Isaiah 61 Bible study: Good news to the humble

The chapter opens with someone speaking of himself: "The Lord GOD’s Spirit is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the humble" (61:1) (tap anointed, good news). Then he says what he is sent to do, line after line: "He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to those who are bound, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn" (61:1-2) (tap bind, liberty, favor, vengeance). Here is what almost everyone misses: in Hebrew each thing he is sent to do is a single verb with to on the front, seven of them one after another: to preach good news, to bind up, to proclaim, to proclaim, to comfort (61:1-2), to provide and to give (61:3). Proclaim liberty is two Hebrew words, and they are the words of "proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants" (Leviticus 25:10); the chapter on Leviticus 25 follows them. And anointed is a verb Isaiah has only twice: here, and "Rise up, you princes, oil the shield!" (Isaiah 21:5).

Isaiah 61:1→leads toLuke 4:20-21

Isaiah 61 opens, "The Lord GOD’s Spirit is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the humble" (Isaiah 61:1). In Luke, Jesus (Luke 4:14) came to Nazareth, went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, "and stood up to read" (Luke 4:16). "The book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He opened the book, and found the place where it was written" (Luke 4:17). Luke gives what was written there, beginning "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor" (Luke 4:18) and ending "and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:19): words of Isaiah 61:1-2, which the WEB words differently from Isaiah's verses in places. "He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him" (Luke 4:20). And he said, "Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing" (Luke 4:21). So in Luke it is Jesus who reads "on me", and Jesus who says that this Scripture is fulfilled that day, in the hearing of those who heard him read. Isaiah's verse goes on, "and the day of vengeance of our God" (Isaiah 61:2); Luke's reading ends before those words, and Luke doesn't say why (see the honest questions).

מָשַׁחmashachsay ma-SHAKH

Brown-Driver-Briggs: "smear, anoint", including anointing "as consecration, solemn setting apart to an office". Strong's: "to rub with oil, i.e. to anoint; by implication, to consecrate". "because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the humble" (61:1). Isaiah has the verb twice: here, and "Rise up, you princes, oil the shield!" (Isaiah 21:5). The chapter on Leviticus 8 follows it from Aaron's anointing (Leviticus 8:12).