The Year of the LORD’s Favor 1 The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to herald good news to the humble. He has sent me to bind up the broken of heart, to proclaim release to the captives and the opening of the eyes to the bound;
Luke · AD 61 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias.
Jerome · AD 420 (Chapter 61—Verse 1 and following) The Spirit of the Lord God (in the Vulgate it is "God") is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me: to bring good news to the meek, He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted (in the Vulgate it is "broken-hearted"), to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's…
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 1073. The spirit of the Lord is upon me. Here he promises joy to the people. And this is divided into two parts: in the first, he promises joy; in the second, the people receive the promise and give thanks, where it says, I will greatly rejoice in the Lord (Isa 61:10).
2 to proclaim a year of favor for the LORD, and a day of vengeance for our God; to comfort all who mourn;
Ambrosiaster · AD 384 WHY HAVE THE DEEDS AND SAYINGS OF THE LORD BEEN ARRANGED IN WRITING IN FOUR BOOKS BY FOUR AUTHORS? — It was fitting that the acceptable year of the Lord, as the prophet says (Isa. 61:2), should be contained in four books as if in four seasons.
Cyril of Alexandria · AD 444 "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.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 And the time of liberation: to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, as to the liberation of the Jews, and the day of vengeance, as to the Chaldeans; or the time of grace, in which he takes vengeance upon the devil, curbing his power: now is the judgment of the world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out (John 12:31); you shall bless the crown of the year of your…
3 to appoint for the mourners of Zion, to give them a headdress instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, a wrapping of praise instead of a dim spirit. And they will be called terebinths of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, to show his beauty.
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse 3-5) And they shall be called in her strong justices, the plantation of the Lord, to glorify. And they shall build the ancient places that were waste, and shall raise up the desolate cities, that were destroyed for generations and generations. And strangers shall stand and shall feed your flocks: and the sons of strangers shall be your husbandmen and your vinedressers.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 To appoint to the mourners of Zion, in particular: with a great spirit he saw the things that are to come to pass at last, and comforted the mourners in Zion (Sir 48:27); and the sign of joy, when the signs of sadness are turned to signs of gladness, and this is and to give them a crown for ashes, above: in that day the Lord shall be a crown of glory (Isa 28:5). 1077.
4 And they will build the ancient ruins; the desolations of former times they will raise up. And they will renew the ruined cities, the desolations of generation after generation.
Cyril of Alexandria · AD 444 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.
Theodoret of Cyrus · AD 458 This is said to the holy apostles, "Do not be distressed when you are persecuted, tortured and disgraced among all and endure death of a thousand vanities. For through your sufferings the nations will gain salvation, and they will have a portion among those rejoicing."
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 And the restoration of buildings, and they shall build, these same men, or the apostles, above: and the places that have been desolate for ages shall be built in you (Isa 58:12).
5 And strangers will stand and pasture your flocks, and the sons of the foreigner will be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 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 gentile preachers, flocks: the simple believers of the Church, and these keep and cultivate the Church…
6 And you will be called priests of the LORD; servants of our God it will be said of you. The wealth of nations you will eat, and in their glory you will boast.
Jerome · AD 420 (Vers. 6, 7.) But you will be called priests of the Lord, ministers of our God. It will be said to you: You will devour the strength of the nations, and in their glory you will boast.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 1081. But you shall be called the priests. Here he foretells the matter of joy as to the glory of men. And concerning this, he does three things.
7 Instead of your shame, a double portion; and instead of humiliation they will sing for joy over their share. Therefore in their land they will possess a double portion; everlasting gladness will be theirs.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 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.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 1082. And he assigns the reason for the perfection: for your double confusion, as if to say: you had confusion from lack of spiritual and temporal things; they shall praise, that is, your neighbors, seeing, their part, the recompense of double goods, made to them by God: I will render you double as I declare today (Zech 9:12).
8 For I, the LORD, love justice, hating robbery with a burnt offering. And I will give their recompense in truth, and an everlasting covenant I will cut with them.
Jerome · AD 420 (Vers. 8, 9.) And I will give their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. And their seed will be known among the nations, and their offspring in the midst of the peoples. All who see them will recognize them, that they are the offspring whom the Lord has blessed.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 But it is one thing to show mercy for sins, another to sin for the sake of showing mercy, which cannot really be called mercy since it does not issue in sweet fruit, since it is embittered through the influence of a diseased root.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 And he assigns the reason: for I am the Lord. And this is the sense: because the Lord loves justice, he will grant to you that you will be just, that thus you may be pleasing to him, and he will make a covenant with you of everlasting joy; I hate robbery in a holocaust: he that offers sacrifice of the goods of the poor, is as one that sacrifices the son in the presence of his f…
9 And their seed will be known among the nations, and their offspring in the midst of the peoples. All who see them will recognize them, that they are a seed the LORD has blessed.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 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 ever (Sir 44:13).
10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul will exult in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation; a robe of righteousness he has wrapped around me, like a bridegroom who dresses as a priest with a headdress, and like a bride who adorns herself with her ornaments.
Eusebius of Caesarea · AD 339 After these promises that the Son of God has made concerning his first advent, it is extremely fitting that the word here addresses the church of God as receiving good and blessed things in those in whom he labored.
Cyril of Alexandria · AD 444 Generously he lays his hands on them and in order to crown with many fine gifts those petitioning he says, "Everyone who sees them will recognize that they are a seed blessed by God" and adds, "And they will rejoice in the Lord." And he immediately gives them joy.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 1085. I will greatly rejoice. Here the people receive the promise and give thanks. And concerning this, he does two things. First, in the person of the people or of the Church, he expresses joy of heart: I will greatly rejoice: but I will rejoice in the Lord: and I will joy in God my Jesus (Hab 3:18).
11 For as the earth brings out its growth, and as a garden makes what is sown in it sprout, so the Lord GOD will make righteousness and praise sprout before all the nations.
Theodore of Heraclea · AD 355 It is the custom of prophets to foresee the things to come, to mourn and lament the disasters and then from their visions of favor to tell the people the good news, even when those listening reject them, to rejoice and raise their spirits, since the prophets are those who possessed a fixed intention concerning the vision of things signified.
Bede · AD 735 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 the Lord in the parable of the Gospel said, "the good seed is those sons of the kingdom." For this seed w…
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Third, under the likeness of buds, as to their fruits: for as the earth brings forth her bud, above: it shall bud forth and blossom, and shall rejoice with joy and praise (Isa 35:2).