Isaiah

About this book

Chapter 61

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. 4 They will rebuild the perpetual ruins and restore the places that were desolate; they will reestablish the ruined cities, the places that have been desolate since ancient times. 5 “Foreigners will take care of your sheep; foreigners will work in your fields and vineyards. 6 You will be called, ‘the Lord’s priests, servants of our God.’⁠ You will enjoy the wealth of nations⁠ and boast about the riches you receive from them. 7 Instead of shame, you will get a double portion; instead of humiliation, they will rejoice over the land they receive.⁠ Yes, they will possess a double portion in their land and experience lasting joy. 8 For I, the Lord, love justice and hate robbery and sin. I will repay them because of my faithfulness; I will make a permanent covenant with them. 9 Their descendants will be known among the nations, their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will recognize that the Lord has blessed them.” 10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; I will be overjoyed because of my God. For he clothes me in garments of deliverance; he puts on me a robe symbolizing vindication. I look like a bridegroom when he wears a turban as a priest would; I look like a bride when she puts on her jewelry. 11 For just as the ground produces its crops and a garden yields its produce, so the Sovereign Lord will cause deliverance to grow and give his people reason to praise him in the sight of all the nations.

Texts in conversation

Compare Isaiah 61:2 and 11Q13 2:9

Hebrew Bible · Dead Sea Scrolls, Biblical Interpretation

Summary

Isaiah announces a year of God’s favor and release for captives. In 11Q13 from the Dead Sea Scrolls, it becomes the year of Melchizedek’s favor, assigning him a role in the promised deliverance and judgment.

Passages

Isaiah 61:2

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.

740–450 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Isaiah

11Q13 2:9

Dead Sea Scrolls, Biblical Interpretation · The Heavenly Prince Melchizedek

6 will bring them back to them. He will proclaim liberty to them, to release them from [the burden of] all their iniquities. And [thus] this thing will happen 7 in the first week of the jubilee that follows the nine jubilees. The Day of Atonement is the end of the tenth jubilee, 8 to atone on it for all the sons of [light] and the men of the lot of Melchizedek. […] … upon them … according to all their deeds, for 9 this is the time of the year of favor for Melchizedek and for his armies, the people of the holy ones of God, for a reign of judgment, as it is written 10 about him in the songs of David, who said, “God stands in the assembly [of El]; in the midst of the gods he judges.” And about him he said, “And above it 11 return to the heights; God will judge the peoples.” As for what he said, [“How long] will you judge unjustly and show favor to the wicked? Selah,” 12 its interpretation concerns Belial and the spirits of his lot, who […] … in their turning away from the statutes of God [to act wickedly]. 13 But Melchizedek will carry out the vengeance of the judgments of God, [and on that day he will] deliver them [from the hand of] Belial and from the hand of all the spirits [of his lot].

100–50 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in 11Q13

References

“... It turns out that Melchizedek in nQMelchizedek has much to do with the scriptural verses about him. In Genesis 14 two topics of interest in the context of the Melchizedek pericope are the release of captives taken by the invading kings (Lot was one of those captured) and the restoration of property to its rightful owners. According to scriptural legislation, both of these actions were to happen in the Year of the Jubilee; in addition, Deuter onomy 15 (quoted in the text) stipulates that in the seventh year debts were to be remitted and Hebrew slaves released (15:12-15). Another scriptural passage relating to this topic is also quoted in nQMelchizedek: Isa 61:1-2 calls for release of the captives in the year of the Lord's favor (notice that the Qumran text amazingly speaks of the year of Melchizedek's favor rather than of the Lord's favor). So the topics mentioned in Genesis 14 are in fact ones taken up in the text from cave 11, but they are transposed to an eschatological key. ...”

James C. VanderKam, The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012), 46.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

Isaiah66 chapters

Compare Isaiah 61:2 and 11Q13 2:9

Summary

Passages

Isaiah 61:2

11Q13 2:9

References

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