Isaiah 61:2

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,.... Not an exact year, but time in general; for such are wrong, who from hence conclude that Christ's public ministry lasted but a year, since it is

To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord - the year of jubilee on which 'liberty was

To proclaim; to declare, as it respects the Jews, that their liberty is at hand. The acceptable year, viz. the happy age of God’ s grace, either which will be grateful and welcome news to them, or acceptable to God, a time wherein it pleaseth him to favour them; but this must be understood of a further extent than to Babylon, and rather unto mankind in Jesus Christ, , called a time of God’ s good-will in that angelical song, , on the account of those good tidings which the angel brought, ,11; called so possibly from the arbitrariness and good pleasure of God, having no respect to any satisfaction from man. Year; not precisely, as if Christ preached but one year, the mistake of some ancients, mentioned and refuted by Irenaeus, lib. 2. ch. 38; but for time indefinitely, and may include the whole time of preaching the gospel; see ; which I take to be the meaning of that now, , and probably hath a pertinent allusion to the year of jubilee, which was a general release proclaimed by sound of trumpet, which relates also here to the word proclaiming, . The day of vengeance, viz. on Babylon, it being necessary, that where God will deliver his people, he should take vengeance on their enemies; but mystically and principally on the enemies of his church, and the spiritual ones chiefly, viz. Satan, sin, and death. That mourn; either by reason of their sufferings, or of their sins, ; or the miseries of Zion. See Poole "".

Isaiah 61:2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;Ver. 2. To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.] The new and true jubilee, or year of releasement, called here in the Hebrew the year of good will, like as the elect are called the men of God’ s good will. This year is now, and the present now must be embraced and improved, since God is but a while with men in the opportunities of grace; which opportunities are headlong, and, once past, irrecoverable. And the day of vengeance of our God.] Tribulation to them that trouble his people. Gog and Magog shall down in that day; all humans be hanged up at that royal feast, at the last day especially. To comfort all that mourn.] This Christ did both by word and deed, and this must all his ministers do: "Comfort the feebleminded"; not burdening men’ s consciences with human traditions and merit of works. Popery is a doctrine of desperation.

(2) To proclaim the acceptable year . . .—The Year of Jubilee is still, perhaps, in the prophet’s thoughts; but the chief point of the promise is the contrast between the “year” of favour and the single “day” of vengeance, reminding us of the like contrast in Exodus 20:5-6.

2. the acceptable year of the Lord] Rather, a year of Jehovah’s favour (ch. Isaiah 49:8); and so in the next line, a day of our God’s vengeance (cf. Isaiah 63:4, ch. Isaiah 34:8). vengeance] i.e. on the oppressors of Israel, perhaps also on the sinful members of the nation (Isaiah 59:16 ff.). to comfort all that mourn] Cf. ch. Isaiah 57:18. The clause belongs properly to the next verse.

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord - (see the notes at Isaiah 49:8).

1-3. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me — Upon whom? The use which our Lord Jesus Christ at Nazareth (Luke 4:16-22) made of these words must decide that he made himself the person meant.