Isaiah 61:1

Hebrew Bible

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has chosen me. He has commissioned me to encourage the poor, to help the brokenhearted, to decree the release of captives and the freeing of prisoners, 2 to announce the year when the Lord will show his favor, the day when our God will seek vengeance, to console all who mourn, 3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion by giving them a turban, instead of ashes, oil symbolizing joy, instead of mourning, a garment symbolizing praise, instead of discouragement. They will be called oaks of righteousness, trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor.

LXX Isaiah 61:1

Septuagint

1 The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, 2 to summon the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of retribution, to comfort all who mourn 3 so that to those who mourn for Sion be given glory instead of ashes, oil of joy to those who mourn, a garment of glory instead of a spirit of weariness. They will be called generations of righteousness, a plant of the Lord for glory.

 Notes and References

"... A quick reading of the above texts gives an impression that there are only a few minor differences. However, a thorough analysis of various compositional elements (such as the syntax relation, the structure, the grammar, the choice of words, to name but a few), viewed within the LXX-Isaiah as a whole, seems to indicate that those discrepancies are significant. In verse 1, besides his omission of יהוה (as the subject of the verb משח that is translated as ἔχρισέν), the Isaiah translator renders the particle יען by οὗ εἵνεκεν instead of an expected διὰ (7:5 for יעןכי) or ὅτι (30:12; 65:12; 65:4). While this does not seem to alter the meaning of this verse, it is worth noting his use of the infinitive ἰάσασθαι (to heal) for חבש (to bind up) as well as καὶ τυφλοῖς ἀνάβλεψιν (and a recovery of sight to the blind) for ולאסוריםפקח־קוח (and an opening “of eyesight” to them that are bound). Even if the rendition of ἀνάβλεψιν (compare also Aquila) might be explained as a possible reading of a single word פקחקוח (compare 1QIsaa and 1QIsab) understood in an intensive sense of eye-opening, the Isaiah translator’s interpretative intention here should not be denied. This becomes obvious from his use of the noun ... ..."

Ngunga, Abi T. Messianism in the Old Greek of Isaiah: An Intertextual Analysis (pp. 197-198) Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2013

 User Comments

Why was the word (recovery of sight to the blind) removed? Was it an intentional act?

Rome, March 16, 2024, 11:43 pm

Thanks to the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as a spirit body, all those who were drowned by Noah's flood have been released as spirit bodies into God's heaven (1 Peter 3:18-19). Why was Jesus interested in them in the first place? Why not something more recent, like those of Sodom and Gomorrah?

Wayne, July 2, 2024, 1:32 am

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