45:13 The princess 1 looks absolutely magnificent, 2
decked out in pearls and clothed in a brocade trimmed with gold. 3
45:14 In embroidered robes she is escorted to the king.
Her attendants, the maidens of honor who follow her,
are led before you. 4
61:3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,
by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,
oil symbolizing joy, 5 instead of mourning,
a garment symbolizing praise, 6 instead of discouragement. 7
They will be called oaks of righteousness, 8
trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor. 9
61:10 I 10 will greatly rejoice 11 in the Lord;
I will be overjoyed because of my God. 12
For he clothes me in garments of deliverance;
he puts on me a robe symbolizing vindication. 13
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. 14
1 tn Heb “[the] daughter of a king.”
2 tn Heb “[is] completely glorious.”
3 tc Heb “within, from settings of gold, her clothing.” The Hebrew term פְּנִימָה (pÿnimah, “within”), if retained, would go with the preceding line and perhaps refer to the bride being “within” the palace or her bridal chamber (cf. NIV, NRSV). Since the next two lines refer to her attire (see also v. 9b), it is preferable to emend the form to פְּנִינִיהָּ (“her pearls”) or to פְּנִינִים (“pearls”). The mem (מ) prefixed to “settings” is probably dittographic.
4 tn Heb “virgins after her, her companions, are led to you.” Some emend לָךְ (lakh, “to you”) to לָהּ (lah, “to her,” i.e., the princess), because the princess is now being spoken of in the third person (vv. 13-14a), rather than being addressed directly (as in vv. 10-12). However, the ambiguous suffixed form לָךְ need not be taken as second feminine singular. The suffix can be understood as a pausal second masculine singular form, addressed to the king. The translation assumes this to be the case; note that the king is addressed once more in vv. 16-17, where the second person pronouns are masculine.
5 tn Heb “oil of joy” (KJV, ASV); NASB, NIV, NRSV “the oil of gladness.”
6 tn Heb “garment of praise.”
7 tn Heb “a faint spirit” (so NRSV); KJV, ASV “the spirit of heaviness”; NASB “a spirit of fainting.”
8 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.”
9 tn Heb “a planting of the Lord to reveal splendor.”
10 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.
11 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.
12 tn Heb “my being is happy in my God”; NAB “in my God is the joy of my soul.”
13 tn Heb “robe of vindication”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “robe of righteousness.”
14 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.
15 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 7:2.
16 sn With the instructions Hurry! Bring the best robe, there is a total acceptance of the younger son back into the home.
17 tn Grk “hand”; but χείρ (ceir) can refer to either the whole hand or any relevant part of it (L&N 8.30).
18 sn The need for sandals underlines the younger son’s previous destitution, because he was barefoot.