Isaiah61chapter 61

Isaiah 61:1

“What is there to wonder at, what to disbelieve, if the Lord who gives the Spirit, is here said himself to be anointed with the Spirit, at a time when, necessity requiring it, he did not refuse in respect of his manhood to call himself inferior to the Spirit?”

Isaiah 61:1

“The Spirit of the Lord God - Hebrew, The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh.’ The Chaldee renders this, ‘The prophet said, the spirit of prophecy from the presence of Yahweh God is upon me.’ The Syriac, ‘The Spirit of the Lord God.’ The Septuagint, Πνεῦμα Κυρίου Pneuma Kuriou - ‘The Spirit of the Lord,’ omitting the word אדני 'ădonāy. So Luke quotes it in Luk 4:18. That this refers to the Messiah is abundantly proved by the fact that the Lord Jesus expressly applied it to himself (see Luk 4:21).”

Isaiah 61:1

“Anointed - Set me apart, both capacitating him with gifts, and commissioning him with authority; and yet more, as it is applied to Christ, a power to make all effectual, from whence he hath also the name of Messiah among the Hebrew, and of Christ among the Greeks; nay, Christ alone among the prophets hath obtained this name, Psalm xlv, 7.”

Isaiah 61:2

"Acceptable" is that year in which we were received, when we took kinship with him, having our sins washed away through holy baptism and becoming partakers of the divine nature through the sharing of the Holy Spirit. Or "acceptable" is the year in which he revealed his glory through the divine miracle attesting the message.

Isaiah 61:2

“To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord - (see the notes at Isa 49:8). There is probably an allusion here to the year of Jubilee, when the trumpet was blown, and liberty was proclaimed throughout all the land (so Lev 25:9-10). In like manner the Messiah would come to proclaim universal liberty - liberty to all the world from the degrading servitude of sin.”

Isaiah 61:2

“Vengeance - It being necessary, that where God will deliver his people, he should take vengeance on their enemies; principally on the enemies of his church, and the spiritual ones chiefly, Satan, sin, and death.”

Isaiah 61:3

“To appoint unto them - Hebrew, ‘To place;’ that is, to place happiness before them; to give them joy arid consolation. That mourn in Zion - (See the notes at Isa 1:8). The mourners in Zion mean those who dwelt in Jerusalem; then all those who are connected with the church of God - his poor and afflicted people. To give unto them beauty for ashes - In the Hebrew there is here a beautiful paronomasia, which cannot be transferred to our language - אפר תחת פאר pe'ēr tachath 'êpher.”

Isaiah 61:4

“For the Savior cultivates us through the holy people of faith. And these are called God's coworkers.… And the gladness will be everlasting; for we do not expect the reward to be in things of this age but in exceeding hope and life without limit for those who are noble concerning thought and speech.”

Isaiah 61:4

“And they that spring from thee” - A word is lost here likewise. After ובנו ubanu, “they shall build,” add ממך mimmecha, they that spring from thee. Four MSS. have it so, (two of them ancient), and one of mine has it in the margin, and it is confirmed by Isa 58:12, where the sentence is the very same, this word being here added.

Isaiah 61:5

“1078. Second, as to the keeping of their possessions: and strangers shall stand. This could be fulfilled literally, as some foreigners were employed in these menial services, like the Gabaonites: so let them live, as to serve the whole multitude (Josh 9:21); or mystically: the …”

Isaiah 61:5

“And strangers shall stand - (See the notes at Isa 14:1-2; Isa 60:10). And feed your flocks - The keeping of flocks constituted a very considerable part of the husbandry of those who dwelt in Palestine. Of course, any considerable prosperity of a spiritual nature would be well represented by an accession of foreigners, who should come to relieve them in their toil.”

Isaiah 61:5

“Strangers - Gentiles, such as are not of the natural race of the Jews, but Gentile converts. Or, such as shall have no more than an outward profession.”

Isaiah 61:6

“Ministers-- (Eze 44:11). eat . . . riches of . . . Gentiles-- (Isa 60:5-11). in their glory . . . boast yourselves--rather, "in their splendor ye shall be substituted in their stead"; ye shall substitute yourselves [MAURER].”

Isaiah 61:6

“But his service is perfect freedom, nay, it is the greatest honour. When God brought Israel out of Egypt he took them to be to him a kingdom of priests, Exod. xix. And the gospel church is a royal priesthood, 1 Pet. ii.”

