Isaiah 61:3

61:3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,

by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,

oil symbolizing joy, ¹  instead of mourning,

a garment symbolizing praise, ²  instead of discouragement. ³ 

They will be called oaks of righteousness, ⁴ 

trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor. ⁵ 

Isaiah 61:10

61:10 I ⁶  will greatly rejoice ⁷  in the Lord;

I will be overjoyed because of my God. ⁸ 

For he clothes me in garments of deliverance;

he puts on me a robe symbolizing vindication. ⁹ 

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. ¹⁰ 

[61:3]  ¹ tn Heb “oil of joy” (KJV, ASV); NASB, NIV, NRSV “the oil of gladness.”

[61:3]  ² tn Heb “garment of praise.”

[61:3]  ³ tn Heb “a faint spirit” (so NRSV); KJV, ASV “the spirit of heaviness”; NASB “a spirit of fainting.”

[61:3]  ⁴ 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.”

[61:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “a planting of the Lord to reveal splendor.”

[61:10]  ⁶ 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.

[61:10]  ⁷ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.

[61:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “my being is happy in my God”; NAB “in my God is the joy of my soul.”

[61:10]  ⁹ tn Heb “robe of vindication”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “robe of righteousness.”

[61:10]  ¹⁰ 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.