, gatherer of exiles, fits the Tanakh’s pattern. He first draws Israel back to Hashem. Through that faithfulness, the light extends to the nations as God’s channel. The glory is Hashem’s: “My glory I will not give to another” (Isaiah 42:8).
Isaiah’s prophecy remains humble and Hashem-centered. The servant points to the true Light, Salvation, and Teacher. Nations ascend the mountain not to a man, but to Hashem, learning His ways directly.
In these ancient words lies hope: Hashem’s salvation reaches the ends of the earth, beginning with renewed Israel and extending to all who seek Him. May we walk in that light, always pointing back to the One who alone is worthy.