Isaiah 61:7

“About this twin glory it is written, "they will possess double in their own land." This is written concerning the souls of the saints, for single white cloaks are given to them, and it is said that they might have rest a short time until the number of their colleagues and brothers is filled up. So they take now single cloaks, but they will have double cloaks on the day of judgment; for the first is in the way of souls only, but later they will rejoice in the glory of souls and bodies together.”

Isaiah 61:7

“For your shame - That is, instead of the reproach and humiliation which you have been called to experience. You shall have double - A double inheritance or reward (see the notes at Isa 40:2). And for confusion - The word ‘confusion’ here means the same as a blush of shame, and refers to the scenes of humiliation and sorrow which the nation had passed through on account of its sins. They shall rejoice - There is here a change from the second to the third person - a change which is not unfrequent in Isaiah.”

Isaiah 61:7

“Much more do all those rejoice whom Christ has brought into the glorious liberty of God's children, especially when the privileges of their adoption shall be completed in the resurrection of the body.”

Isaiah 61:8

“I hate robbery for burnt-offering “Who hate rapine and iniquity” - The Syriac, and Chaldee prefix the conjunction ו vau, instead of the preposition ב beth, to עולה olah, which they render iniquity or oppression; and so the Septuagint, αδικιας. The difference lies in the punctuation; בעולה beolah, in a burnt-offering בעולה beavelah, in iniquity. The letters are the same in both words. Five of De Rossi’s MSS. confirm this reading.”

Isaiah 61:8

“Robbery - All things gotten by injustice, though it be for sacrifice. Direct - I will lead them so, that they shall do all things in sincerity. Everlasting covenant - Though you have broken covenant with me, yet I will renew my ancient covenant made with your fathers, confirmed with the blood of Christ, and it shall be everlasting, never to be abrogated.”

Isaiah 61:8

“Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, to do justly and love mercy better than thousands of rams; nay, that robbery is most of all hateful to God which is covered with this pretence, for it makes the righteous God to be the patron of unrighteousness.”

Isaiah 61:9

“1084. Third, the divulging of their glory: and they shall know their seed among the Gentiles. This refers either to the Jews who were known for their religious worship, or to the spiritual seed of the apostles: and their children for their sakes remain for …”

Isaiah 61:9

“And their seed - The figure here is taken from the feelings of a parent who desires his children to be esteemed, and who regards it as an honor that they become so distinguished that their fame extends to distant lands. Shall be known - Shall be distinguished or honored. For this use of the word ‘known,’ see Psa 67:2; Psa 76:1; Psa 79:10. And their offspring - (See the notes at Isa 48:19). The Chaldee and the Syriac render this, ‘Their children’s children.’ The sense is, that the true friends of the church shall be everywhere honored.”

Isaiah 61:9

“Some make this the song of joy and praise to be sung by the prophet in the name of Jerusalem, congratulating her on the happy change of her circumstances in the accomplishment of the foregoing promises; others make it to be spoken by Christ in the name of the New-Testament church triumphing in gospel grace.”

Isaiah 61:10

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord - These may be the words of the Jews now converted, and brought into the Church of Christ, and with the Gentiles made fellow heirs of the blessings of the new covenant. As a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments “As the bridegroom decketh himself with a priestly crown” - 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, Exo 29:”

Isaiah 61:10

“Christ has clothed his church with an eternal salvation (and that is truly great) by clothing it with the righteousness both of justification and sanctification. The clean linen is the righteousness of saints, Rev. xix.”

Isaiah 61:11

“Therefore, those who had been scattered returned, preaching the word of God. Instead of "the dispersed," the Greek text has "disseminated," that is, scattered like seed, for they were those about whom Isaiah said, "their offspring in the midst of the peoples" and about whom …”

Isaiah 61:11

“For as the earth bringeth forth - This figure is several times used by the prophet (see the notes at Isa 45:8; Isa 55:10-11). The idea is an exceedingly beautiful one, that, on the coming of the Messiah, truth and righteousness would spring up and abound like grass and fruits in the vegetable world when the earth is watered with rain. Her bud - The word ‘bud’ we now apply usually to the small bunch or protuberance on the branches of a plant, containing the rudiments of the future leaf or flower.”