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From: Isaiah 62:1-5
Names of the new Jerusalem
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Commentary:
62:1-2. The new city of Jerusalem is now explicitly named; it is “Zion” (v. 1). It
will be praised in this new hymn placed on the prophet’s lips, in which he plays
poetically with the names given the city. The depiction of Zion as the spouse of
the Lord became popular among prophets from Hosea onwards.
The first stanza (vv. 1-9), addressed to the city, describes the new situation that
awaits her in terms of a series of names: no one will any longer feel alone or un-
protected, for God has shown Jerusalem the tenderness of a young husband (he
calls her “My delight and “Married”: v. 4). The advantages that derive from spou-
sal covenant can be seen (as in Hosea: cf. Hos. 2:11-15) in metaphors to do
with rich harvests (vv. 8-9).
The second stanza (vv. 10-12), spoken to those living in the city, is an exhorta-
tion to be prepared for when the Saviour will enter in glory in the last days (vv 10-
11; cf. 40:3). The poem ends (v. 12) with further plays on the names given the
city and its inhabitants.
Since the sixth century, Christian tradition has used this poem in the liturgy
of Christmas Day. The birth of Jesus has brought about the joyful union of God
and mankind in a way that surpasses that described in terms of spousal union.
A monk of the Middle Ages made this beautiful comment: “Like the bridegroom
who comes out of his chamber the Lord came down from heaven to dwell on
earth and to become one with the Church through his incarnation. The Church
was gathered together from among the Gentiles, to whom he gave his dowry
and his blessings — his dowry, when God was made man; his blessings, when
he was sacrificed for their salvation” (Fausto de Riez, “Sermo 5 in Epiphania”).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.