42:7 to open blind eyes, 1
to release prisoners 2 from dungeons,
those who live in darkness from prisons.
61:1 The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me,
because the Lord has chosen 3 me. 4
He has commissioned 5 me to encourage 6 the poor,
to help 7 the brokenhearted,
to decree the release of captives,
and the freeing of prisoners,
69:33 For the Lord listens to the needy;
he does not despise his captive people. 8
102:20 in order to hear the painful cries of the prisoners,
and to set free those condemned to die, 9
107:10 They sat in utter darkness, 10
bound in painful iron chains, 11
107:11 because they had rebelled against God’s commands, 12
and rejected the instructions of the sovereign king. 13
107:12 So he used suffering to humble them; 14
they stumbled and no one helped them up.
107:13 They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
107:14 He brought them out of the utter darkness, 15
and tore off their shackles.
107:15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people! 16
107:16 For he shattered the bronze gates,
and hacked through the iron bars. 17
146:7 vindicates the oppressed, 18
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord releases the imprisoned.
9:11 Moreover, as for you, because of our covenant relationship secured with blood, I will release your prisoners from the waterless pit. 9:12 Return to the stronghold, you prisoners, with hope; today I declare that I will return double what was taken from you.
4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed 19 me to proclaim good news 20 to the poor. 21
He has sent me 22 to proclaim release 23 to the captives
and the regaining of sight 24 to the blind,
to set free 25 those who are oppressed, 26
1:1 From Paul, 28 an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
1 sn This does not refer to literal physical healing of the blind. As the next two lines suggest, this refers metonymically to freeing captives from their dark prisons where their eyes have grown unaccustomed to light.
2 sn This does not refer to hardened, dangerous criminals, who would have been executed for their crimes in ancient Near Eastern society. This verse refers to political prisoners or victims of social injustice.
3 tn Heb “anointed,” i.e., designated to carry out an assigned task.
4 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).
5 tn Or “sent” (NAB); NCV “has appointed me.”
6 tn Or “proclaim good news to.”
7 tn Heb “to bind up [the wounds of].”
8 tn Heb “his prisoners he does not despise.”
9 tn Heb “the sons of death.” The phrase “sons of death” (see also Ps 79:11) is idiomatic for those condemned to die.
10 tn Heb “those who sat in darkness and deep darkness.” Synonyms are joined here to emphasize the degree of “darkness” experienced by the exiles. The Hebrew term צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmavet, “deep darkness”) has traditionally been understood as a compound noun, meaning “shadow of death” (צֵל + מָוֶת [tsel + mavet]; see BDB 853 s.v. צַלְמָוֶת; cf. NASB). Other authorities prefer to vocalize the form צַלְמוּת (tsalmut) and understand it as an abstract noun (from the root צלם) meaning “darkness.” An examination of the word’s usage favors the latter derivation. It is frequently associated with darkness/night and contrasted with light/morning (see Job 3:5; 10:21-22; 12:22; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; Ps 107:10, 14; Isa 9:1; Jer 13:16; Amos 5:8). In some cases the darkness described is associated with the realm of death (Job 10:21-22; 38:17), but this is a metaphorical application of the word and does not reflect its inherent meaning. In Ps 107:10 the word refers metonymically to a dungeon, which in turn metaphorically depicts the place of Israel’s exile (see vv. 2-3).
11 tn Heb “those bound in suffering and iron.” “Suffering and iron” is a hendiadys (like English “good and angry”), where both words contribute to one idea. In this case the first word characterizes the second; the iron (chains) contribute to the prisoners’ pain and suffering.
12 tn Heb “the words of God.”
13 tn Heb “the counsel of the Most High.”
14 tn Heb “and he subdued with suffering their heart.”
15 tn Heb “darkness and deep darkness.” See the note on the word “darkness” in v. 10.
16 tn Heb “and [for] his amazing deeds for the sons of man.” See v. 8.
17 sn The language of v. 16 recalls Isa 45:2.
18 tn Heb “executes justice for the oppressed.”
19 sn The phrase he has anointed me is an allusion back to Jesus’ baptism in Luke 3:21-22.
20 tn Grk “to evangelize,” “to preach the gospel.”
21 sn The poor is a key term in Luke. It refers to the pious poor and indicates Jesus’ desire to reach out to those the world tends to forget or mistreat. It is like 1:52 in force and also will be echoed in 6:20 (also 1 Pet 2:11-25). Jesus is commissioned to do this.
22 tc The majority of
23 sn The release in view here is comprehensive, both at a physical level and a spiritual one, as the entire ministry of Jesus makes clear (Luke 1:77-79; 7:47; 24:47; Acts 2:38; 5:31; 10:43).
24 sn Again, as with the previous phrase, regaining of sight may well mean more than simply miraculously restoring physical sight, which itself pictures a deeper reality (Luke 1:77-79; 18:35-43).
25 sn The essence of Jesus’ messianic work is expressed in the phrase to set free. This line from Isa 58 says that Jesus will do what the nation had failed to do. It makes the proclamation messianic, not merely prophetic, because Jesus doesn’t just proclaim the message – he brings the deliverance. The word translated set free is the same Greek word (ἄφεσις, afesi") translated release earlier in the verse.
26 sn Again, as with the previous phrases, oppressed may well mean more than simply political or economic oppression, but a deeper reality of oppression by sin (Luke 1:77-79; 18:35-43).
27 tn Here αὐτοῦ (autou) has been translated as a subjective genitive (“he loves”).
28 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
29 sn In him all the fullness of deity lives. The present tense in this verse (“lives”) is significant. Again, as was stated in the note on 1:19, this is not a temporary dwelling, but a permanent one. Paul’s point is polemical against the idea that the fullness of God dwells anywhere else, as the Gnostics believed, except in Christ alone. At the incarnation, the second person of the Trinity assumed humanity, and is forever the God-man.