Isaiah — Chapter 61
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1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
3To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
4And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.
5And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
6But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.
7For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.
8For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
9And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed.
10I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
11For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.
1The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening [of the prison] to them that are bound;
2to proclaim the year of Jehovah`s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
3to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah, that he may be glorified.
4And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.
5And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and foreigners shall be your plowmen and your vine-dressers.
6But ye shall be named the priests of Jehovah; men shall call you the ministers of our God: ye shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.
7Instead of your shame [ye shall have] double; and instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess double; everlasting joy shall be unto them.
8For I, Jehovah, love justice, I hate robbery with iniquity; and I will give them their recompense in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
9And their seed shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which Jehovah hath blessed.
10I will greatly rejoice in Jehovah, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with a garland, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
11For as the earth bringeth forth its bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord Jehovah will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.
1The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has chosen me. He has commissioned me to encourage the poor, to help the brokenhearted, to decree the release of captives and the freeing of prisoners,
2to announce the year when the Lord will show his favor, the day when our God will seek vengeance, to console all who mourn,
3to strengthen those who mourn in Zion by giving them a turban, instead of ashes, oil symbolizing joy, instead of mourning, a garment symbolizing praise, instead of discouragement. They will be called oaks of righteousness, trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor.
4They will rebuild the perpetual ruins and restore the places that were desolate; they will reestablish the ruined cities, the places that have been desolate since ancient times.
5“Foreigners will take care of your sheep; foreigners will work in your fields and vineyards.
6You will be called, ‘the Lord’s priests, servants of our God.’ You will enjoy the wealth of nations and boast about the riches you receive from them.
7Instead of shame, you will get a double portion; instead of humiliation, they will rejoice over the land they receive. Yes, they will possess a double portion in their land and experience lasting joy.
8For I, the Lord, love justice and hate robbery and sin. I will repay them because of my faithfulness; I will make a permanent covenant with them.
9Their descendants will be known among the nations, their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will recognize that the Lord has blessed them.”
10I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; I will be overjoyed because of my God. For he clothes me in garments of deliverance; he puts on me a robe symbolizing vindication. 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.
11For just as the ground produces its crops and a garden yields its produce, so the Sovereign Lord will cause deliverance to grow and give his people reason to praise him in the sight of all the nations.
1The Lord Yahweh’s Spirit is on me; because Yahweh has anointed me to preach good news to the humble. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to those who are bound;
2to proclaim the year of Yahweh’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;
3to provide for those who mourn in Zion, to give to them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Yahweh, that he may be glorified.
4They will rebuild the old ruins. They will raise up the places long devastated. They will repair the ruined cities, that have been devastated for many generations.
5Strangers will stand and feed your flocks, and foreigners will work your fields and your vineyards.
6But you will be called Yahweh’s priests. Men will call you the servants of our God. You will eat the wealth of the nations, and you will boast in their glory.
7Instead of your shame you will have double. Instead of dishonor, they will rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land, they will possess double. Everlasting joy will be to them.
8“For I, Yahweh, love justice. I hate robbery and iniquity. I will give them their reward in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
9Their offspring will be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge them, that they are the offspring which Yahweh has blessed.”
10I will greatly rejoice in Yahweh! My soul will be joyful in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11For as the earth produces its bud, and as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring up; so the Lord Yahweh will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.
Summary
"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me" — the Servant/Messiah's mission statement. He is anointed to preach good tidings to the poor, bind the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to captives, announce the acceptable year of the LORD. Beauty for ashes, oil of joy for mourning. Jesus read this in Nazareth and said "Today this scripture is fulfilled."
Authorship & Background
- The Spirit's Anointing: The Messiah's Mission (vv.1-3)
- Rebuilding Ruins: Restoration (vv.4-5)
- Priests of God: A Royal Priesthood (vv.6-7)
- The Everlasting Covenant (vv.8-9)
- Clothed in Salvation: The Bridegroom's Joy (vv.10-11)
Map & Geography
- Zion (v.3): The hill on which Jerusalem/the Temple stood; often used poetically for God's dwelling.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com
- Charles Spurgeon: "'Beauty for ashes.' Ashes were put on the head in mourning; God removes them and places a crown of beauty instead. He doesn't just wipe the ashes off — He REPLACES them with something glorious. That's grace: not merely removal of the bad but bestowal of the beautiful."
Reflection
- 1. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon ME" (v.1). Jesus didn't minister in His own strength but in the Spirit's power. Neither should you. Every assignment from God comes with His Spirit's empowerment. You're not doing this alone.
- 2. Jesus stopped reading mid-verse (Luke 4:19). He proclaimed the year of FAVOR (first coming) but left "the day of vengeance" (second coming) unread. We live between the two — in the year of grace. Take advantage NOW.
- 3. Beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, praise for heaviness (v.3). These are EXCHANGES. You bring your brokenness; God gives beauty. You bring grief; He gives joy. The exchange rate is infinitely in your favor. What ashes are you still wearing that God wants to replace?
- 4. "Oaks of righteousness" (v.3). You're meant to be an OAK — deep roots, strong trunk, enduring through storms. Oaks grow slowly but become immovable. Be patient with your growth.
- 5. "Clothed with salvation" (v.10). Righteousness isn't something you generate — it's something you WEAR. God puts it ON you. Stop trying to manufacture righteousness; receive it as a gift.