Isaiah 61

Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · 700 BC – 500 BC · Return & rebuilding · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·

11 verses · 357 words · ~2 min read · ~2 min listen

The Year of the LORDʼs Favor

Luke 4:16–30

¹The Spirit of the Lord God is on Me,

because the Lord has anointed Me

to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives

and freedom to the prisoners,

²to proclaim the year of the Lordʼs favor

and the day of our Godʼs vengeance,

to comfort all who mourn,

³to console the mourners in Zion—

to give them a crown of beauty for ashes,

the oil of joy for mourning,

and a garment of praise for a spirit of despair.

So they will be called oaks of righteousness,

the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

⁴They will rebuild the ancient ruins;

they will restore the places long devastated;

they will renew the ruined cities,

the desolations of many generations.

⁵Strangers will stand and feed your flocks,

and foreigners will be your plowmen and vinedressers.

⁶But you will be called the priests of the Lord;

they will speak of you as ministers of our God;

you will feed on the wealth of nations,

and you will boast in their riches.

⁷Instead of shame, My people will have a double portion,

and instead of humiliation, they will rejoice in their share;

and so they will inherit a double portion in their land,

and everlasting joy will be theirs.

⁸For I, the Lord, love justice;

I hate robbery and iniquity;

in My faithfulness I will give them their recompense

and make an everlasting covenant with them.

⁹Their descendants will be known among the nations,

and their offspring among the peoples.

All who see them will acknowledge

that they are a people the Lord has blessed.

¹⁰I will rejoice greatly in the Lord,

my soul will exult in my God;

for He has clothed me with garments of salvation

and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness,

as a bridegroom wears a priestly headdress,

as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

¹¹For as the earth brings forth its growth,

and as a garden enables seed to spring up,

so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise

to spring up before all the nations.

Footnotes (2)

a v1 Hebrew; LXX to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind; cited in Luke 4:18
b v2 Or to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD; cited in Luke 4:19

Study notes on this chapter · 3

Type / patternWidely held reading

The year of Jubilee

Every fiftieth year slaves were freed, debts forgiven and land returned. In the Nazareth synagogue Jesus reads Isaiah 61, which speaks of a proclamation of release and the year of the LORD's favor, in language that echoes the Jubilee, and says 'Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing'.

When: Leviticus (Sinai era); Jesus' Nazareth sermon, c. AD 27–28.

Original passageLeviticus 25:8–13Isaiah 61:1–2

Echoed inLuke 4:16–21

Ways people read this (3)

Jesus announces a spiritual Jubilee of forgiveness and freedom.
Some also take it as a mandate for social release (debt, poverty and oppression); others say the application is primarily spiritual.
It is uncertain how fully Israel actually kept the Jubilee.

Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.

Prophecy & fulfillmentLinked by the New Testament

The blind see, the lame walk

When John the Baptist asks from prison whether Jesus is the coming one, Jesus answers by listing what is happening: the blind see, the lame walk, the dead are raised, the poor hear good news. These are the signs Isaiah linked with God's coming to save.

When: Isaiah, c. 700 BC; Jesus' reply to John's disciples, c. AD 28–29.

Original passageIsaiah 35:5–6Isaiah 29:18–19Isaiah 61:1

Where the New Testament applies itMatthew 11:2–6Luke 7:18–23

Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.

Prophecy & fulfillmentLinked by the New Testament

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me

An anointed messenger brings good news to the poor, freedom to captives, and a year of the LORD's favor. In the synagogue at Nazareth Jesus reads it and says, 'Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.'

When: Isaiah 56–66; read by Jesus c. AD 27–28.

Original passageIsaiah 61:1–2

Where the New Testament applies itLuke 4:16–21

Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.

See all prophecy & fulfillment notes →

Isaiah 61

The Year of the LORDʼs Favorⓘ

Study notes on this chapter · 3

The year of Jubilee

The blind see, the lame walk

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me

The Year of the LORDʼs Favor