Isaiah 61:11

11 For as the earth {produces} its sprout, and as a garden makes its plants sprout, so the Lord Yahweh will make righteousness sprout, and praise before all the nations.

Isaiah 61:11 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 61:11

For as the earth bringeth forth her bud
Of tender grass in the spring of the year, after a long and cold winter, being well manured:

and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring
forth
being enclosed, and better taken care of, and well watered, and dunged, and cultivated; seeds sown in such a rich soil spring up freely, strongly, and constantly:

so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth
before all the nations;
that is, the righteousness and salvation of his people through Christ, by which they shall be justified and saved; and on account of which they shall praise the Lord, and shall be to honour and praise themselves, being interested in those blessings in the sight of all the Christian nations around them. It respects the conversion of the Jews, and their justification and salvation, and the suddenness of it, and the large numbers of them converted, who should rise up at once like the buds of grass out of the earth; and denotes the flourishing condition in which they shall be, like a garden abounding with all manner of flowers and fruit; and suggests how full of joy, thankfulness, and praise to God they should be, and how honourable in the sight of men; and all this will be the Lord's doing, and owing to his efficacious grace. The Targum is,

``so the Lord God will reveal the righteousness and praise of Jerusalem before all the people.''

Isaiah 61:11 In-Context

9 And their descendants will be known among the nations, and their offspring in the midst of the peoples. All those who see them shall recognize them, that they [are] descendants [whom] Yahweh has blessed.

10 I will rejoice greatly in Yahweh; my being shall shout in exultation in my God. For he has clothed me [with] garments of salvation, he has covered me [with the] robe of righteousness, as [a] bridegroom adorns [himself] [with] a head wrap like a priest, and as [a] bride adorns herself [with] her jewelry.

11 For as the earth {produces} its sprout, and as a garden makes its plants sprout, so the Lord Yahweh will make righteousness sprout, and praise before all the nations.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "brings out"