Isaiah 51:11
Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
Study Note
Study Note
The glorious promise 'the redeemed of the Lord shall return and come with singing to Zion; everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy; sorrow and mourning shall flee away' reprises Isaiah 35:10 verbatim, creating a carefully structured inclusion across chapters 35 and 51 that brackets the central section of Second Isaiah. The image of 'everlasting joy upon their heads' (simchat olam al rosham) may evoke the oil-and-garland of festival celebrations, applying the language of cultic joy to the eschatological homecoming. The flight of sorrow (yanusu yagon va'anachah) employs personification, depicting negative emotions as enemies that flee the divine warrior's advance — a consolation image of total reversal. The verse became one of the most-cited biblical consolation texts in Jewish and Christian funeral liturgy and in pastoral care for the bereaved.
Other Translations
And the ransomed of Jehovah shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
And the ransomed of Jehovah turn back, And they have come to Zion with singing, And joy age-during <FI>is<Fi> on their head, Gladness and joy they attain, Fled away have sorrow and sighing,
Those whom the Lord has made free will come back with songs to Zion; and on their heads will be eternal joy: delight and joy will be theirs, and sorrow and sounds of grief will be gone for ever.
Cross References
He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and …
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: …
Sing, O ye heavens; for the Lord hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into …
Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter …
Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted …
The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: …
Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting …
For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land …
And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more …
Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; …