Isaiah 51:12

"Those ransomed by the LORD will return, and come with singing to Zion. Everlasting joy shall be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy. Sorrow and sighing shall flee away."

Key Reflection

Isaiah 51:12 envisions a future return of God’s redeemed people to Zion, their holy city, with a vivid picture of joy and celebration. The original audience would have understood this in the context of Israel’s long history of suffering and exile, where they had been scattered among foreign nations (cf. Isaiah 43:5-6). The promise of returning “with singing” and experiencing “everlasting joy” resonated with their hope for liberation from oppression and the restoration of their national identity under God’s protection in Jerusalem.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

I even I am he that comforteth you -The word ‘I’ is repeated here to give emphasis to the passage, and to impress deeply upon them the fact that their consolation came alone from God. The argument is, that since God was their protector and friend, they had no occasion to fear anything that man could do. Of a man that shall die -God your comforter will endure forever. But all men - even the most mighty - must soon die. And if God is our protector, what occasion can we have to fear what a mere mortal can do to us? And of the son of man -This phrase is common in the Hebrew Scriptures, and means the same as man.

More from Isaiah 51

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