He says introduces the actual speech of the LORD. Because of the intervening parenthesis in verse 5, this verse repeats the verb says. Good News Translation omitted the clause “the LORD says” in verse 5 but places it here where God actually begins to speak. This is an option for translators. Even if they keep both quote frames, they may prefer to render he says as “The LORD says [to me].”
It is too light a thing that you should be my servant … is a comparative expression in Hebrew that means “It is too small/light a matter that you should be only my servant….” The call to be a servant for the benefit of Israel is itself only a small task. The second half of the verse states that God has another task for his servant, a task that is greater. Bible en français courant renders this expression as “It is not sufficient that you are in my service….” New Jerusalem Bible is similar with “It is not enough for you to be my servant….” Good News Translation makes the reasoning here very clear by saying “I have a greater task for you, my servant. Not only….” The use of the conjunctions “Not only” and “but” help to bring out the overall sense.
To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel is the lesser part of the servant’s tasks. His first role is to reestablish (raise up) the people of Israel and bring back (restore) those who survived the exile. These two lines are very similar in meaning to the third and fourth lines of the previous verse (“to bring Jacob back to him [the LORD], and that Israel might be gathered to him”). The tribes of Jacob is a poetic parallel expression to Israel (compare the comments on 19.13). The preserved of Israel may be rendered “the Israelites who have survived” or simply “Israel’s survivors.” For these two lines Revised English Bible has “to restore the tribes of Jacob, to bring back the survivors of Israel” (similarly Bible en français courant). Good News Translation combines both lines into one, saying “[Not only] will you restore to greatness the people of Israel who have survived.”
I will give you as a light to the nations is the greater assignment that God now gives to his servant. It is the same mission he gave in 42.6 (see the comments there). God’s servant has a responsibility not only to Israel but to all nations.
That my salvation may reach to the end of the earth is the purpose of the servant’s global mission. The Hebrew noun rendered salvation in Second Isaiah usually means “rescue.” So this line could mean that no matter where God’s people were taken in exile (the end of the earth), from there they are to be brought back. Such a rescue effort under God would be a witness to those nations where Israelites had been held captive. However, most translations prefer the idea of salvation here. They suggest a second view, namely that the servant’s greater mission is to include bringing salvation to all non-Jewish peoples on the earth. This view says nothing about rescuing the Israelites, only that God will save all nations. Good News Translation expresses the second view with “so that all the world may be saved.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh is similar with “That My salvation may reach the ends of the earth,” and so is Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch with “so that all the people on earth may experience my saving help through you.” For the end of the earth, see the comments on 5.26 and 40.28, where the similar expression “the ends of the earth” occurs.
For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:
• He [or, The LORD] says:
“Being my servant to establish the people of Jacob,
and to bring back the survivors of Israel is merely a small matter.
Rather, I will make you a light to the nations,
so that those at the ends of the earth will be rescued.”
• The LORD says:
“It is not enough for you to be my servant
just to reestablish Israel,
to bring back the tribes of Jacob.
I will make you a light to all the nations,
so that my salvation reaches the ends of the earth.”
An example with indirect speech is:
• He says that to be his servant is a small matter
if it merely means reestablishing the people of Jacob
and bringing back Israel’s survivors.
Rather, he will make the servant a light for the nations
in order to rescue those at the end of the earth.
Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .