Chapter Thirty-Five

1–10. The redemption of Israel and his return to his homeland

Isa 35:1-10. Concluding the first part of his prophecies, Isaiah draws a magnificent picture of the transformation of a dry desert into a splendid blooming valley and the cessation of all human sufferings arising from illnesses and deformities. A road will be laid through this desert for God’s chosen ones to their native land and they will return in peace and joy to Zion.

Isaiah 35:1. The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; Isaiah 35:2. it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing; the glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon; they shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. What does the prophet mean by desert and dry steppe? The following verses (3–6) provide the answer to this question. From this we can conclude that the prophet had in mind his own people, the Jewish people, who during the Babylonian captivity represented as it were a dry desert, devoid of all vegetation. Yes, in the Jewish people for a time, as it were, life ceased entirely, and their land, deprived of population, certainly deserved the name of a steppe. But such a time, says the prophet, will end. All this dry steppe will be covered with beautiful crocuses (the Hebrew word here – bezil – means bulbous plants of various colors) and will equal in its fertility the most fertile and beautiful regions of Palestine (cf. Isa 33:9; Isa 29:17; Isa 32:15). “They shall see.” This expression does not fit the words “desert” and “steppe.” It is better to understand it this way: the prophet is pointing to the Jews, who will see, i.e. will convince themselves with their own eyes, of the greatness and omnipotence of the Lord.

Isaiah 35:3. Strengthen the feeble hands and make firm the weak knees; Isaiah 35:4. say to those of fearful heart: be strong, do not fear; behold, your God comes with vengeance, with the recompense of God; he will come and save you. Isaiah 35:5. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Isaiah 35:6. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute shall sing; for waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. In view of this glorious future, the downcast Jews should take heart – for to them comes the help of the Almighty himself, who will restore sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf and so forth, and in the dry desert waters shall break forth. It is very probable that the prophet, first (verse 4) pointing to the speedy deliverance of the Hebrews from captivity by the Lord himself, who is coming to save his people, speaks further of the Messianic times – of the times of the restoration of mankind, which now suffers from various bodily afflictions. Of course, by the deaf, blind and so forth, one can understand also those deaf and blind in the figurative sense of the word, but there is no doubt that the Jews themselves, until the times of Christ the Savior, understood this passage as a prophecy of the saving activity of the Messiah, delivering people from all evil. If the prophet’s words were to be understood otherwise, Christ the Savior would not have cited them as a prophecy of the miracles which he performed on earth, when John the Baptist asked him: Are you the Messiah? (Matt 11:5). “For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,” that is, “do not be afraid then, you of little faith! Everything will change for the better and in the dry wilderness there will be much water.” These words serve as a transition to the following description of the path by which the liberated Hebrews will travel.

Isaiah 35:7. And the mirage shall become a lake, and the thirsty land shall become springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they rest, there shall be grass and reeds and papyrus. “The mirage” – this is a light phenomenon, known in physics as a fata morgana, or mirage. To a traveler in the desert, exhausted by thirst, it often suddenly appears that there is a lake or pond in the distance and he hastens forward to quench his thirst. But alas! this vision vanishes and in its place is the same sandy steppe as before. “Jackals” or hyenas love dry places. “Grass and reeds and papyrus” – on the other hand, plants which can exist only near water.

Isaiah 35:8. And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for his people; whoever walks the way, even if unlearned, shall not go astray. Isaiah 35:9. No lion shall be there, and no savage beast shall go up on it; it shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. “Holy Way,” that is, inaccessible to ordinary, sinful people. This is evidently the path in the Messianic kingdom, not the path to the kingdom of the Messiah, because the latter paths are traveled only by those still seeking purification, not the holy. “Even if unlearned” – this probably refers to the Gentiles, called into the kingdom of Christ and at first feeling themselves quite inexperienced, unlearned in spiritual matters. “Lion... and savage beast” – symbols of evil people and demonic forces. The discourse again is clearly about the glorified kingdom of Christ, because here on earth the members of the Church of Christ still continue to be subjected to temptations and attacks from the devil and his servants. “The redeemed.” Here, it appears, the discourse is less about deliverance from Babylonian captivity than about deliverance from slavery to sin and death.

Isaiah 35:10. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Here too the prophet is probably alluding to the joy in which the righteous will rejoice in the glorious kingdom of Christ, because only in relation to this phase of human life can the expression “everlasting joy” be applied (Holy John Chrysostom). The last phrase alludes to the custom of the ancients, who in sign of joy and gladness adorned their heads with wreaths (upon their heads). The chapter can be divided into the following stanzas: 1st stanza – verses 1–6a) – (3, 2, 2, 2) 2nd stanza – verses 6b)–10 – (3, 2, 2, 2) The chapter is appointed to be read as a paremia on the feast of the Lord’s Baptism, because it speaks of the revitalization or rebirth of mankind, which was accomplished by Christ the Savior taking upon himself at his baptism the sins of all people. Because of this, mankind, which had until then represented a dry and barren desert, came alive to new life. Perhaps the Church also had in mind the mention of the Jordan, in which the Lord Jesus Christ was baptized.