The
Great Isaiah Scroll, the best preserved of the biblical scrolls found at
Qumran from the second century BC, contains all the verses in this chapter.
Isaiah 61 is the sixty-first
chapter of the
Book of Isaiah in the
Hebrew Bible or the
Old Testament of the
ChristianBible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet
Isaiah, and is one of the
Books of the Prophets. Chapters
56-
66 are often referred to as Trito-Isaiah.[1] In
chapters 60–
62, "three magnificent chapters", the prophet "hails the rising sun of
Jerusalem’s prosperity".[2] According to
Luke 4:17,
Jesus, visiting the
synagogue at
Nazareth, was handed "the book of the prophet Isaiah" and "found the place" where the opening verses of this chapter were written. The
New King James Version sub-titles this chapter "The Good News of Salvation".[3] The speaker and message of this chapter have been linked with the
Servant of Isaiah 40–55: although the word "servant" does not appear here, his actions are presented as actions of servanthood.[4]
The parashah sections listed here are based on the
Aleppo Codex.[7] Isaiah 61 is a part of the Consolations (
Isaiah 40–66). {P}: open parashah; {S}: closed parashah.
{S} 61:1–9 {P} 61:10–11 [62:1–9 {S}]
Contents and commentary
Verse 1
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me;
because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek;
"The Spirit of the Lord God" has been promised in
Isaiah 11:2 to come upon God's chosen one, through God's anointing (
Hebrew: משח, mashah,[10] the root word for "
Messiah").[9]
"The captives": The role of the Spirit-filled figure in to bring justice to the victims of injustice, as in
Isaiah 11:4.[9]
"The day of vengeance" was previously mentioned in
Isaiah 34:8.[9]
Verse 4
And 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.[12]
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 ornaments,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.[13]
The
bridegroom wears "a priestly crown", as Bishop
Robert Lowth translates it,[14] observing that it is "an allusion to the magnificent dress of the
high-priest when performing his functions, and particularly to the
mitre, and crown, or plate of gold on the front of it".[15]