Preaching And Reading The Old Testament Lessons
This passage forms the middle chapter of an announcement of salvation that is found in Isaiah 60--62. It comes from a collection of post--exilic prophecy known as Third Isaiah (chs. 56--66), and is directed to the Judean community that has returned from Babylonian exile after 538 B.C. The passage divides itself into four stanzas or strophes, verses 1--3, 4--6, 7--9, and 10--11. Thus, the lectionary's division is not quite accurate, but the proper division is necessary in order to know who is speaking in each stanza.