Isaiah 61:3

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. TO APPOINT UNTO THEM THAT MOURN IN ZION, TO GIVE UNTO THEM. "To appoint ... to give" - the double verb, with the one and the same accusative, imparts glowing vehemence to the style. BEAUTY FOR ASHES. There is a play on the sound and meaning of the Hebrew words, pª'eer (H6287) ... 'eeper (H665): literally, 'ornamental head-dress' or tiara (Ezekiel 24:17), worn in times of joy, instead of a head-dress of "ashes," cas...

3._To appoint to the mourners in Zion. _He proceeds with the same subject; for he means that the punishment which was to be inflicted on the people shall be such as still to leave room for forgiveness. And, in order more fully to convince them of it, he says that the Lord has charged him with this office, that he may proclaim this deliverance; and not to himself only, but also to others, till the chief messenger arrive, namely, Christ, who actually bestows and exhibits what God at that time commanded to be made known for a future period. Yet he means that the “mourning” shall not hinder God from giving ground of joy, when he shall think proper; for “to appoint” has the same meaning as “to fix the time,” that the tediousness of delay may not discourage them. _That I may give to them beauty for ashes. _By the word, _give _he speaks with commendation of the efficacy of the prediction, that...

1-3 The prophets had the Holy Spirit of God at times, teaching them what to say, and causing them to say it; but Christ had the Spirit always, without measure, to qualify him, as man, for the work to which he was appointed. The poor are commonly best disposed to receive the gospel, James 2:5; and it is only likely to profit us when received with meekness. To such as are poor in spirit, Christ preached good tidings when he said, Blessed are the meek. Christ's satisfaction is accepted. By the dominion of sin in us, we are bound under the power of Satan; but the Son is ready, by his Spirit, to make us free; and then we shall be free indeed. Sin and Satan were to be destroyed; and Christ triumphed over them on his cross. But the children of men, who stand out against these offers, shall be dealt with as enemies. Christ was to be a Comforter, and so he is; he is sent to comfort all who mourn...

Verse Isaiah 61:3. _TO APPOINT UNTO THEM THAT MOURN IN ZION_ - "To impart _gladness_ to the mourners of Zion"] A word necessary to the sense is certainly lost in this place, of which the ancient Versions have preserved no traces. Houbigant, by conjecture, inserts the word ששון _sason, gladness_, taken from the line next but one below, where it stands opposed to אבל _ebel, sorrow_ or _mourning_, as the word lost here was to אבלי _abeley, mourners_: I follow him. - L. _BEAUTY FOR ASHES_ - "A beautiful crown instead of ashes"] In times of mourning the Jews put on sackcloth, or coarse and sordid raiment, and spread dust and ashes on their heads; on the contrary, splendid clothing and ointment poured on the head were the signs of joy. "Feign thyself to be a mourner," says Joab to the woman of Tekoah, "and put on now mourning apparel, and a

TO APPOINT UNTO THEM - Hebrew, ‘To place;’ that is, to place happiness before them; to give them joy arid consolation. THAT MOURN IN ZION - (See the notes at Isaiah 1:8). The mourners in Zion mean those who dwelt in Jerusalem; then all those who are connected with the church of God - his poor and afflicted people. TO GIVE UNTO THEM BEAUTY FOR ASHES - In the Hebrew there is here a beautiful paronomasia, which cannot be transferred to our language - אפר תחת פאר _pe'ēr_ _tachath_ _'êpher_. The word rendered ‘beauty’ (פאר _pe'ēr_) means properly a head-dress, turban, tiara, or diadem; and the idea is, that the Redeemer would impart to his mourning p

SECTION VIII.—SOLILOQUY OF THE SERVANT OF THE LORD, WHO PROMISES GLORY AND PROSPERITY TO JERUSALEM (Isaiah 61:1; Isaiah 62:1.). EXPOSITION ISAIAH 61:1 THE MISSION OF THE SERVANT OF THE LORD. The words of our Lord in...

TO APPOINT UNTO THEM THAT MOURN IN ZION,.... Or, "to the mourners of Zion" u; such who are of Zion, belong to the church of God, and mourn for the corruptions in Zion's doctrines; for the perversion, abuse, and neglect of Zion's ordinances; for the disorders and divisions in Zion; for the declensions there, as to the exercise of grace, and the power of godliness; for the few instances of conversions there, or few additions to it; for the carelessness, ease, and lukewarmness of many professors in Zion; and for their unbecoming lives and conversations. Now one part of Christ's work is to "appoint" comfort to such; he has appointed it in counsel and covenant from eternity; made provision for it in the blessings and promises of his grace; he has "set" w or put it in the ministry of the word; be has ordered his ministering servants to speak comfortably to his people; yea, by his Spirit he "pu...

Isaiah 61:1. _The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;_ How condescending and how kind are the objects of our Saviour's mission to put an end to sorrow. He looks out the mourners: they are the especial objects of his care, and all that he does has this for one of its grand objects to comfort all that mourn. Surely if there be any troubled heart here, it may claim an interest in such a divine work as this. Jesus has come to comfort all that mourn. Shall he not comfort you? Isaiah 61

CHAPTER 61 The King, Jehovah's Messenger: His People and their Salvation Song 1. _Jehovah's Messenger and His work (Isaiah 61:1) _ 2. _His people a kingdom of priests and their work (Isaiah 61:6) _ 3. _The salvation song (Isaiah 61:10) _ 4. _The blessings of the whole earth (Isaiah 61:11_ Luke 4:1 tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ applied the opening verses to Himself. The destructive criticism denies both the Isaiah authorship of this chapter and its messianic application. The satanic origin of this kind of criticism is here ful

ISAIAH 61-62. THE COMING YEAR OF GRACE. Isaiah 61:1. The prophet speaks of his call in language reminiscent of the Servant Songs. Yahweh's spirit abides with me, because He has ordained me. He has sent me to bring glad news to the distressed; to proclaim freedom to the Jews in bondage; to herald the year of favour to those who love Yahweh, which shall prove a day of vengeance upon His foes; to comfort all mourners, giving them a - coronal for a coronach-' (so Box, bringing out a word-play in Heb.), festal unguents for mourning attire, and songs for sighs. They shall be called - Terebinths of Triumph-' (- righteousness-') planted by Yahweh for His glory. They shall rebuild the cities that have long been desolate ruins. ISAIAH 61:1. MEEK: Heb. may mean either poor or pious; parallelism favour