Isaiah 61:2to proclaim the year of Yahweh's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;
The setting
Jerusalem, ~700 BC. Isaiah prophesies both comfort for mourners and future judgment. Jesus would quote the comfort part but stop before vengeance in modern-day Israel...
The emotion here: heavy-hearted while seeing both future comfort and necessary judgment
The original word
nāḥam (נָחַם) — to comfort deeply, to bring relief that changes everything
Why it matters
Jesus stopped reading mid-verse when He quoted this in Luke 4:19 - He came first to comfort, not judge
Read with care
What most readers miss in Isaiah 61:2
Jesus intentionally stopped reading before 'day of vengeance' - His first coming was about comfort, not judgment
Common misconceptionPeople focus on the vengeance part, but the heart of this verse is divine comfort for those who mourn - God's primary desire is to heal, not punish.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Isaiah 61:2
Bible Genome reading
Isaiah 61:2 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Isaiah 61:2 comes from the book of Isaiah, written during the Divided Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Isaiah. The dominant emotion in this verse is worship, with a comfort power of 80% and a tone that is prophetic. It belongs to the prophecy genre of biblical literature. Key themes include divine favor, comfort, judgment. Notable phrases: year of Yahweh's favor; day of vengeance; comfort all who mourn. This verse contains a promise of God. This verse contains prophecy.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same worship
“Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God; Yahweh is one:”
— Deuteronomy 6:4
“and you shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.”
— Deuteronomy 6:5
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:”
— Ecclesiastes 3:1
“Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.”
— John 14:6
“Jesus said to them, "Most certainly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM."”
— John 8:58
Your reflection
What does Isaiah 61:2 mean to you, today?
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