Isaiah 62:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Cry out, O children of Zion, behold your Deliverer is coming, bringing His rewards and His work before Him. I shall call upon you, holy ones, redeemed by the Lord; but you shall be known as the sought after and not forsaken. This heralds the coming of the Savior and reflects the immense blessings we have received through His arrival, as well as the riches bestowed upon those who put their trust in Him. He refers to Zion as His daughter. This may refer to the ancient Zion, already forgiven and justified by faith, or to the new Zion, which is the church; justly, it can be identified as the daughter of Zion, since the Israelites were the first to believe, and the Gentile church can be seen as the offspring of the original church formed by the Jews.

Who receives the mandate to proclaim to Zion? Is it not the holy guardians of the mysteries, endowed with authority to govern the churches, commanded to both open the gates and clear the path? What is the essence of the message? Behold, your Savior is coming, bringing His rewards and His work before Him. These are two divine and magnificent aspects through which the glory of the Savior is revealed. The divine prophets encouraged Zion to preach and lead lives aligned with righteous living. They reminded of the rewards that those who were esteemed received from God. However, they were not the ones dispensing spiritual gifts; they merely foretold God’s promises. The Savior, being divine, possesses the authority to grant rewards and is fully aware of each person's character and deeds, for it is written, “The ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He observes all his paths” (Proverbs 5:21). Thus, He will come with a bounty, distributing rewards to those eligible to receive them. To Peter, who rightly professed his faith, He said, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19). Moreover, all the holy apostles were endowed with authority over unclean spirits and the ability to heal every disease and affliction among people (Matthew 4:23). He also assured the criminal crucified alongside Him that his faith would be rewarded, declaring, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Therefore, as He comes, those who believe in Him shall be labeled as holy and shall be redeemed by the Lord; for it is neither a mediator nor an angel, but the Lord Himself who will save us, as it is written (Isaiah 63:9). But you, O Zion, or Church, are called the sought after and not forsaken. When sought, you are remembered, and not forsaken as were the multitude who did not believe. Thus, Christ, through Jeremiah, stated, “I have forsaken My house, I have abandoned My heritage” (Jeremiah 12:7), and by Christ, our Savior, “Behold, your house is left desolate” (Matthew 23:38).

For the Lord has declared to the ends of the earth, ‘Say to the children of Zion, "Your Savior comes, bringing His reward with Him and His work before Him," and He shall call this people holy, redeemed by the Lord: you will be called a city eagerly desired, not forsaken. He commanded the watchmen of the walls of Jerusalem, whom He had previously instructed to remain vigilant and to continually intercede, to pass through the gates of Jerusalem and prepare a way for the people. Those of mixed heritage believe this will occur in the last days, when Israel shall be saved and turn to the Lord after the full number of the Gentiles has come in. Others anticipate this fulfillment in the heavenly kingdom, where true joy will prevail and everyone will receive according to their deeds, seeing the Lord not in humiliation but as Judge, coming in the clouds with a multitude of angels to reward each according to their works. However, in light of the previous interpretation, we may understand this as relating to the first coming, where it is commanded that the apostles and those called to the apostolic ministry enter and pass through the gates that death cannot conquer, removing all hindrances so that the people may enter the Church of the Savior free from temptation. Therefore, John also proclaimed in the wilderness, ‘I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, as Isaiah the prophet said, Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight; every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low (John 1:2; Isaiah 40:3-4). This same message is articulated differently. The obstacles are cleared by the cultivator of the Church who smooths the roughness of believers' hearts. The same Baptist remarked that God can raise children of Abraham from these stones (Matt. 3:9). According to the Seventy, he who separates the faithful from the unfaithful removes barriers. To ensure the Jews do not think this message is solely for them, it is emphasized: raise a banner for the nations and the tribes of the Gentiles, so that salvation is not limited to the Jewish people but proclaimed to the ends of the earth, making known the suffering of the Creator to all. Say, declares the daughter of Zion, who might be called such because she is descended from the Jews, as expressed in the Song of Songs, "The sons of my mother are angry with me" (Song 1:5), or perhaps because she has received the name of adoption from God. For all who receive Him are granted the right to become children of God (John 1:12). What message are the leaders and teachers commanded to convey to the daughters of Zion? Behold, your Savior is coming, known as Jesus in Hebrew. That is why Gabriel instructed Joseph, ‘You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins’ (Matthew 1:21). This Savior stands as the Judge for all believers, granting rewards to the righteous and eternal punishment to the wicked (Matthew 16). The Lord and Savior Himself will call them, or as the Hebrew states, the apostles and apostolic individuals will identify them as the holy people, redeemed by the blood of Christ. The city shall no longer be referred to, as it once was, as forsaken, whether due to trade among the Jews or idolatry among the Gentiles; instead, it shall be called “elrusa” in Hebrew, continually receiving new designations that reflect the growth and diversity of its virtues.

And they shall call them a holy nation, redeemed of the Lord, and they shall call thee a sought after city, not forsaken (Isaiah 62:11-12). The apostle Paul further elucidates this when he states: Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her by cleansing her with the bath of water through the word; that he might present her to himself a glorious church, not having spot or blemish or any such thing, but that she might be holy and blameless (Ephesians 5:25-27).

It is likely that even the prophets, who foresaw the Lord's entrance into Jerusalem, envisioned not only the Jews but also Gentiles who would come to faith in Christ. He is the Savior, aptly named (Jesus means Savior) for all humanity, for His mission extended beyond the Jews to include the Gentiles. The subsequent lines of the prophecy regarding the Savior, "Having with Himself a recompense, and His work before His face," indicate that Christ the Savior is also a just Judge, equipped to reward the virtuous and to affirm the work of salvation and judgment that He has accomplished, despite the many challenges posed by His adversaries.