Isaiah 61

Isaiah 61
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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.
Book	Book of Isaiah
Hebrew Bible part	Nevi'im
Order in the Hebrew part	5
Category	Latter Prophets
Christian Bible part	Old Testament
Order in the Christian part	23

Isaiah 61 is the sixty-first chapter of the Book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. 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. In chapters 60-62, "three magnificent chapters", the prophet "hails the rising sun of Jerusalem’s prosperity". 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".

Text

The original text was written in Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 11 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets (916), Aleppo Codex (10th century), Codex Leningradensis (1008).

Fragments containing parts of this chapter were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls (3rd century BC or later):

• 1QIsa^a: complete
• 1QIsa^b: extant: verses 1‑2
• 4QIsa^b (4Q56): extant: verses 1‑3
• 4QIsa^h (4Q62): extant: verses 1-2
• 4QIsa^m (4Q66): extant: verses 3-6

There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; ${\mathfrak {G}}$^B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK: ${\mathfrak {G}}$^S; 4th century), Codex Alexandrinus (A; ${\mathfrak {G}}$^A; 5th century) and Codex Marchalianus (Q; ${\mathfrak {G}}$^Q; 6th century).

Parashot

The parashah sections listed here are based on the Aleppo Codex. 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}]

Verse 1

The 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;

• Cited in Luke 4:18
• "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, the root word for "Messiah").
• "The captives": The role of the Spirit-filled figure in to bring justice to the victims of injustice, as in Isaiah 11:4.

Verse 2

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,

and the day of vengeance of our God;

to comfort all that mourn;

• Cited in Luke 4:19
• "The acceptable year of the Lord" (ESV: "the year of the Lord's favor") and the "release" (KJV: "the opening of the prison"; Hebrew: פְּקַח־קֽוֹחַ, pə-qaḥ-qō-w-aḥ) recall the "Jubilee year" in Leviticus 25:8–13.
• "The day of vengeance": previously mentioned in Isaiah 34:8.

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.

Cross reference: Isaiah 58:12

See also

• Jubilee (biblical) (Hebrew yovel יובל)
• Jubilee (Christianity)
• Related Bible parts: Leviticus 25, Isaiah 58, Ezekiel 46, Luke 4, Revelation 5

Sources

• Coggins, R (2007). "22. Isaiah". In Barton, John; Muddiman, John (eds.). The Oxford Bible Commentary (first (paperback) ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 433–486. ISBN 978-0199277186. Retrieved February 6, 2019. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Würthwein, Ernst (1995). The Text of the Old Testament. Translated by Rhodes, Erroll F. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans. ISBN 0-8028-0788-7. Retrieved January 26, 2019. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

External links

Jewish

• Isaiah 61 Original Hebrew with Parallel English
• Isaiah 61 Hebrew with Rashi's Commentary

Christian

• Isaiah 61 English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate