Discovery BoxIsaiah 61:3-10
Context61:3 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
61:4 They will rebuild the perpetual ruins
and restore the places that were desolate; 6
they will reestablish the ruined cities,
the places that have been desolate since ancient times.
61:5 7 “Foreigners will take care of 8 your sheep;
foreigners will work in your fields and vineyards.
61:6 You will be called, ‘the Lord’s priests,
servants of our God.’ 9
You will enjoy 10 the wealth of nations
and boast about 11 the riches you receive from them. 12
61:7 Instead of shame, you will get a double portion; 13
instead of humiliation, they will rejoice over the land they receive. 14
Yes, 15 they will possess a double portion in their land
and experience lasting joy.
61:8 For I, the Lord, love justice
and hate robbery and sin.
I will repay them because of my faithfulness; 16
I will make a permanent covenant with them.
61:9 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.” 17
61:10 I 18 will greatly rejoice 19 in the Lord;
I will be overjoyed because of my God. 20
For he clothes me in garments of deliverance;
he puts on me a robe symbolizing vindication. 21
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. 22
[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.”
[61:4] 6 tn Heb “and the formerly desolate places they will raise up.”
[61:5] 11 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.
[61:5] 12 tn Heb “will stand [in position] and shepherd.”
[61:6] 16 tn The Hebrew text adds, “it will be said concerning you.”
[61:6] 17 tn Heb “eat” (KJV, NAB, NASB); NIV “feed on”; NLT “be fed with.”
[61:6] 18 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).
[61:6] 19 tn Heb “their glory” (i.e., riches).
[61:7] 21 tn Heb “instead of your shame, a double portion.”
[61:7] 22 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).
[61:7] 23 tn Heb “therefore” (so KJV, NASB); NIV “and so.”
[61:8] 26 tn Heb “in faithfulness”; NASB, NRSV, NLT “faithfully.”
[61:9] 31 tn Heb “all who see them will recognize them, that they [are] descendants [whom] the Lord has blessed.”
[61:10] 36 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] 37 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.
[61:10] 38 tn Heb “my being is happy in my God”; NAB “in my God is the joy of my soul.”
[61:10] 39 tn Heb “robe of vindication”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “robe of righteousness.”
[61:10] 40 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.
