What is the meaning of Isaiah 35:10? So the redeemed of the LORD • “Redeemed” speaks of people God has literally purchased for Himself, just as Isaiah elsewhere declares, “I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine” (Isaiah 43:1; cf. Isaiah 44:22; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Revelation 5:9). • These are believers rescued from sin and its curse, not by their own merit but by the LORD’s initiative. • The verse begins with “So,” linking back to Isaiah 35’s picture of deserts blooming and the blind seeing—the redemption of creation mirrors the redemption of God’s people (Romans 8:19-23). Will return • In Isaiah’s day this promised a literal homecoming from Babylonian exile (Jeremiah 29:10-14). • Yet the greater fulfillment lies ahead: every redeemed person will be gathered to the Messiah at His visible return (Isaiah 11:11-12; Zechariah 10:8-10; Matthew 24:31). • God’s faithfulness guarantees that no one He has bought will be left behind (John 6:39). And enter Zion with singing • Zion is the concrete, covenant-centered city of God (Psalm 132:13-14; Hebrews 12:22). • The redeemed do not slink in; they arrive “with singing,” a victory parade echoing Israel’s songs after the Red Sea (Exodus 15:1-2; Psalm 126:1-3). • Worship is spontaneous because salvation is complete (Revelation 14:1-3). Crowned with everlasting joy • Joy here is not a passing emotion but a permanent, God-given “crown” (Psalm 16:11; Isaiah 61:3). • “Everlasting” underlines that this joy will outlast time, decay, and death (John 16:22; 1 Peter 1:8-9). • The imagery signals honor as well as delight—God openly celebrates His people (Zephaniah 3:17). Gladness and joy will overtake them • Isaiah piles up synonyms to stress abundance; gladness and joy do not merely accompany the redeemed, they “overtake” and surround them (Isaiah 51:11). • The emphasis is on intensity and inevitability—God’s blessings catch up to His people faster than sorrow ever did (Isaiah 61:7; Ephesians 3:20). And sorrow and sighing will flee • Every trace of grief is chased away, fulfilling the promise, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4; Isaiah 25:8). • “Flee” suggests panic; pain has no place in the perfected kingdom and must retreat before the King’s presence. • What began in Eden’s loss ends in Zion’s gain—the reversal is complete (Genesis 3:17-19 vs. Revelation 22:3). summary Isaiah 35:10 offers a literal, unshakable promise: God’s purchased people will physically gather to His holy city, overflowing with unending joy, while every sorrow is forever banished. It anchors present hope, fuels worship, and assures believers that their future with the LORD is both certain and unimaginably good. |
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