49:21 Then you will think to yourself, 1
‘Who bore these children for me?
I was bereaved and barren,
dismissed and divorced. 2
Who raised these children?
Look, I was left all alone;
where did these children come from?’”
51:14 The one who suffers 3 will soon be released;
he will not die in prison, 4
he will not go hungry. 5
61:1 The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me,
because the Lord has chosen 6 me. 7
He has commissioned 8 me to encourage 9 the poor,
to help 10 the brokenhearted,
to decree the release of captives,
and the freeing of prisoners,
4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed 11 me to proclaim good news 12 to the poor. 13
He has sent me 14 to proclaim release 15 to the captives
and the regaining of sight 16 to the blind,
to set free 17 those who are oppressed, 18
1 tn Heb “and you will say in your heart.”
2 tn Or “exiled and thrust away”; NIV “exiled and rejected.”
3 tn Heb “who is stooped over” (under a burden).
4 tn Heb “the pit” (so KJV); ASV, NAB “die and go down into the pit”; NASB, NIV “dungeon”; NCV “prison.”
5 tn Heb “he will not lack his bread.”
6 tn Heb “anointed,” i.e., designated to carry out an assigned task.
7 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).
8 tn Or “sent” (NAB); NCV “has appointed me.”
9 tn Or “proclaim good news to.”
10 tn Heb “to bind up [the wounds of].”
11 sn The phrase he has anointed me is an allusion back to Jesus’ baptism in Luke 3:21-22.
12 tn Grk “to evangelize,” “to preach the gospel.”
13 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.
14 tc The majority of
15 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).
16 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).
17 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.
18 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).
19 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
20 tn Grk “by the mouth of the sword” (an idiom for the edge of a sword).
21 sn Here is the predicted judgment against the nation until the time of Gentile rule has passed: Its people will be led away as captives.
22 tn Grk “And Jerusalem.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
23 sn Until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled implies a time when Israel again has a central role in God’s plan.