“Yahweh is restoring
The majesty of Jacob.
He is restoring
The majesty of Israel,
Even though ravagers
Have ravaged them.
They have ruined
Their branches.”
Yahweh was going to restore the majesty of Jacob and Israel, both the north and the south. Even though they had been ravaged, even though some of their branches had been ruined, they would be restored.
“You shall go out in joy!
You shall be led back in peace!
The mountains before you
Shall burst into song.
The hills before you
Shall break out into singing.
All the trees of the field
Shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn bushes,
The cypress tree shall come up.
Instead of the briar patch,
The myrtle tree shall come up.
It shall be a memorial to Yahweh.
It shall be an everlasting sign
That you shall not be cut off.”
Second Isaiah concludes this section by talking about a happy return to Jerusalem. The Israelites will return in joy and peace because the singing mountains and hills are alive with the sound of music. The trees of the field will clap with their branches, as if they were hands. Instead of thorn bushes and briar patches, cypress and myrtle trees will grow. This will be a memorial to Yahweh as an everlasting sign that they will never be cut off from Yahweh again.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 