Isaiah 61
61
The Lord Will Rejuvenate His People
1 The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me,
because the Lord has chosen#tn Heb “anointed,” i.e., designated to carry out an assigned task. me.#sn The speaker is not identified, but he is distinct from the Lord and from Zion’s suffering people. He possesses the divine spirit, is God’s spokesman, and is sent to release prisoners from bondage. The evidence suggests he is the Lord’s special servant, described earlier in the servant songs (see 42:1-4, 7; 49:2, 9; 50:4; see also 51:16).
He has commissioned#tn Or “sent” (NAB); NCV “has appointed me.” me to encourage#tn Or “proclaim good news to.” the poor,
to help#tn Heb “to bind up [the wounds of].” the brokenhearted,
to decree the release of captives,
and the freeing of prisoners,
2 to announce the year when the Lord will show his favor,
the day when our God will seek vengeance,#tn Heb “to announce the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance.
to console all who mourn,
3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,
by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,
oil symbolizing joy,#tn Heb “oil of joy” (KJV, ASV); NASB, NIV, NRSV “the oil of gladness.” instead of mourning,
a garment symbolizing praise,#tn Heb “garment of praise.” instead of discouragement.#tn Heb “a faint spirit” (so NRSV); KJV, ASV “the spirit of heaviness”; NASB “a spirit of fainting.”
They will be called oaks of righteousness,#tn Rather than referring to the character of the people, צֶדֶק (tsedeq) may carry the nuance “vindication” here, suggesting that God’s restored people are a testimony to his justice. See v. 2, which alludes to the fact that God will take vengeance against the enemies of his people. Cf. NAB “oaks of justice.”
trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor.#tn Heb “a planting of the Lord to reveal splendor.”
4 They will rebuild the perpetual ruins
and restore the places that were desolate;#tn Heb “and the formerly desolate places they will raise up.”
they will reestablish the ruined cities,
the places that have been desolate since ancient times.
5#sn The Lord speaks in vv. 7-8 (and possibly v. 9). It is not clear where the servant’s speech (see vv. 1-3a) ends and the Lord’s begins. Perhaps the direct address to the people signals the beginning of the Lord’s speech. “Foreigners will take care of#tn Heb “will stand [in position] and shepherd.” your sheep;
foreigners will work in your fields and vineyards.
6 You will be called, ‘the Lord’s priests,
servants of our God.’#tn The Hebrew text adds, “it will be said concerning you.”
You will enjoy#tn Heb “eat” (KJV, NAB, NASB); NIV “feed on”; NLT “be fed with.” the wealth of nations
and boast about#tc The form in the Hebrew text is probably a corruption of יִתְאַמְּרוּ (yit’ammÿru), a Hitpael from אָמַר (’amar), meaning “boast about” (see HALOT 67 s.v. II אמר, HALOT 416 s.v. ימר, and BDB 56 s.v. אָמַר). the riches you receive from them.#tn Heb “their glory” (i.e., riches).
7 Instead of shame, you will get a double portion;#tn Heb “instead of your shame, a double portion.”
instead of humiliation, they will rejoice over the land they receive.#tn Heb “and [instead of] humiliation they will rejoice [over] their portion.” The term תָחָת (takhat, “instead of”) is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
Yes,#tn Heb “therefore” (so KJV, NASB); NIV “and so.” they will possess a double portion in their land
and experience lasting joy.
8 For I, the Lord, love justice
and hate robbery and sin.
I will repay them because of my faithfulness;#tn Heb “in faithfulness”; NASB, NRSV, NLT “faithfully.”
I will make a permanent covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations,
their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will recognize that
the Lord has blessed them.”#tn Heb “all who see them will recognize them, that they [are] descendants [whom] the Lord has blessed.”
10 I#sn The speaker in vv. 10-11 is not identified, but it is likely that the personified nation (or perhaps Zion) responds here to the Lord’s promise of restoration. will greatly rejoice#tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis. in the Lord;
I will be overjoyed because of my God.#tn Heb “my being is happy in my God”; NAB “in my God is the joy of my soul.”
For he clothes me in garments of deliverance;
he puts on me a robe symbolizing vindication.#tn Heb “robe of vindication”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “robe of righteousness.”
I look like a bridegroom when he wears a turban as a priest would;
I look like a bride when she puts on her jewelry.#tn Heb “like a bridegroom [who] acts like a priest [by wearing] a turban, and like a bride [who] wears her jewelry.” The words “I look” are supplied for stylistic reasons and clarification.
11 For just as the ground produces its crops
and a garden yields its produce,
so the sovereign Lord will cause deliverance#tn Or perhaps, “righteousness,” but the context seems to emphasize deliverance and restoration (see v. 10 and 62:1). to grow,
and give his people reason to praise him in the sight of all the nations.#tn Heb “and praise before all the nations.”
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Isaiah 61
61
The Year of Yahweh’s Favor
1The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh is upon me,
because Yahweh has anointed me,
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
to bind up the brokenhearted,#Literally “those broken of heart”
to proclaim#Literally “call” release to the captives
and liberation to those who are bound,
2to proclaim#Literally “call” the year of Yahweh’s favor,
and our God’s day of vengeance,
to comfort all those in mourning,
3to give#Literally “place” for those in mourning in Zion,
to give them a head wrap instead of ashes,
the oil of joy instead of mourning,
a garment of praise instead of a faint spirit.
And they will be called#Literally “it will be called to them” oaks of righteousness,
the planting of Yahweh, to show his glory.
4And they shall build the ancient ruins,
they shall erect the former deserted places.
And they shall restore the devastated cities,#Literally “cities of devastation”
the deserted places of many generations.#Literally “generation and generation”
5And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks,#Hebrew “flock”
and foreigners#Literally “sons of a foreign country” shall be your farmers and vinedressers.
6But#Or “And” you shall be called the priests of Yahweh,
you will be called#Literally “it shall be said of you” servers of our God.
You shall eat the wealth of the nations,
and you shall boast in their riches.
7Instead of your shame, a double portion,
and instead of insult, they will rejoice over their portion.
Therefore they will take a double portion in their land;
they shall possess everlasting joy.#Literally “possession of joy everlasting shall be for them”
8For I, Yahweh, love justice,
hate robbery and#Or “in” injustice,
and I will faithfully#Literally “in the faithfulness” give their reward,
and I will make#Literally “cut” an everlasting covenant with#Literally “to” them.
9And their descendants#Hebrew “descendant” will be known among the nations,
and their offspring in the midst of the peoples.
All those who see them shall recognize them,
that they are descendants#Hebrew “descendant” whom Yahweh has blessed.
10I will rejoice greatly in Yahweh;
my being shall shout in exultation in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation,
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns himself with a head wrap like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewelry.
11For as the earth produces#Literally “brings out” its sprout,
and as a garden makes its plants sprout,
so the Lord Yahweh will make righteousness sprout,
and praise before all the nations.
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