Albert Barnes Commentary Isaiah 49:22

"Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and set up my ensign to the peoples; and they shall bring thy sons in their bosom, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders." — Isaiah 49:22 (ASV)

Behold, I will lift up my hand to the Gentiles - To lift up the hand is a sign of beckoning to, or inviting; and the idea here is that God would call the Gentiles to partake of the blessings of the true religion and to embrace the Messiah (see the notes at Isaiah 11:11).

And set up my standard to the people - To the people of other lands; the word here being synonymous with the word Gentiles. A standard, or an ensign, was erected in times of war to rally the forces of a nation around it. The sense here is that God would erect an ensign high in the sight of all the nations and would call them to Himself, as a military leader musters his forces for battle; that is, He would call the nations to embrace the true religion. See this phrase explained in the note at Isaiah 11:12.

They shall bring your sons in their arms - The margin reads ‘Bosom.’ Jerome renders it, In ulnis - ‘In their arms.’ The Septuagint, Ἐν κόλπῳ (En kolpō) - ‘In the bosom.’ Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion, Ἀγκαλας (Agkalas) - ‘In their arms.’ If it means bosom, as Gesenius renders it, it refers to the bosom of a garment in which things are carried. But it more probably means in the arms, as children are borne; and the idea is that the distant nations would come and bear with them those who were the children of Zion, that is, those who would become the true friends and worshippers of God.

And your daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders - This refers, doubtless, to the manner in which children were carried. In Isaiah 66:12, the same idea is expressed by their being carried upon the sides, referring to the custom still prevalent in the East of placing a child when it is nursed astride on the side of the mother. The following quotation will more fully explain the customs alluded to here.

“It is a custom in many parts of the East to carry their children astride upon the hip, with the arm around the body. In the kingdom of Algiers, where the slaves take the Children out, the boys ride upon their shoulders; and in a religious procession, which Symes had an opportunity of seeing at Ava, the capital of the Burman empire, the first personages of rank that passed by were three children borne astride, on people’s shoulders. It is evident from these facts that the Oriental children are carried sometimes one way, sometimes the other. Nor was the custom, in reality, different in Judea, though the prophet expresses himself in these terms: ‘They shall bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters shall be carried upon your shoulders;’ for, according to Dr. Russel, the children able to support themselves are usually carried astride on the shoulders; but in infancy they are carried in the arms, or awkwardly on one haunch. Dandini tells us that, on horseback, the Asiatics ‘carry their children upon their shoulders with great dexterity. These children hold by the head of him who carries them, whether he is on horseback or on foot, and do not hinder him from walking or doing what he pleases.’ This increases the significance of the passage in Isaiah, who speaks of the Gentiles bringing children thus, so that distance is no objection to this mode of conveyance, since they may thus be brought on horseback from among the people, however remote.” (Paxton)

“Children of both sexes are carried on the shoulders. Thus, one may see the father carrying his son, the little fellow being astride on the shoulder, holding his father’s head with his hands. Girls, however, sit on the shoulder, as if on a chair, their legs hanging in front, while they also grasp the head with their hands. In going to, or returning from pagan festivals, thousands of parents and their children may be seen marching along with joy.” (Roberts)

The sense is that converts should come from every land—that the nations should flock to the standard of the Messiah. And why may it not be regarded as a legitimate interpretation of this passage, that those who come should bring their children, their sons and their daughters, with them? That they were borne upon the arm, or upon the shoulder, indicates they were young children. It is no forced interpretation of this passage to regard it as teaching that the parents who should be converted among the Gentiles should bring their offspring to the Redeemer and present them publicly to God.