Chapter 61
61:1 The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me: he has sent me to preach to the meek, to heal the contrite of heart, and to preach a release to the captives, and deliverance to them that are shut up.
61:2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God: to comfort all that mourn:
61:3 To appoint to the mourners of Zion, and to give them a crown for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, a garment of praise for the spirit of grief: and they shall be called in it the mighty ones of justice, the planting of the Lord to glorify him.
61:4 And they shall build the places that have been waste from of old, and shall raise up ancient ruins, and shall repair the desolate cities, that were destroyed for generation and generation.
61:5 And strangers shall stand and shall feed your flocks: and the sons of strangers shall be your husbandman, and the dressers of your vines.
61:6 But you shall be called the priests of the Lord: to you it shall be said: you ministers of our God: you shall eat the strength of the Gentiles, and you shall pride yourselves in their glory.
61:7 For your double confusion and shame, they shall praise their part: therefore shall they receive double in their land, everlasting joy shall be unto them.
61:8 For I am the Lord that love judgment, and hate robbery in a holocaust: and I will make their work in truth, and I will make a perpetual covenant with them.
61:9 And they shall know their seed among the Gentiles, and their offspring in the midst of peoples: all that shall see them, shall know them, that these are the seed which the Lord has blessed.
61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, and my soul shall be joyful in my God: for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation: and with the robe of justice he has covered me, as a bridegroom decked with a crown, and as a bride adorned with her jewels.
61:11 For as the earth brings forth her bud, and as the garden causes her seed to shoot forth: so shall the Lord God make justice to spring forth, and praise before all the nations.
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).
Concerning the first, he does two things:
first, he accepts the office of announcing joy;
second, he foretells the reason or the matter of this joy: and they shall be called (Isa 61:3).
1074 . Concerning the first, he does two things.
First, the gift of prophecy is treated: the spirit of the Lord is upon me , Isaiah, because the Lord has anointed me , filling me with the gift of prophecy: for prophecy came not by the will of man at any time: but the holy men of God spoke, inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet 1:21). Or, this concerns Christ, about whom it says above: the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him (Isa 11:2), and in Psalm 44:8[45:7], God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows . This day is fulfilled this scripture in your ears (Luke 4:21).
1075 . Second, the action of the prophet or Christ is treated, which is twofold:
to foretell rewards to the good, to preach to the meek : with meekness receive the ingrafted word, which is able to save your souls (Jas 1:21);
and to bring remedy to the suffering, as to those who are dejected with pusillanimity: to heal the contrite of heart , by consoling them, or forgiving their sins, if this is referred to Christ: who heals the broken of heart, and binds up their bruises (Ps 146[147]:3); and as to those who were held in captivity, to whom he announces the benefit of liberation: and to preach a release to the captives , literal captives; or those captive under the devil and their own errors, above: that you might say to them that are bound: come forth (Isa 49:9). 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 goodness (Ps 64:12[65:11]); for the time is come (Ps 101:14[102:13]).
1076 . And as to those who are consumed with sadness, to whom he announces joy: to comfort all that mourn , in general. 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 . And they shall be called . Here he foretells the matter of their joy.
And first, as to the restoration of buildings, setting out the condition of the rebuilders: and they shall be called in it , namely, Jerusalem, by the command and permission of Cyrus, the mighty ones of justice , constant in doing justice, not shaken by the threats of their adversaries; or this can refer to the apostles: as the rose planted by the brooks of waters (Sir 39:17[13]). 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).
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 herself by their merits and teaching.
1079 . Note on the words, the Lord has anointed me (Isa 61:1), that God the Father anointed Christ,
first, with the oil of priestly dignity, as a priest to offer sacrifices: he anointed him with holy oil (Sir 45:18[15]);
second, with the oil of royal power, as a king to govern: I anointed you king (2 Sam 12:7) and prince of my people;
third, the oil of immense strength, as a boxer to fight: how was the shield of the valiant cast away, the shield of Saul as though he had not been anointed with oil? (2 Sam 1:21);
fourth, the oil of eminent gladness, as a liberal man to have mercy: glad is the man that shows mercy and lends (Ps 111[112]:5); God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows (Ps 44:8).
1080 . Likewise, the devout servant anoints Christ:
first, with the tears of compunction: anoint your head, and wash your face (Matt 6:17);
second, with the ointment of devotion: but she with ointment has anointed my feet (Luke 7:46);
third, with the oil of pure intention: at all times let your garments be white, and let not oil depart from your head (Eccl 9:8);
fourth, with the oil of praise and thanksgiving: Jacob arising in the morning, took the stone . . . and set it up for a title, pouring oil upon the top of it (Gen 28:18).
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.
First, he shows the perfection of their glory, because they are glorious in spiritual things: priests , as living a holy life worthy of priesthood, as 2 Kings 8:18 says of the sons of David: how they are numbered among the children of God, and their lot is among the saints (Wis 5:5); they are glorious, too, in temporal things: you shall eat the strength of the Gentiles , that is, you shall be refreshed and sustained by the strength of the Persians and Medes; you shall pride yourselves , you shall be exalted, above: when the multitude of the sea shall be converted to you, the strength of the Gentiles shall come to you (Isa 60:5). Mystically: the apostles are priests, as the teachers of the gentiles, and they delighted in the strength of the martyrs.
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). Mystically: the Church receives rewards in the goods of soul and body for the double confusion from the faithlessness of the gentiles and the Jews.
1083 . Second, he touches on the duration of their glory: everlasting joy . This is true as long as they remained in justice, as Jeremiah 18:7–10 explains, above: everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness (Isa 35:10).
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 father (Sir 34:24); a perpetual covenant : and I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah (Jer 31:31).
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).
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).
Second, he confesses the divine benefit,
and first, under the likeness of clothing, inasmuch as the divine benefits protect them from sufferings: for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation , above: put on the garments (Isa 52:1) of your joy.
Second, under the likeness of adornments, inasmuch as they adorn them: as a bridegroom . Mystically, as to the perfect in the Church, taking the place of Christ; and as a bride , as to the imperfect: I will clothe you with the double garment (Bar 5:2).
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).