Isaiah 44:5

The result of the Divine blessing manifested in Israel's restoration will be that foreigners shall attach themselves as proselytes to the Jewish community. The promise therefore goes far beyond ch. Isaiah 43:5-7. It is perhaps barely possible (with Dillmann) to understand this verse also of Israelites by birth, in the sense that they shall esteem it an honour to belong to their own nation; but this is certainly unnatural and scarcely to be reconciled with the second and fourth members of the verse.

callhimself by the name of Jacob The words, strictly rendered, would mean "call on the name of Jacob." It simplifies the construction greatly if, with Duhm, we vocalize this verb (as well as the last verb of the verse) as a passive: "shall be called" etc.

subscribe with his hand unto the Lord Rather: inscribe his hand -To Jehovah." The allusion is to the practice of branding slaves with the name of their owner, or perhaps to the religious custom of tattooing sacred marks on the person (Leviticus 19:28). See Ezekiel 9:4; Galatians 6:17; Revelation 7:3; Revelation 13:16.

surnamehimself (or better be surnamed, see above) by the name of Israel The verb is connected etymologically with an Arabic word kunya, although it is used here in a wider sense. The kunyais a sort of household name, which consists in designating a man as the father of a particular child; thus in Nimmer ibn Koblân Abû Faris(N., son of K., father of F.) the last title is the kunya. (Seetzen, Reisen, Vol. ii., p. 327.) Besides this, however, the Arabs make great use of honorific titles, like Nûr-eddîn("Light of the Religion") etc.; and it is in a sense corresponding to this that the Heb. verb is always used; cf. ch. Isaiah 45:4 and esp. Job 32:21 f. (A.V. "give flattering titles"). The meaning, therefore, is that in addition to their personal names the proselytes will adopt the name of Israel as a title of honour. Cf. Psalms 87:4 f.