Isaiah 61
A student suggests that Isaiah 61 is chiastically organized, and centers on verses 5-6, which promise that strangers will pasture the flocks of Israel and that Israel will consume the treasures of the nations.
Overall, the passage announces the good news of return, the great Jubilee of Israel’s restoration to her land following the Babylonian exile, and moves toward the climactic marriage/garden scene in verses 10-11. And at the center of this prophecy of Israel’s restoration is a promise of the inclusion of Gentiles. The “mechanism” of Israel’s restoration is the incorporation of the nations.
In other words: Israel’s hardening happened for the sake of the nations; and once the Gentiles have been turned, then all Israel shall be saved.
Peter Leithart
Peter J. Leithart is President of Theopolis Institute. He is the author of numerous books on theology, literature, and culture, including Theopolitan, Defending Constantine, and Baptized Body.
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