61:3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,
by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,
oil symbolizing joy, 1 instead of mourning,
a garment symbolizing praise, 2 instead of discouragement. 3
They will be called oaks of righteousness, 4
trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor. 5
61:10 I 6 will greatly rejoice 7 in the Lord;
I will be overjoyed because of my God. 8
For he clothes me in garments of deliverance;
he puts on me a robe symbolizing vindication. 9
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. 10
1 tn Heb “oil of joy” (KJV, ASV); NASB, NIV, NRSV “the oil of gladness.”
2 tn Heb “garment of praise.”
3 tn Heb “a faint spirit” (so NRSV); KJV, ASV “the spirit of heaviness”; NASB “a spirit of fainting.”
4 tn Rather than referring to the character of the people, צֶדֶק (tsedeq) may carry the nuance “vindication” here, suggesting that God’s restored people are a testimony to his justice. See v. 2, which alludes to the fact that God will take vengeance against the enemies of his people. Cf. NAB “oaks of justice.”
5 tn Heb “a planting of the Lord to reveal splendor.”
6 sn The speaker in vv. 10-11 is not identified, but it is likely that the personified nation (or perhaps Zion) responds here to the Lord’s promise of restoration.
7 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.
8 tn Heb “my being is happy in my God”; NAB “in my God is the joy of my soul.”
9 tn Heb “robe of vindication”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “robe of righteousness.”
10 tn Heb “like a bridegroom [who] acts like a priest [by wearing] a turban, and like a bride [who] wears her jewelry.” The words “I look” are supplied for stylistic reasons and clarification.