Глава 35

1–10. Redemption of Israel and its return to its homeland Isa.35:1–10. Concluding the first part of his prophecies, Isaiah paints a majestic picture of the transformation of a dry desert into a magnificent flowering valley and the cessation of all human disasters resulting from disease and deformity. A road will be paved through this desert for God’s chosen ones to their native land, and they will return in peace and joy to Zion. Isa.35:1. The desert and the dry land will rejoice, and the uninhabited country will rejoice and bloom like a daffodil; Isa.35:2. It will bloom magnificently and rejoice, it will triumph and rejoice; the glory of Lebanon will be given to her, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the greatness 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 Jewish people, which during the Babylonian captivity was like a dry desert, devoid of any vegetation. Yes, for a time, life seemed to have completely ceased among the Jewish people, and their country, devoid of population, already deserved the name of steppe. But such a time, says the prophet, will end. This entire dry steppe will be covered with beautiful daffodils (the Hebrew word here - bezil - means bulbous plants of different colors) and will be equal in fertility to the most fertile and beautiful areas of Palestine (cf. Is. 33:9; Is. 29:17; Is. 32:15). "They will see". This expression does not fit the words desert and steppe. It is better to understand it in such a way that the prophet here points to the Jews who will see, that is, be convinced with their own eyes of the greatness and omnipotence of the Lord. Isa.35:3. Strengthen your weak hands and strengthen your trembling knees; Isa.35:4. say to the timid in soul: be strong, do not be afraid; Behold your God, vengeance will come, God’s recompense; He will come and save you. Isa.35:5. Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Isa.35:6. Then the lame will leap up like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb will sing; For waters will break out in the desert, and streams in the desert. In view of this glorious future, the weakened Jews should perk up in spirit - after all, the Almighty Himself is coming to their aid, Who will restore sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, etc., and streams will break through in the dry desert. It is very likely that the prophet, first (4th v.), pointing to the imminent liberation of the Jews from captivity by the Lord Himself, Who is already coming to save His people, speaks further about the Messianic times - about the times of restoration of humanity, which now suffers from various bodily anomalies. Of course, by deaf, blind, etc. one can also mean blind, deaf in the figurative sense of the word, but there is no doubt that the Jews themselves, before the time of Christ the Savior, understood this place as a prophecy about the activity of the Messiah saving people from all evil. If the words of the prophet should have been understood differently, then Christ the Savior would not have cited them as a prophecy about those miracles that He performed on earth when John the Baptist asked Him: Is He the Messiah? (Matthew 11:5). “For the waters will break forth in the desert”, i.e. “Do not be afraid, you faint-hearted! Everything will change for the better and there will be plenty of water in the dry desert.” These words represent a transition to the following description of the path that the Jews freed from captivity will take. Isa.35:7. And the ghost of waters will turn into a lake, and the thirsty earth into springs of waters; in the jackals' home, where they rest, there will be a place for reeds and reeds. The “ghost of the waters” is a light phenomenon known in physics as a fata morgana, or mirage. A thirsty traveler walking in the desert often suddenly sees a lake or pond in the distance and he hurries forward to quench his thirst. But, woe! this vision will disappear and in its place will be the same sandy steppe that was before. "Jackals" or hyenas love dry places. “Reed and reed” - opposite plants that can only exist near water. Isa.35:8. And there will be a high road there, and the way along it will be called the holy way: no unclean person will walk on it; but he will be for them alone; Those who follow this path, even inexperienced ones, will not get lost. Isa.35:9. The lion will not be there, and the wild beast will not mount him; he will not be found there, but the redeemed will walk. “The holy path,” that is, inaccessible to ordinary, sinful people. These are obviously the paths that go through the Messianic kingdom, and not into the kingdom of the Messiah, because these last paths are taken only by those still thirsting for purification, and not by saints. “Inexperienced” are, most likely, pagans who were called to the Kingdom of Christ and at first felt here rather ignorant and inexperienced with regard to spiritual life. “Lion... and a beast of prey” are symbols of evil people and demonic forces. We are talking again, obviously, about the glorified Kingdom of Christ, because here on earth, members of the Church of Christ still continue to be subjected to temptations and attacks from the devil and his servants. "The Redeemed". Here, apparently, we are talking not so much about deliverance from Babylonian captivity, but about deliverance from slavery to sin and death. Isa.35:10. And the redeemed of the Lord will return, they will come to Zion with joyful shouting; and everlasting joy will be upon their heads; they will find joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing will be removed. Here, too, the prophet most likely means the joy that the righteous will rejoice in the glorious kingdom of Christ, because only in relation to this phase of people’s lives can the expression be used: eternal joy (St. John Chrysostom). The last phrase indicates the custom of the ancients to decorate their heads with wreaths (above their heads) as a sign of fun and joy. The chapter can be divided into the following stanzas: Stanza 1 – 1–6a) verse – (3, 2, 2, 2) Stanza 2 – 6b)-verse 10 – (3, 2, 2, 2) The chapter is supposed to be read as a paremia for the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, because it talks about the revival or rebirth of humanity, which took place thanks to the fact that Christ the Savior took upon Himself the sins of all people in baptism. From this, humanity, which had hitherto been a dry and barren desert, came to life to a new life. Perhaps the Church also had in mind the mention of the Jordan, in which the Lord Jesus Christ was baptized. You might be interested in: