JesajaLuku 59

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Look, the LORD's hand is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.

It is your sins that have made a separation between you and your God; your wrongdoing has hidden his face from you, so that he does not hear.

For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with guilt; your lips speak lies, your tongue mutters injustice.

No one calls for justice; no one pleads a case honestly. They trust in emptiness and speak worthless words; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.

They hatch the eggs of vipers and weave the spider's web. Whoever eats their eggs dies, and when one is crushed, a viper breaks out.

Their webs will make no clothing; they cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their deeds are deeds of evil, and acts of violence fill their hands.

Their feet run to evil, and they hurry to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are thoughts of wickedness; ruin and destruction mark their roads.

The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths. They have made their roads crooked; no one who walks in them knows peace.

So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We hope for light, but there is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in gloom.

We grope along the wall like the blind, we grope like those without eyes. We stumble at noon as if it were twilight; among the strong we are like the dead.

We all growl like bears and moan mournfully like doves. We hope for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it stays far from us.

For our rebellions against you are many, and our sins testify against us. Our rebellions are with us, and we know our iniquities:

rebelling against the LORD and denying him, turning away from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving lies in the heart and uttering them.

So justice is driven back and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the public square, and honesty cannot enter.

Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever turns from evil is plundered. The LORD saw it, and it was evil in his eyes that there was no justice.

He saw that there was no one, and he was appalled that no one intervened. So his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness sustained him.

He put on righteousness as armor and the helmet of salvation on his head; he clothed himself in the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak.

According to their deeds he will repay: wrath to his adversaries, retribution to his enemies; to the coastlands he will render what is due.

for he will come like a pent-up river, driven by the breath of the LORD.[^1] [^1]: Or "when the adversary comes like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD will drive him back." The Hebrew word can mean either "narrow, pent-up" or "adversary."

"A Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from rebellion," declares the LORD.

"And as for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD: "My Spirit, who is upon you, and my words, which I have put in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouths of your children, nor from the mouths of their descendants, from now on and forever," says the LORD.

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Yhteenveto2

Luku 59

Main Theme: Israel's sin creates separation from God, but the Lord Himself intervenes as Savior and Redeemer.

Content: The chapter begins by affirming that God's arm is not too short to save, but the people's sins and lies have created a barrier between them and God. Righteousness, truth, and justice are lacking in society—evil and violence prevail. When God sees that no one steps forward, He intervenes Himself as a warrior, with righteousness as His armor and salvation as His helmet. A Redeemer will come to Zion, and God establishes an eternal covenant: His Spirit and word shall never depart from the people.

Key Words/Images:

God's arm (v.1, 16): Symbol of God's saving power—it is not too short, but sin hinders its effect.
Darkness and blindness (vv.9–10): Images of the consequences of sin—the people grope like the blind and walk in darkness.
Warrior's armor (v.17): God puts on righteousness as a breastplate, salvation as a helmet, and zeal as a cloak.
The Redeemer (v.20): One who comes to Zion to save those who turn from sin.
The eternal covenant (v.21): God's promise that His Spirit and word will remain with the people forever.

Historiallinen konteksti

Historical and Cultural Context for Isaiah 59

Key Concepts

The chapter contains several Hebrew expressions with deep theological significance. The expression "the Lord’s hand is not too short" (v. 1, hebr. lo qatsrah yad-YHWH) is an idiom meaning that God lacks neither power nor ability. A "short hand" symbolized powerlessness in Old Testament thought, while a "stretched-out arm" represented divine power and intervention.

The word "mafgia" (מַפְגִּיעַ) in verse 16, translated as "intercessor" or "mediator," describes someone who steps in between or intervenes on behalf of others. This term takes on messianic significance in Isaiah 53:12, where the suffering servant "makes intercession for transgressors." God’s surprise that no such person exists underscores the need for divine intervention.

Events and Customs

The image of God putting on armor in verse 17 (breastplate, helmet, garments of vengeance, cloak of zeal) draws from Old Testament traditions concerning warrior kings. In the ancient Near East, kings were also military leaders, and gods were often depicted as warriors. Here YHWH is presented as the divine warrior who must fight the battle Himself because no human champion can be found. Paul later applies this imagery to the Christian in Ephesians 6:14–17.

The serpent imagery in verse 5 (hebr. tsif'oni – viper, and ef'eh – adder) was well known in Near Eastern cultures. Serpents symbolized evil, deceit, and deadly danger. The image of hatching serpent eggs and weaving spider webs illustrates how evil produces more evil and how human "work" apart from God is worthless and dangerous.

Chapter-Specific Findings

The chapter concludes with covenant language in verse 21 containing the formulation "my Spirit who is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth". This linking of Spirit and Word within a covenant context has parallels in Hittite and Assyrian vassal treaties, where the king’s words were to be preserved and passed on to future generations. The eternal covenant extending to "your offspring and your offspring’s offspring" reflects formulations known from royal decrees in the ancient Near East, but here they are given a spiritual and eternal dimension that surpasses political agreements.

Henkilöt

Tässä luvussa ei ole tunnettuja henkilöitä.

Avainsanat7

Sin — An action, thought, or attitude that breaks with God's will and morality. It creates a spiritual separation between people and God.
Righteousness — God's moral standard that people are called to follow. It involves acting rightly and justly in relation to both God and other people.
Salvation — God's grace and mercy that saves people from the consequences of sin and restores their relationship with God.
Spirit — God's invisible and immaterial presence that gives power, guidance, and comfort to people.
Judgment — God's righteous evaluation of people's actions and thoughts, and the dispensing of reward or punishment based on their adherence to His standards.
Redeemer — A term for Jesus Christ, who according to Christian faith sacrificed his life to free people from sin and death and restore their relationship with God.
Truth — That which is in agreement with reality and God's revelation. Truth is a central concept in the Bible and is the foundation of a right relationship with God and other people.