Discovery BoxIsaiah 61:3-5 
Context61:3 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
61:4 They will rebuild the perpetual ruins
and restore the places that were desolate; 6
they will reestablish the ruined cities,
the places that have been desolate since ancient times.
61:5 7 “Foreigners will take care of 8 your sheep;
foreigners will work in your fields and vineyards.
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 tn Heb “and the formerly desolate places they will raise up.”
7 sn The Lord speaks in vv. 7-8 (and possibly v. 9). It is not clear where the servant’s speech (see vv. 1-3a) ends and the Lord’s begins. Perhaps the direct address to the people signals the beginning of the Lord’s speech.
8 tn Heb “will stand [in position] and shepherd.”
